Top Tips On Taking The Perfect Vacation Rental Photos

Now more than ever, people will head to Airbnb or other vacation rental sites to book their holiday accommodations rather than booking on-site. Due to this, people want to know what they are getting into, so high-quality photos are a vital requirement for anyone looking to rent a property. 
 

While people often refine search results by location, price, or amenities, it is often the images they see that will be the deciding factor in whether they book their vacation with you or not. But how do you ensure you take photos that will help you stand out amongst the competition? That’s where these fantastic top tips come into play. 

Why is vacation rental photography important?

First things first, let’s take a look at why you should put a bigger focus on perfecting your vacation rental photos. Not only will it mean you are in for a higher chance of being chosen by potential holidaymakers, but there are various other benefits you’ll be able to experience. 

Many people in charge of vacation rentals will put a lot of work into writing the perfect bio, with descriptive words and powerful imagery. While this may help bookings increase by a small percentage, people tend to process the effects of images much faster than words. Therefore, you want to ensure you have photos that will draw in any potential guests immediately, then they will move to your text to solidify their decision to book with you.

Similarly, higher-quality photos will also show people who view your rental that you are a professional and will experience high professionalism and care when staying with you. You’re showing potential guests that you’re committed to the upkeep and maintenance of your property, and they will more likely book with you. Of course, this will lead to higher numbers of bookings which in turn drives more revenue for you each year. 

How to take the perfect photo

So, how do you ensure you reap the benefits of high-quality photos? Take a look at these eight top tips and apply them to your own images so your vacation rental can come out on top. 
 

Ensure everything is tidy

No one wants to book to stay at a property where the plants outside are overgrown, or there are layers of dust on every surface in the living room. That’s why you’ll want to prep your vacation rental before you even consider taking any photos. This involves maintenance on both the interior and exterior of the property.

It’s time to get to deep cleaning, and you’ll want to prepare every small section of the rental carefully. When focusing on the inside of the property, you’ll want to start by obviously removing any clutter on site that may make the area look unattractive and throwing away any garbage that a previous tenant may have left. Then move on to every surface in the house and wipe down the tabletops, windowsills, and even the beds, so they are gleaming. Finally, straighten out every accessory, shine the floors, and spruce up the place with fresh flowers and linens. 

The same applies to the outside of the rental if it has one. Particularly after the colder months, you’ll want to sweep up any unsightly leaves, twigs, and branches and ensure that the lawn and plants aren’t overgrown. You may also consider rearranging the outdoor furniture and adding some extra pretty plants and accessories to brighten the place. 

Select a high-quality camera

When you have incredible vacation rentals that get very few bookings, one of the biggest problems is that you’ve decided to pull out your iPhone to take the listing images. While you may think they look good, you'll sadly fall behind if you compare them to the high resolution of your competition’s photos. You wouldn’t use an iPhone for a big event like your wedding, so don’t do the same for your vacation rental. 

The best thing to do is invest in, or borrow, a high-resolution digital camera to take photos of the interior and exterior of your property. You’ll be guaranteed photos that aren’t pixelated when you zoom into them, which means potential guests can see the full effect of your property up close and personal before they make a booking. When using an HDR camera, you won’t have to worry about too much or little exposure, and there are often options that you can select depending on whether you’re shooting inside or outside. 

To ensure you don’t have any blurry photos, you may also want to invest in a tripod. When placed on a flat surface, it will help protect your camera from shaky hands. Simply put it on the stand, and you’ll have a clear image to add to your listing. 

Stage the property

Although a clean and tidy property will ensure higher bookings than one that isn’t, you may want to add a little something extra to take your numbers to the next level. It has been found that when people stage their vacation rental photos, they are more likely to experience higher click-through rates and conversions. 

Staging involves adding a few extra special items or amenities into your shots, which helps the potential guest envision what their stay would be like. For example, if you place a bottle and glass of wine on the table next to the fireplace with a half played board game, they will be able to imagine the type of luxury and fun they could have when staying at your property. It gives your vacation rental an edge over those who haven’t staged their images. 
 

