# Hotel room shooting



## Pukka312 (Mar 25, 2013)

I've been asked to take some photos of a hotel here, and I'm curious if anyone knows much about hotel lighting and staging the room. Their decor is pretty great, so I don't think there needs to be any significant rearrangement, but I also know that there tends to be a lot that goes into that type of photography. 

Their current photos are not professional (just snapshots from the manager's point and shoot), so I'm sure they will be happy with what I give them...but I'd like the opportunity to really learn how to do it right. I generally shoot events, so it's not my normal area. Any tips or articles that highlight the best ways to shoot a room?

(And in case anyone is bothered that I'm accepting a job that I'm less familiar with on technique, please take note I'm in Tanzania. The majority of my competition shoots in auto with a pop-up flash. They haven't reached the same standards yet.)


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## imagemaker46 (Mar 25, 2013)

Take a look at what of the high end hotels use for pictures and use those as reference.  Doesn't sound like you're much more ahead of your competition, but as long as "your" standards are higher, the pictures won't look like they were shot by an amateur.

You'll need a super wide, a tripod, and use the avaliable light from the windows, longer exposures work well, keep the iso down, you want to make the room look bigger than it probably is.  Flowers on a table, keep the room clear of clutter and your horizon and vertical lines straight.  You know, basic stuff.


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## Pukka312 (Mar 25, 2013)

imagemaker46 said:


> Take a look at what of the high end hotels use for pictures and use those as reference.  Doesn't sound like you're much more ahead of your competition, but as long as "your" standards are higher, the pictures won't look like they were shot by an amateur.
> 
> You'll need a super wide, a tripod, and use the avaliable light from the windows, longer exposures work well, keep the iso down, you want to make the room look bigger than it probably is.  Flowers on a table, keep the room clear of clutter and your horizon and vertical lines straight.  You know, basic stuff.



Your advice was my original plan to shoot it but i second guessed myself when my dad told me about photogs in real estate. He was in real estate and was telling me the big production that the photographers would put on to light a room. It sounded rather extensive so I thought I was under-thinking the lighting.


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## imagemaker46 (Mar 25, 2013)

I've shot hotel rooms in the past and in order for some photographers to justify the fees they charge they will bring out all the smoke and mirrors.  That is, will show up with an assistant, all kinds of lights, just to put on the big show for the client.  Most of the time none of it is required.  You don't need to start putting up lights  to shoot a room.


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## tirediron (Mar 25, 2013)

This is basically just real-estate photography.  It's easy to do an 'okay' job, but much difficult to do an outstanding job.  Imagemaker's advice will definitely get you into 'okay', but there are a couple of considerations.  Most hotels (especially better ones) have multiple light sources (tungsten, halogen, fluorescent, window, etc).  You need to be able to deal with that.  Typically, I'll use a half-dozen or more speedlights tossed here and there to provide illuminate the room properly (and you'll likely need LOTS of gels; CTO, CTB, etc).  

A UWA is generally the go-to choice for this sort of work, but it's NOT, IMO, the best choice.  There are several reasons for this - the main one is that because almost all except for the very top-end UWAs suffer from distortion at the ends.  The ideal lens for this work is a tilt-shift lens ('PC' for Nikonites) which will allow for the correction of of perspective distortion.  Failing that, use a medium-wide prime and shoot as a panorama.


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## runnah (Mar 25, 2013)

John is right. To do it "right" does require more than ambient light sources.


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## pixmedic (Mar 25, 2013)

Pukka312 said:


> I've been asked to take some photos of a hotel here, and I'm curious if anyone knows much about hotel lighting and staging the room. Their decor is pretty great, so I don't think there needs to be any significant rearrangement, but I also know that there tends to be a lot that goes into that type of photography.
> 
> Their current photos are not professional (just snapshots from the manager's point and shoot), so I'm sure they will be happy with what I give them...but I'd like the opportunity to really learn how to do it right. I generally shoot events, so it's not my normal area. Any tips or articles that highlight the best ways to shoot a room?
> 
> (And in case anyone is bothered that I'm accepting a job that I'm less familiar with on technique, please take note I'm in Tanzania. The majority of my competition shoots in auto with a pop-up flash. They haven't reached the same standards yet.)



this is crap. It basically tells people to expect garbage work from you. It says you are setting yourself up for failure... are you? If you are taking this job because you are confident you can do a good job on it, then BE confident. You haven't even gotten to the photography part of the job yet and your already making excuses for sub-par work, which might not even be the case. You don't have any responsibility to prove anything to the naysayers, only to the clients.  Don't make excuses, make a good product.  if you FEEL you can, they SAY you can...and DO it. But don't needlessly sell yourself short to try and offset the possible "I told you so's" from people later on if you dont produce great images.


