Snap & Stay
AIRBNB PHOTOGRAPHY
PERSONAL PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY, BRANDING, WEB DESIGN
Trading vacation stays for professional photography
Snap & Stay is a clever way I came up with to give Airbnb owners professional photography services, but instead of paying for the images, we trade for them. The owners who I've done this crazy idea turned side hustle with, end up getting beautiful new photos of their homes, while I get a couple of nights to explore a new neighborhood or city. Win-win.
HOW IT STARTED
Snap & Stay started several years ago as a creative solution for a last-minute problem: I needed a place to stay for the weekend. In a pinch (and feeling a little frugal) I offered the Airbnb host to trade a couple of nights stay for new photos of their one-bedroom listing instead of paying. They trusted the concept, loved the photos, and the next thing I knew an idea was born.
Shortly after that first weekend, I got to work designing a visual identity with a fun friendly personality, a website to showcase the concept, and a referral to help legitimize this crazy idea. Suddenly a California road trip or a trip to the east coast meant trading photoshoots for vacations!
This sideways journey into residential photography was an eye-opening experience, but man it was fun. It was the perfect alignment of my passions for photography, travel, and eye for detail from studying architecture. It unlocked some of that rare fast-paced creative energy where all you want to do is make stuff. The branding, the website, the photo editing, was all happening in a flurry. Plus the invigorating idea that I'd just unlocked a cheaper way to travel and work remotely. What started as a random idea quickly turned into something I love to do.
BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS
As an avid Airbnb user myself, I knew that some great photography could instantly capture my attention and set a listing apart from others in the neighborhood. It was the deciding factor between many listings. The photography won’t fix a rental’s leaky sink or bad wi-fi connection, but it can set an Airbnb listing above its peers by telling a captivating story about the home, unique characteristics or amenities of the rooms, highlight near-by attractions, and offer a glimpse into the city itself.
Now, when I look at listings I want to know more — What bars and restaurants are nearby? How close to the beach or a cool hike? There is a domino effect to this as the better story your photography tells the more people will view your listing, more people will book, ratings will go up, and suddenly offering an adventurous designer from Seattle a place to stay isn't such a bad deal.
CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO SEE THE FULL PHOTOSHOOTS ON SNAPANDSTAY.COM
Building the brand
As a designer, this was my favorite part. Suddenly I had this awesome side project, but I needed a way to express the idea visually. Beyond needing a website to showcase my photography, I needed an identity to capture homeowners' attention. That's where the heart of the camera + house logo came from. It was important for my personality to come across on the website and after my visits. The result was this fun, friendly, and authentic visual identity.
See more on the Snap & Stay website.
Lessons Learned
VALUE OF GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
We're all heard that 'a picture is worth a thousand words' – but a great photo is also worth quite a lot to Airbnb landlords. This project really showed me how to explore photography as a way to tell and sell a story.
PITCHING AN IDEA
I had to get used to people saying no pretty often while trying to swap photography for a stay at their home, but after sticking with it the owners who ended up saying yes loved the results and immediately saw improvement in their listings.
© 2021 Matt Knorr. All Rights Reserved.