Creative brief

You can expect the photoshoot to take a minimum of 3-5 hours.

Lighting and mood should feel premium and inviting, telegraphing what it actually feels like to be at the hotel. Optimize the timing for the best ambient light for each space, when the subject appears most visually captivating. When photographing the exterior and outdoor images, the light on the subject matter should be diffused rather than harsh. If you arrive at high noon, start with interiors first.

Lighting and mood should feel premium and cinematic, and will telegraph what it feels like to be a guest at the hotel. Bracket images with high contrast lighting (such as with windows or direct light). This provides editors with a wider range of information to work with in difficult lighting situations.

Our goal is to give all guests, including those with disabilities, clear, reliable visuals to assess accessibility. Include images that illustrate the full path of entrance to the common spaces, and rooms: from parking to entrance, elevator, hallway, room, bathroom, and common spaces. As well as images that highlight how rooms and spaces connect (eg. reception to the restaurant) and always feature doorways open. Additionally, prioritize capturing accessible rooms, when they are available. We recommend straight-on horizontal shots, using verticals when space is limited, and always illustrating floor space (keep camera height same as normal). Include multiple images to capture each of the following:

Try to bring consistency by capturing most images at the same height, and avoid showcasing awkward angles, perspectives, and views into corners. Try to capture a range of wide, mid, and tight compositions of each room to allow editors to choose from a variety of images when making a final selection.

Use a vertical frame when height or a single feature tells the story: tall windows, layered textures, or a cozy corner. Portrait orientation highlights scale, isolates key details, and gives a warm, editorial feel.

Avoid capturing guests & staff when possible.

When photographing spaces with people present, avoid capturing people in the images:

1. if it is unavoidable, they should not be recognizable (never capture their faces straight-on and always put them at a distance, as seen in examples below). Get creative by focusing on mid or tight details in areas of the room without people, or return to the room when there are less people present.
2. if they are recognizable, please secure a release for each recognizable person captured (download forms below).
3. leave any relevant details about releases in the upload notes and be sure to upload the releases along with your final deliverables.

Our team will contact you directly if we think the assignment requires drone photography.

Certain assignments may require drone photography to achieve wider and higher vantage points—this will be clearly indicated in your assignment title. When planning your composition, carefully consider the key geographic features surrounding the property, or the best way to capture the exterior straight-on at a higher vantage point. Always leave negative space for the square crop.

Images should be bracketed when an interior has a considerable difference between inside and outside exposures. Please merge your bracketed images before uploading. Keep in mind that we only need the final merged images in your submission, not single bracketed assets.

We encourage using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software for merging HDR images and converting files to DNG format to prevent compatibility issues in post-production. Adobe’s features help maintain colour profiles, metadata, and visual quality, providing more flexibility for achieving professional results, regardless of the camera model used.

We recommend Camera RAW version 12 or above while exporting DNGs in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Software. For file conversion and bracket merging, we kindly ask that you refrain from using Photometrix Software.