How To Respectfully Ask a Host To Do a Photo Shoot

[Mike2072]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a professional photographer with over 5 years of experience in the hospitality space. I've worked with some of the top hotels in the world and now I'm looking to collaborate with some Airbnb properties!

I'll be launching a YouTube channel shortly that focuses on showcasing unique Airbnbs and accommodations.

I attempted to contact an Airbnb host to see if I could shoot a video at their property, but I'm still new to this and wasn't aware of Airbnb's terms of service. I included some links to my portfolio in the message so it was immediately flagged by Airbnb's systems and I received an email from Airbnb telling me to back off or my account would be suspended.

My question is simply- how do I go about contacting Airbnb hosts properly to set up these shoots? Just a simple- "I have a cool YouTube channel that showcases unique Airbnbs. I'd love to create a video for you" with no links?

I guess I'm a little frustrated because I've worked very hard to build up a strong work portfolio, but unfortunately I can't share any links to show that I'm a credible, professional photographer, and not some amateur film student who is going to trash someone's property. If I were the host...how would I be able to confirm that this guy reaching out to me is who he says he is..?

If any hosts are reading this- what has your experience been with hosting photo shoots? Are you totally against them? Do you work with some select people if it's a good fit?

The videos that I'll be creating aren't some commercial or other work project, but a video that will benefit an Airbnb host and their property directly.

I welcome any thoughts on this matter and if anyone has any ideas/experience in regards to the best way to approach hosts in a respectful manner to organize a shoot, please share.

Thanks all!

[Sarah977]

@Mike2072  I'm not sure what you mean "host a photo shoot". Is what you're proposing a free stay at Airbnbs in exchange for a photo shoot? Honestly, there may be some hosts interested in this, but I would think most would not be. There are so many people who contact hosts with this sort of proposal,- photographers, "influencers", travel bloggers. 

As far as contacting individual hosts, there really isn't a set-up for this. You can send an Inquiry to  host, which is probably what you did, but if you aren't sending an Inquiry with the intention of perhaps booking a stay, sending an Inquiry with this sort of proposal will likely just irritate hosts- we have to respond to an Inquiry within 24 hours or receive downrating of our stats, so you are just making more work for a host who may not be the slightest bit interested in having a video shot. There are local Facebook groups for hosts and guests, so maybe you could find one where you could make your services available.

[Mike2072]

Hi Sara, thanks for your feedback! I would not be seeking a free stay at this time, I’m simply asking Airbnb hosts for permission to shoot a video at their property. The video will benefit them directly with their Airbnb link in the description of my video, so I think it would be beneficial for certain hosts to collaborate. I would either (1) pay for the Airbnb as a normal paying guest and shoot the video with their permission or (2) if the Airbnb is fully booked up or the host is a little uneasy I can just come during the day and shoot the video for a few hours and then leave in the evening and not stay overnight. Thank you for your suggestion with the Facebook groups!

[Helen3]

If you want to shoot a video for your business at an Airbnb that would fall outside Airbnb's terms for a stay. You would need to approach a host directly to discuss commercial terms for your video shoot and rates . @Mike2072 

Whether you stay over or want to book at Airbnb for the day for your shoot, you would need a proper contract with your host covering payment based on commercial rates, liability insurance, use of space etc.

[Mike2072]

Very helpful insight. Thanks, Helen!

[Marit-Anne0]

@Mike2072 our main marketing tool is our airbnb listing where only photos are possible and a video would be useless. Some hosts market their property on social media as well, perhaps try and find those.

[Mike2072]

I understand. However, if your Airbnb is advertised on other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or another website and all of these platforms help drive traffic straight back to your Airbnb listing, you will get more bookings as long as this new traffic is qualified and from interested people.

[Sarah977]

@Mike2072  P.S. If you are going to shoot Airbnbs, something you need to be aware of is that an Airbnb should never be "staged"- it needs to look exactly in photos and video as it will look when a guest checks in. If there's a vase of fresh flowers on the table in a photo, there needs to be fresh flowers when guests arrive. There have been complaints voiced from guests right here on this forum about booking places that had photos done with wide-angle lenses, which made the rooms look much bigger than they were in reality. If Airbnb guests don't find what they expect from the photos they see on a listing (or in your case, on a video), that can result in bad reviews for the host. 

[Helen350]

Indeed @Sarah977 & @Mike2072  ! - I had a professional photographer stay with me 3 times last summer. The first time he asked me whether I would like him to take professional photos of my place. I've no idea whether he wanted to charge or do it for free, we'd only just met.... I told him I did not want professional photos cos I did not want to make my place look better than it is, & did not want guests to be disappointed...... And did not want a low 'accuracy' score, nor lower overall rating. 

[Mike2072]

I agree with this 100%! Very important not to mislead people through a video or photos. I will include a clause that I will never move furniture or "stage" the property in any way.

[Juan63]

@Sarah977  I would say more often than not, wide lenses are not used to make the space look bigger. Usually the small space only allows you to physically use a wider lens.

[Sarah977]

@Juan63  I get that. My Airbnb room/bathroom is really hard to get back far enough to get most of the space in one shot- therefore I have to take several shots from different angles. It may not be the intention of the host to make it look bigger than it is, but when they use a wide angle to shoot the space, it distorts it and does make it look larger. Which can lead guests to feel they've been misled.

[Lisa723]

@Mike2072 Airbnb is not set up to facilitate this kind of commercial solicitation. You can't contact a host without inquiring about specific available rental dates, and you can't include any kind of external contact information. Hosts do nevertheless receive a fair number of spam inquiries, and speaking for myself, they go straight into the bin.

As you have mentioned, only hosts who market on other platforms could use any kind of video, so I think you might have more success contacting them on those other platforms.

Airbnb does contract with professional photographers to provide (still) photography to hosts, so you could also try registering with Airbnb to do that: https://careers.airbnb.com/contractors/2243/

[Mike2072]

Thanks for this info, Lisa. Very helpful!

[Juan63]

Hi Mike, I am also a photographer and have received many requests from other "professionals." A few problems with this. I have commercial insurance and my insurance will not cover professional shoots. You will have to have a $1,000,000 insurance policy, and workers compensation for models, assistances, make up artists, etc. Exactly like hotels. Since you have experience you probably already know this. I would also expect the photographer to pay a rate well beyond the overnight stay. It bothers me when furniture is moved and models don't have consideration of the furniture as they are wearing makeup or tanning liquids on their skin. I tend to say no. It's just not worth the headache. Saying all that, some hosts don't care and will let you book the night for a half day shoot. So just ask. 🙂