Lieselotte Farquhar runs a small function venue in Adelaide that seats up to 60 guests. Most of her bookings were weekend events. She wanted to attract corporate clients for midweek dinners but her existing photos showed the space in daylight, which made it look like a plain hall.
What she changed
She hired a photographer for a single two-hour session on a Tuesday evening. The space was dressed with table settings, dim pendant lights, and candles. No guests, no event - just the room set up as it would look for a dinner booking.
The photographer shot from the entrance looking inward, from the corner of the room to show depth, and one close-up of a place setting with a glass of water catching the candlelight.
The result in practical terms
Lieselotte updated her website and sent the images to three corporate event coordinators she had previously quoted. Two responded within a week to discuss bookings. She attributes this partly to the images showing the room as a finished, atmospheric space rather than an empty venue.
The photography session cost $380. She notes that the images alone did not close the bookings - the follow-up email with a clear pricing sheet was equally important.