Below are some other examples of staging you may want to introduce into your own property:

• A few vases of flowers are placed on surfaces that match the overall aesthetic
• Setting the dining table with a delicious meal, glasses of wine, and nice cutlery
• Loungers by the pool equipped with towels, sunglasses, and suntan lotion
• Towel swans on the bed, or folded toilet paper in the bathrooms
   

Find the best angle

When taking a photo of anything, property or not, angles are everything. There is no doubt that in the past you’ve asked someone to take a picture of you, whether solo or in a group, and you found it looked highly unflattering. But when you change the angle, in the same location and with the same people, you can magically look much better. This also applies to the photos of your vacation rental. 

You may not know which angle best suits each of the rooms on your property, so you will want to experiment a little bit. Turn your camera time into a photo shoot, as if you were a photographer working with a model. However, instead of them changing their poses, you will want to change your angles until you find the best one. 

The best angles will be ones that display all the selling points of the room. You aren’t going to want to take a photo of just the big flat screen TV in the living room, but rather show that feature PLUS the comfortable sofas and blankets available. This is the same for outside; try and not only focus on the pool but the other amenities surrounding it. The more you can get into each photo, the better, but don’t push it in if it doesn’t fit. 

Highlight the location too

Most of the time, guests aren’t coming to stay in your vacation rental just because it was the only property they liked on the site. Instead, they have chosen your home because it is in the location they were visiting anyway. Therefore, if you are near all the big sites and landmarks in the area, you may also want to include images of those places. 

It is best not to use stock photos of the various hot spots in your location, as it can remove credibility from your listing. Therefore, you will want to do a bit of travelling and take photos of these areas yourself. You can also use the same tips for these places as you would for your vacation rental to ensure they are of high quality. 

While it is good to highlight the location of your rental, make sure these images don’t take away the focus of your property. It is a good rule to ensure that 80% of your listing images are of your rental, and the other 20% can be of the best tourist attractions in your area. It shows your guest that while your home is a great place to stay, there is much more for them to do when booking with you. 

Consider weather and lighting

The lighting of your photos is crucial. If people see a listing with images that are dark and hard to look at, they will immediately scroll to the next property, and you’ll miss out on a booking. The best thing is to take advantage of the natural light surrounding your property by keeping all the curtains open and ensuring none of the lights inside the rental are turned on when you take photos. 

And while natural light is the best thing to use during your shoot, you will also want to be aware of the weather. If it is a rainy or cloudy day, this will not only affect the lighting but also show through the windows in your photos. A potential guest usually wants to book a luxury vacation with sunny skies, so it is best to avoid taking pictures when the weather is less than desirable. 

Other things to avoid include using your flash, which can take away the effect of the natural lighting you are aiming for. Similarly, try not to take the photo in front of a mirror or reflection because images are far less professional when the guest can see you taking them. 

Don’t forget to edit 

Once you’ve followed the above six tips, you should have your photos. However, your work isn’t over yet, as you most likely need to put a few finishing touches on them. The best vacation rental photos have been edited slightly to give them a unique edge. You don’t need to be Photoshop savvy, but a bit of touching up on the brightness and exposure can go a long way. 

Brightness, shadows, and highlights are the first thing you should start with. Make sure all your changes are subtle, so your images still look natural and professional. It is best to play around with each of these features until your image looks sharp. Sometimes there may be an auto-enhance option that will work on each of these in one go, so see if that works for you as well. 

Make sure all your editing is consistent. You don’t want one image that has been edited highly in brightness and another that has gone overboard with the exposure. Each photo should look the same; only edit if you need to. Similarly, you won’t want to use filters because this can make your images look unnatural and scare off any potential guests looking at your listing.

Seek out a professional photographer

Finally, if all of this seems too much for you, or you cannot get your hands on a high-resolution camera, you may want to seek a professional photographer to do the job for you. They will know all the right actions to take and can help advise on how best to set up your property. 
 

It may be slightly more costly than if you were to take the images yourself, but you will know for sure that you will receive excellent returns on the results. When finding a photographer, look for one that has worked on vacation rentals before and one that has a wide portfolio to showcase to you. Then, once potential guests see that you have invested in your property, they will see how much it is worth to stay with you. 

Final thoughts 

If you have had your listing up for a while and noticed you haven’t had many bookings, then it is time to consider the quality of your photos. Look at some of the most popular properties in your area and compare your images to theirs. Do they look more professional than yours? Are they advertising an experience? 

Upload as many photos as possible to properly showcase what your property can offer potential guests. At the same time, don’t forget to update your description at the same time so your listing displays everything to the guests all at once.