I didn't arrive at property photography through the obvious route. Before setting up Stay Studios, I spent years working in marketing and advertising - places like BBH and McCann Erikson - managing campaigns and working on shoots. I loved the craft of it, the way a great image could stop someone in their tracks. I also had a bit of an obsession with finding beautiful places to stay, eat, drink and just be.



Because of this, at one point I even looked into running a holiday let myself. But when I was honest with myself, it wasn't the hosting side that excited me - it was the visual storytelling. This got me thinking - why not combine my agency experience with a genuine love of photography and design, and help brilliant spaces stand out online?

What I'm looking for when I walk through the door

Every shoot starts the same way - a full walkthrough before the camera comes out. I'm clocking the natural light, the flow between rooms, the details that give a space its personality. Then I'm thinking about what needs to stay, what needs to move, and what angles will do the space justice.

The volume of holiday let and hotel listings has grown enormously, which means standing out is harder than ever. When I'm framing a shot, I'm drawing on my advertising background and thinking like the end guest. What's the moment they've been looking forward to? What would make them send this to the group chat? How do I help someone picture themselves in this space, just from a single image?

The revenue case for getting photography right

A lot of hosts know instinctively that professional photography looks better. What's sometimes underestimated is the impact it has on the bottom line. Airbnb themselves have said that professional photography can increase bookings and revenue by around 20%. In a saturated market, that's a real competitive edge.

But here's the thing most hosts haven't considered: are they exploring all of the options when using their new set of images?

Your Airbnb might be perfect as a shoot location

Brands, agencies and independent creators are constantly searching for interesting spaces to shoot in - for product launches, brand campaigns, editorial work, social content. They want somewhere with great light, a considered interior, and plenty of interesting corners and backdrops to work with.

The mindset isn't so different from a holiday let guest. Where a guest is picturing themselves in the space, a brand or creator is picturing themselves or their product in it. Lifestyle images are particularly useful here, because they show exactly how a product could look once it's been styled in a real setting. Wide shots matter too, for the same reason they matter in holiday let photography: clients want to understand the scale of the rooms and how much space they actually have to work with.

The holiday lets I visit are often perfectly set up for this. They've already got the styling, the cleanliness, the character. The operational side already in place also makes listing and managing as a shoot location smooth. Monetising the space as a shoot location isn't starting a whole new business - it's simply opening another door.

Platforms like Styled Home Studios make it easy to do this alongside your existing bookings. There are no upfront fees, and bookings come in as requests - so you can check the shoot brief and your availability before you commit. No double-booking risks, no loss of control.

What I particularly like about Styled Home Studios is how curated it is. Creators using it aren't scrolling through thousands of generic listings - they're actively looking for spaces that will photograph well. A very different audience from a standard booking platform, and a very motivated one.

Two revenue streams, one space

The combination of great photography and listing on the right platforms can make a huge difference to revenue performance. Professional images attract the guests you want and signal to potential shoot clients that your space is taken seriously.

If you're a holiday let owner or hotel and you're not yet exploring shoot location hire, it's worth asking: are you making the most of what you already have?