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## 2WheelPhoto (Mar 25, 2013)

imagemaker46 said:


> I've shot hotel rooms in the past and in order for some photographers to justify the fees they charge they will bring out all the smoke and mirrors.  That is, will show up with an assistant, all kinds of lights, just to put on the big show for the client.  Most of the time none of it is required.  You don't need to start putting up lights  to shoot a room.



So you're claiming scam/showtime/lightshow is more important than the quality of work and product?


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## pixmedic (Mar 25, 2013)

2WheelPhoto said:


> imagemaker46 said:
> 
> 
> > I've shot hotel rooms in the past and in order for some photographers to justify the fees they charge they will bring out all the smoke and mirrors.  That is, will show up with an assistant, all kinds of lights, just to put on the big show for the client.  Most of the time none of it is required.  You don't need to start putting up lights  to shoot a room.
> ...



thats not quite what I got out of his statement....I felt he was saying that you dont always NEED every piece of equipment you own to get the shot right, but some photographers feel they HAVE to use everything to justify what they charge. I dont think ive ever seen imagemaker46 make any suggestion to someone along the lines of sacrificing quality for something else.


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## tirediron (Mar 25, 2013)

2WheelPhoto said:


> imagemaker46 said:
> 
> 
> > I've shot hotel rooms in the past and in order for some photographers to justify the fees they charge they will bring out all the smoke and mirrors. That is, will show up with an assistant, all kinds of lights, just to put on the big show for the client. Most of the time none of it is required. You don't need to start putting up lights to shoot a room.
> ...


What pix said!


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## Pukka312 (Mar 25, 2013)

pixmedic said:


> Pukka312 said:
> 
> 
> > I've been asked to take some photos of a hotel here, and I'm curious if anyone knows much about hotel lighting and staging the room. Their decor is pretty great, so I don't think there needs to be any significant rearrangement, but I also know that there tends to be a lot that goes into that type of photography.
> ...



I hesitated adding that line. It's not that I think I deliver garbage, it's more along the lines of realizing my limitation in skills. I am aware of how much progress I have yet to make, but I live in an environment where I outperform the majority and am considered near the top of the totem pole. It sets a girl up to have a misplaced ego.  But more than that, I just don't want people to feel I'm disrespecting their skill set by assuming I can successfully navigate every avenue of photography. I have a fortunate situation in that I'm basically allowed an opportunity to gain real life learning experience in multiple areas of photography, but the bar has been set lower by my predecessors. In general, I accept jobs here that I would turn away in the U.S., just because im not quite there yet. I have improved more in the past 6 months than I ever did the last 2 years in the U.S. but still have some leaps to get where I'd like to be. I'm working on it though.  

God I hope I didn't say anything offensive there...


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## tirediron (Mar 25, 2013)

Mehh.. at the end of the day, are you getting paid?  Is the client happy?  If the answer to both of those is yes, and you're not taking any work away from me... it's all good!


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## Vautrin (Mar 25, 2013)

You don't need a super wide angle.  I'd even advise against them at your level, because:

A Super Wide Angle will have significant distortion (all your lines will curve)
Nobody wants to see curvey hotel walls (unless it's a high end boutique hotel with rounded windows)
A super wide angle that won't have significant distortion will cost lots of $$$$ 

Lighting is similarly useless since you are not going to be able to afford enough if you don't have it

If I were shooting with just a point and shoot, I'd:

Get my tripod
Shoot in mirror up mode if your camera has it
Shoot low iso, long enough to get the exposure
Shoot a 50mm or (normal angle) lens
Stich the images together with a linear projection (so lines are straight)
Make sure to correct for white balance

You now should get a very detailed photo, with minimal distortion, and the tripod will ensure sharpness


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## 2WheelPhoto (Mar 25, 2013)

Are you charging this client


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## imagemaker46 (Mar 25, 2013)

2WheelPhoto said:


> imagemaker46 said:
> 
> 
> > I've shot hotel rooms in the past and in order for some photographers to justify the fees they charge they will bring out all the smoke and mirrors.  That is, will show up with an assistant, all kinds of lights, just to put on the big show for the client.  Most of the time none of it is required.  You don't need to start putting up lights  to shoot a room.
> ...



That's not what I said at all.  What I said is based on my experience from working with some of these types of photographers.  If I ask for $1500 to do a group shot of 20 people and they agree to it, and I show up with a body and single flash to do the shot, it takes me 5 minutes to set the shot up, 5 minutes to shoot it. The client will wonder what they are paying for, regardless of how good the photo is.  If another photographer shows up with an assistant, a couple of lights, puts the camera on a tripod, spends 20 minutes setting the photo up, another 20 minutes shooting it and produces the same quality of image, the client won't say anything.  It's a dog and pony show to justify the fee.  How do I know this, because I have already done this, using both methods, and the difference between the images, pretty much zero. 

