Vacation Rental Photography: Tips for Hosts

You don’t need a lot to paint a clear picture of what it’d be like to stay in your home. You need the right things in the right places to set the scene the way a guest would use the space. Play around with props that give off a cozy and welcoming vibe. Here are some staging ideas to create an inviting feel.

Put one or two bright throw pillows on a sofa or a folded set of colorful towels on the end of the bed. Bright colors capture attention and are associated with positivity, optimism, and joy.  Adding pops of color in the right places is the fastest way to inject a personality into your space and set the positive mood.

Incorporate subtle props to add a welcoming, lived-in feel. A coffee mug on the balcony, an open book on the nightstand, a board game set up like someone is about to play, or a glass of wine by the fireplace. These items suggest relaxation and can help potential guests imagine themselves relaxing in the space.

Stage a meal outdoors—a barbecue dinner at sunset or a laid breakfast on the terrace. This way, you can help guests picture themselves eating one while staying at your rental. Set the table for 2-4 people to leave the scene feeling intimate and uncluttered. Focus on vibrant, universally appealing foods—fresh salads, charcuterie boards, and colorful fruits like apples, oranges, grapes, pineapple, or watermelon.

Stage for the guests you want to attract. The same space dressed differently speaks to entirely different types of guests. So, decide what audience you want to target with your photos and stage the place for them. For example, if you want your photos to appeal to couples looking for a romantic getaway, consider things like scented candles, two robes laid out, or fresh roses on the pillow.

Show off unique features or amenities. Anything that makes your vacation rental special deserves its own spotlight. A hot tub, a fireplace, a gourmet kitchen, a curated coffee bar, a hammock, a vintage arcade machine, or an interesting piece of artwork—these features are worth showing off. They help create memorable stays and make your listing stand out from the competition.

Take photos of your rental space based on holidays. It can help attract guests looking for a unique stay to celebrate holidays away from home. For example, arrange cozy throw blankets and holiday-themed cushions on sofas during Christmas, hang garlands and string lights, and turn on the fireplace for warm, inviting photos. You may also decorate your rental for other popular holidays, such as Halloween or Valentine's Day.

Pro tip: Take photos with the camera pointed at a corner. This way, you can add depth and dimension to your interior photos, opening up the space and making it appear bigger than it is. Stand in the doorframe or in the different corners of the room and aim your camera diagonally across the space to capture two walls.

Remember composition

If you’ve decided to take photos for your listing on your own without hiring a professional Airbnb photographer, you can do it with your phone. Modern smartphones come equipped with highly advanced cameras, so with a little practice, you can take clear and attractive photos of your space.

Here are some tips on how to make sure your photos look their best.

• Use landscape format for your pictures because Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com all prioritize horizontal images. Horizontal photos show more details, make your rooms look spacious, and feel easier to scroll through.

• Use a tripod to stabilize your shot and avoid blurry pictures. Keeping your smartphone steady makes a big difference in photo quality.

• Turn on the grid from the camera settings. This helps you keep all lines in your shots straight and balanced, especially for walls and doorframes.

• Shoot straight ahead. Take photos from a neutral position, without tilting the lens up or down, to give guests a realistic view of your rental space.

• Avoid objects close to the frame, like a chair or table. They can distort the whole image and take up precious space in photos of your vacation rental.

• Try to position yourself so that the primary light source is behind you, but make sure the light source doesn’t cast a shadow or a reflection in any mirrored surfaces.

Take more photos than you think you’ll need so you can choose the very best ones. Capture your vacation rental from different angles to show potential guests the whole picture. Include every room and facility, accessibility features, and exterior shots showing porches, lawns, pools, and backyards. You may also take photos at different times of the day to show how your rental space appears in the morning and at night.

Edit your photos

If you take photos in good light with good staging, your editing needs will be minimal—just some basic enhancements to polish your pictures before uploading them. You can adjust each photo’s brightness, contrast, and highlights, using tools like the auto-editing button on your phone. Manually crop any excess information, straighten, or rotate images as needed so they’re right side up.

Many free apps let you adjust photo parameters such as contrast, white balance, and exposure, as well as crop your images to achieve the perfect composition. However, you should avoid over-editing and excessive use of filters, as they may set unrealistic expectations. Guests don’t want to be surprised when they arrive at your place, so make sure that the photos truthfully represent your property.

Great listing photos attract potential guests and bring them in. However, what happens next depends on how you run your vacation rental. To succeed in a highly competitive STR market, you need to pair a strong photo strategy with efficient operations. This way, you can ensure a memorable experience for your guests and earn 5-star reviews and repeat bookings.

Managing even a single vacation rental property involves many responsibilities. It may feel like a part-time job, so it makes sense to automate your hosting routine using an all-in-one property management system like Hospitable. Our STR super app offers a comprehensive set of advanced features and AI-powered tools to help you run your business on autopilot.