The Silva Treehouse in Cumbria is one of those special places, where you can literally switch off from your everyday world. As a Cumbrian based photographer who shoots a lot of bespoke holiday accommodation and does glamping photography, I revelled in spending a day at this beautiful location. Set at the foot of the North Pennines and with views towards Blencathra and the Lake District, the treehouse is perfectly placed to give it’s guests access to the outdoor playground which is the North of England.

Holiday accommodation photography is one of my favourite areas to work in and takes me across Cumbria and beyond. Living in the Lake District and being involved in the tourism industry has changed the way that I work and opened new doors. With more and more farmers and land owners diversifying, there is a wave of creative and bespoke glamping accommodation appearing across the fells and mountains. Silva Treehouse caught my eye and is marketed by Canopy and Stars. The design is completely unique and it’s this ‘one off’ quality that adds to the charm. There’s no row of carbon copies all sharing the same footprint, this treehouse sits on its own, amongst the branches with no one to disturb you.

My job was to capture the creativity and detail that has gone into the build and design. The initial challenge was finding a day when it was available (always a good sign). Fortunately the weather played ball and I was able to spend some time photographing the structure and surrounding landscape. Using a drone would be key to putting the treehouse into context with it’s surroundings and getting some aerial images always helps the viewer in terms of realising the remoteness of the location. I’ll often bring the drone along to any photoshoot where I think it might add value and always to any holiday accommodation photoshoot. Spending some time to walk around, work out where the light will change as the day goes on and what needs prioritising in case of bad weather is always the first job. Having had no opportunity to do a recce, I had go work quickly to get a scope of the job. The drone photography and outdoor work was first priority just in case the weather turned, which can often happen in the Lake District. Making sure that attention to detail was taken, such as lighting the hot tub and log burner early on, that way they were both producing smoke and steam when I needed it. once the accommodation has been prepped and everything styled and ready, it’s then a case of ticking off the ‘hero’ shots. These are the key images that my client would need to help sell the venue to potential guests. Having ensured that all rooms are photographed and key features captured, I can then get onto the details and little touches that help to make the treehouse stand out. This is something that all holiday accommodation owners are becoming aware of now and these unique features are what make the difference when it comes to marketing photography.

Being a commercial photographer based in the Lake District takes me to some pretty stunning locations and I love every day of these marketing and photographic challenges.