This does not work with everything, but we are talking about a hotel room. How big would the hotel room have to be to set up lights and shoot it wide enough to get the desired affect of being spacious when a couple of light stands are in the way.  A lot of the high end hotels like to have their rooms look like their rooms, using the available/ambient light does just that  It's no different that shooting someone's home, problem is that when you see something that looks good and the light is right, how many people would still throw more light on it and change the feel.  it's not necessary.


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## 2WheelPhoto (Mar 25, 2013)

^^^^  understood thanks


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## imagemaker46 (Mar 25, 2013)

2WheelPhoto said:


> ^^^^  understood thanks




No worries, sometimes reading a response doesn't always end up sounding the way it was written.


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## Pukka312 (Mar 25, 2013)

2WheelPhoto said:


> Are you charging this client



Yes, but not as much as I usually charge. I can't afford to shoot for free. It's my only income here.


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## bunny99123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Is the owner or manager going to follow you around? If not, don't sweat it. Just relax and do your thing. 

I have done some real estate shots and I used my camera and external flash. By using my settings on the camera I was able to produce some very good photos. I even used my kit lens.

Look for the best angle that makes the room the most appealing. 

I watch a modeling reality show a few years ago and one of the photographer uses a point and shoot. His photos were as good or even better than some. 

Good luck


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## MOREGONE (Mar 26, 2013)

More and more time I spend on this site, seems like the same people are trying to talk everyone out of being a working photographer. Maybe they assume they can get the jobs you turn down. Don't worry about what everyone here says, if you asking for help and they're not giving it, then keep on reading.  Everyone has to start somewhere. You're honest with us so I'll assume your honest with the client, good that's out of the way.

I've recently started with Real Estate photography and tirediron was dead on explaining the multiple lighting sources you will have to deal with. You haven't shared if you have speedlights or other to work with, if so you will definitely want to order some gels. They're pretty cheap on Amazon, ~$10. 
If you don't, you will want to be in the room at the ideal time of day where the sun illuminates the room at its best.  This will probably be in the morning before the sun is over head. You can probably use the sheer curtains as a diffuser to soften the light. I use an UWA and use lens correction in Lightroom. But I would recon an 18mm kit lens would be suitable considering the current point and shoot work the client has. 

Edit:: you may also want to try HDR photography. It really isn't too difficult but you'll need some software to process it if you don't already (Photoshop has it built in, there are some others that are free or have free trials)

Best of luck shooting and hopefully you will come back and share pics.


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## imagemaker46 (Mar 26, 2013)

MOREGONE said:


> More and more time I spend on this site, seems like the same people are trying to talk everyone out of being a working photographer. Maybe they assume they can get the jobs you turn down. Don't worry about what everyone here says, if you asking for help and they're not giving it, then keep on reading.  Everyone has to start somewhere. You're honest with us so I'll assume your honest with the client, good that's out of the way.
> 
> I've recently started with Real Estate photography and tirediron was dead on explaining the multiple lighting sources you will have to deal with. You haven't shared if you have speedlights or other to work with, if so you will definitely want to order some gels. They're pretty cheap on Amazon, ~$10.
> If you don't, you will want to be in the room at the ideal time of day where the sun illuminates the room at its best.  This will probably be in the morning before the sun is over head. You can probably use the sheer curtains as a diffuser to soften the light. I use an UWA and use lens correction in Lightroom. But I would recon an 18mm kit lens would be suitable considering the current point and shoot work the client has.
> ...



I'm pretty sure HDR is out of the question if a hotel is trying to show what their rooms really look like. It isn't that people  on this forum are always trying to talk others out of becoming professionals, it's that if someone is considering it, they should be told how difficult it is, candy coating it doesn't help anyone.


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## MOREGONE (Mar 26, 2013)

imagemaker46 said:


> I'm pretty sure HDR is out of the question if a hotel is trying to show what their rooms really look like. It isn't that people  on this forum are always trying to talk others out of becoming professionals, it's that if someone is considering it, they should be told how difficult it is, candy coating it doesn't help anyone.




Yeah Trey Ratcliff type HDR should avoided, but subtle natural looking HDR is quite appropriate in this situation and may prove invaluable if off camera lighting is not an option. 

Photographers shouldn't work for free and if they come to an online community for support, that's what should be given. Funny how people chose which part of the OP to focus in on (the logistics) and skip over the main part (the request for assistance). Seems like people would be better suited if they asked generic questions like "how would you shoot a hotel room with X gear" because if they put "how would you shoot a hotel room with X gear for a _*client*" _its likely the responses will not address their question.


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## imagemaker46 (Mar 26, 2013)

MOREGONE said:


> imagemaker46 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm pretty sure HDR is out of the question if a hotel is trying to show what their rooms really look like. It isn't that people  on this forum are always trying to talk others out of becoming professionals, it's that if someone is considering it, they should be told how difficult it is, candy coating it doesn't help anyone.
> ...




My first response to the question said how I would shoot it.  It was a simple answer to a simple question.


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