Photography & Videography

Photos and video are the listing. Buyers scroll YachtWorld on their phone at 11pm — if the media doesn't stop the thumb, the boat doesn't get a showing. Great media isn't luck; it's a checklist you run every single time.

1. Prep the boat before the shoot

Treat shoot day like open-house day. The photographer/videographer works fast — anything you didn't handle before they arrive shows up in the frame forever. Walk the boat the day before with this list in hand.

• Full detail inside and out: wash, wax, chamois the stainless, clean glass inside and out, vacuum every cushion and rug.
• Empty the engine room and lazarettes of tools, spares, and clutter — then wipe down engines and stringers. A clean engine room sells confidence.
• Remove ALL personal items: photos, prescription bottles, mail, kids' toys, laundry, half-empty water bottles, dog beds, fishing gear that isn't staying with the boat.
• Fresh flowers or a bowl of limes in the galley. Fluff and align every pillow. Make the beds hotel-tight with matching linens.
• Coil every line the same direction. Fenders down and out of frame, or up and neatly stowed — never half-hanging.
• Fuel and water full so waterlines sit right and the boat trims properly in exterior shots.
• Top off batteries, run the AC an hour before so interiors aren't sweating, and turn on every interior light — even in daylight. Warm interior light on a bright exterior sells.
• Cover or remove sponsor/charter decals if the boat is being sold private-use.
• Have the captain on standby but off-camera. Nothing kills a hero shot like a stranger in shorts in the background.

2. Location, light, and timing

• Golden hour (first hour after sunrise, last hour before sunset) is non-negotiable for exterior hero shots. Schedule around it, not around lunch.
• Overcast midday is fine — sometimes better — for interiors because the light is soft and even.
• On the water beats at the dock every time. Budget a running-shots session if the boat is under 80'.
• Pick a backdrop that flatters the boat: open water, a clean marina line, a bridge or skyline. Avoid junky slips, workboats, and construction cranes in the background.
• Aerial/drone shots require a Part 107 pilot. Confirm the shooter is licensed before you post — a fine kills the marketing budget for the year.

3. Working with the shooter

The photographer is a specialist. Your job is to make their day easy so they can spend their brainpower on the shot list, not on chasing you for the boat name spelling. Send everything in one email the day before.

1. 1Send: full spec sheet, exact boat name and hailing port, address of the slip, gate code, captain's cell, your cell, and 3–5 reference shots you love from prior listings.
2. 2Confirm the shot list in writing: exterior hero (bow quarter, stern quarter, profile), running shots, drone overhead, every stateroom, salon (two angles), galley, helm, cockpit, engine room, flybridge.
3. 3Give the shooter the run of the boat. Don't hover, don't 'help,' don't ask 'is this the angle?' every ten minutes.
4. 4Ask for RAW files plus the edited set. RAW gives you re-edit options a year from now if the listing pivots to a different market.
5. 5Turnaround expectation: 5–7 business days for a full still + video package. Get that in writing before the shoot.

4. Video: authentic beats polished

Video is where broker brands are built. The old style — cinematic sizzle reel with drone shots and licensed music — is now background noise. What buyers actually watch is a broker walking the boat, talking honestly about what it is and what it isn't. Authenticity is the differentiator.

“The buyer isn't buying the drone shot. They're buying the person who's going to guide them through the next 90 days. Show them that person on camera.”

5. Sell to emotion, back it with spec

Boats are emotional purchases. Every dollar over a bass boat is discretionary, and the buyer needs to feel the boat before they justify it. Lead the media with the feeling — sunset on the flybridge, kids jumping off the swim platform, coffee in the cockpit — and use the spec sheet to close the loop once they're hooked.

• Opening 3 seconds of any video: the shot that makes them feel something. Never a title card.
• Interior stills: staged like a Sotheby's real-estate listing — wine glass on the table, book open on the settee, throw draped over the chair.
• Include one 'lifestyle' image per listing: fenders down, family on the bow, cocktails in hand. Buyers project themselves into it.
• Always pair the emotional hook with hard facts in the caption: hours, generator hours, service history, recent refit dollars.

6. Build your professional identity

Every video, every post, every photo is a deposit into your personal brand. Buyers Google you before they call you — what they find on the first page is what they think you are. Own it deliberately.

• Consistent handle across Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok. First name + HSY or first name + Yachts is the standard.
• Post ratio: 60% listings you own, 20% market commentary, 20% behind-the-scenes (surveys, sea trials, boat show walkthroughs).
• Use the same intro/outro on every walkthrough video so viewers recognize you in three seconds.
• Reply to every comment and DM within 24 hours. Engagement is what the algorithm rewards.
• Photograph yourself at the shoots. A shot of you on the flybridge with the client's boat becomes next month's post — and next year's prospecting tool.

7. Deliverables checklist per listing

• 25–40 edited stills (hero exterior, drone overhead, every stateroom, salon, galley, helm, cockpit, engine room, detail shots).
• One 90-second social cut (vertical, captioned, no sound required to understand).
• One 4–8 minute full walkthrough (horizontal, broker on camera).
• One 15-second thumb-stopper for reels/shorts.
• RAW files archived to firm cloud, labeled by hull ID and shoot date.