Drawing on My Travel Experience for this Travel Hostel Photography Shoot

When I got the call from Astor Hostels asking if I was available to help them create a series of photos, which showed the fun and relaxed side of their hostels, for their website and marketing materials, I was delighted. Being an avid traveller myself, I spent a lot of my late teens and twenties back-packing and staying at hostels across the globe. I still sometimes stay at hostels now, as it’s a great way to meet people and see the world on a budget – though I admit, I’m more inclined to stay in a or private room these days and save the mingling to the bar area – so this London hospitality photography shoot was right up my street.

Creating Lifestyle Photos

My client explained to me that they already had good, clear photos of their spaces and, of course, guests were always posting snaps on Instagram, which helped potential customers get a sense of the place they might end up staying during their travels in London. However, they didn’t have professional images that showed the fun side of their guests’ experience and the warm and friendly sociable atmosphere, that they could use for marketing and social media. 

What is Lifestyle Photography & Why Use It? 

In simple terms, lifestyle photography is photography that aims to capture people and products in situations that look realistic, rather than staged, posed photography – such as a fashion image or portrait. The benefit in creating images that look natural, is that when a viewer sees the photos, they don’t feel they’re being sold to; they perhaps identify with, or aspire to be in, the situation and the image tells a story that goes alongside the marketing message. 

If natural photography is so important, why stage it at all?

Of course, in order to get beautiful natural looking photos, a lot of planning and directing actually has to happen. So, for this photography shoot, my client and I had a chat before hand about the kind of photos they wanted and she sent me a list of images she liked – so I knew the style we’d be going for – and we made a plan from there.

The result, as you can see from the shots, is a collection of happy, vibrant and animated photos that really do make you want to join in the fun. I know I was sad to leave at the end of the photo shoot and was tempted to check-in myself!

To find out more about Astor Hostels, Victoria, which is the traveller’s hostel featured in this photography blog post, please visit their website: www.astorhostels.com

And here are a few more of my other favourite photographs…..