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LODGE & LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY
In today's visual world, the average traveler will spend time online and investigate the places they planning to visit. A guest's first impressions come from what they see online or in print media! They are going to want to see images that guide them through a lodge from arrival at reception, rooms, activities, and food. It is therefore more important than ever before to have photos that can show off your lodge to your potential guests to secure a booking.
Rory and Casey have together over 25 years of photography experience with interiors, lodges, high-end properties, and lifestyle shoots. Combining their styles and expertise with their wildlife photography and guiding experience makes them the perfect partners to use for your lodge or boutique hotel images.
Rory’s photographs gave my business and me a great boost. The pictures improved the general impression and ambiance of the rooms through the creative use of light and good angles without exaggeration or distortion. To demonstrate the difference between the “before” and “after” pictures, I refer to a pre-Rory guest who said that her room was much nicer than the photograph had suggested. Subsequent comments have been that the rooms live up to the photographs. For me, this is a good start to a stay because expectations have been met through good photography from a photographer who knows his art. Ruth Fifield
SERVICES
Interior & Exterior Photography
Interior and exterior photographs capture the look and feel of a place as realistically as possible without distortion or exaggeration. What guests see in the promotional materials is what they must see on arrival.
Before we commence with any photography we will meet with the Owners or Management to have a clear understanding of what their expectations are.
We were fortunate to have met Rory on our specialized photographic reserve Zimanga a few years ago. Most of our guides are brilliant wildlife photographers but great lodge photography requires its unique skillset in which Rory excels, and we cannot be happier having asked him to photograph the lodge for us. We were blown away by the results of his lodge photoshoot and testament to his eye for detail is still showcased on our website with the vast majority of lodge images to this day from Rory’s camera. Charl Senekal
Producing a good set of images for an establishment is like writing a story where the reader can't put the book down until it is finished.
Lifestyle Photography
Lifestyle photos are a key element in the success of selling your place through photos. They show your potential guests a lifestyle you want them to buy into by showcasing photos of game drives, sun-downers in the bush, massages, dining experiences, and relaxing in the room or at the pool. They bring your place to life!
Lifestyle shots take a lot of planning but we will guide you through the process and create a shot list based on what your goals are. You will need people to be part of that process and most places use friends and family to step up. If you need models instead, speak to us we will guide you.
Food Photography
Creating good food photos is a key link in the chain to make your potential guests come to a decision. Here attention to detail in the plated food, table settings, serving stations, and servers is what will tell the story.
Food photos require meticulous planning among the Owners or Management, chefs, and photographers so that the photos capture the ambiance of the dinning experience.
The more involved the Owners or Management are in the planning and staging of a photoshoot the better the outcome!
Staging & Styling
Our years of experience photographing interiors have taught us a lot about what works and does not work in photos. We will assist you with that process. We focus on lines, lighting, and reproducing photos that are realistic to how you normally present your place to your guests.
As we move through the property we work with the Owners / Management and staff to make sure the presentation meets the standards you want to showcase..
Video & Drone Photography
We use third-party videographers to do this where we control the creative process. We would also involve the videographer in a meeting with the Owners or Management so that expectations and outcomes are met.
We also work with licensed drone operators where we manage and control what needs to be done. Drone photography could be still photography, video, or both. Video footage would be incorporated into a final promotional video.
Not all safari guides are photographers but all safari guides have photographers with them every day!
PHOTOGRPAPHY COACHING FOR SAFARI GUIDES
Training guides about photography, and approaching a sighting, positioning, light, distance, and so on will help your guests get better photos which in turn will boost your establishment's image. We run two workshops:
- Understanding Photography for Non Photographers. This is a one-day workshop and is about improving photographic guiding skills and involves classroom and practical.
- Wildlife Photography Course. This is a full two-day workshop for guides who are photographers or potential photographers where they will learn the basics of exposure, understanding light, composition, other aspects of photography, and photography guiding skills.
Rory traveled to the grassy Karoo to capture the tranquility and comfort that our properties offer. As we've spent time and effort keeping the properties sympathetic to the environment but also modern enough to offer maximum comfort for travelers, we needed our pictures to capture this. We felt Rory did a great job in framing the essence of what we offer and showing the best of our bed and breakfast offerings. Tim Zunckel