Images that Sell. Trade Secrets from Photography Experts

How to Make Your Images Leap Off The Page

There’s a trend in advertising for glossy close-up images. Pictures that shine and make us want. Food advertising was the birthplace of this phenomenon and it’s commonly referred to as ‘Food Porn’, pictures so expressive that we can’t help but pay attention.Images are probably the best way you can grab the attention of people scrolling past your website so why not try to capture this essence. We wanted to what it is that makes these images so compelling?

We’ve brought together some expert photography tips that will let you create images that really convert and make people want to buy. These tricks are real and they work. There are defined rules that marketers have realised that create a certain response from images. Where you place certain objects, your colours, your lighting. There are very specific dos and don’ts that will help you make images that will get you more bookings.

If you place a fork next to an image of a steaming lasagne it makes it even more appealing. The reader has one less connection to make. Fork to food to mouth. If you place the same fork on the left-hand side of the image, it’s suddenly less appealing. The majority of the population are right handed so the connection to the image isn’t as strong. Without the tool, and this link, the plate of food is almost an abstract concept. It doesn’t ignite the same desire as when we can it connect to a sense.

The argument is that, when we see an attractive image of food, blood rushes to the parts of our brain associated with taste. We experience the desire to eat, even if we’re not hungry. According to one of the authors of the review, Professor Charles Spence of Oxford University, this has been measured in brain scans.

“The taste cortex lights up,” he says. “There’s an increase in blood-flow and, depending on the state of the person, or how realistic the image is.” - source.

So, how do you get this effect with vacation rentals? How can your pictures make people’s synapses flash when they see your properties, elicit such a reaction that they cannot help from booking?

Set up your pictures for guests that never arrive. It shouldn’t look lived in, it should look like it is ready to be lived in by the person viewing your pictures. If you have a terrace that would be perfect for a summer breakfast, set it up for that. Reduce the work in every image and you will increase its appeal.

The only thing missing is your guests. They don’t have to think of the activities they can do, or waste cerebral energy imagining condensation tracing down a martini glass. They are practically there already. You can also use real images, get your guests to submit their photos in your property via social media. Seeing real people engaged and enjoying your properties is a great way to help build this connection.

There are the classic rules of creating great photos, but there are big differences between the rules that make a good photo and creating a photo that sells. The secret to creating photos that convert is to put your guests into the photo. Help them to imagine themselves in the image and they will soon be planning their vacation in one of your properties for real. 

Here are 5 tips to help you achieve this effect:

Don’t overfill
Choose one element to focus on and stick to it. What do you want to say with this image? Are you showing off a great view, or the natural light that pours into your property? Any high-quality website will let you include plenty of high-resolution images so don’t be afraid of being too detailed. Find anything that makes your property special and focus on it in separate images, you don’t need to try and include every great feature in each image. Guests want lots of photos to flick through, and the longer they are on you site, the closer they are moving towards booking.

Create Contrasts
An image with a splash of contrasting colour or shade is an instant attention-grabber. Use colour to draw your guests’ eye to the part of the image you want them to focus on. The white table cloth against the earthen walls in the photo above is a perfect example of how this photographer has used contrast to elevate this from just a terrace view to a terrace view where we can imagine ourselves, staying in the property, sipping cappuccino.

Keep it Natural
You don’t have to spend hours making everything perfect. Leaving a few minor flaws, such as stray flowers strewn on the table or some toast crumbs on the breakfast table. You images should suggest what it’s really like to stay in your properties. Natural touches will make your images look as if they were taken during a vacation in your property, not in the vacuum sealed state before

Make it a work in progress.
A slice of pizza, half lifted from the mothership, still bound by thick cords of cheese is an action just asking to be completed. People viewing this image will want to jump in and finish off the actions. Leave a little bit for your guests to do, show images with coffee half-poured, chairs almost pulled out and your guests will do the rest.

Add a Human touch
Something personal, a hand pouring a drink, a coat draped over a chair - it’s small touches like this that just remove the sterility from an image. They look both personal and professional. 

These tips will help you to make every image attention grabbing, making your guests stop, stay longer on your site and eventually convert more into bookings.