Author: Connor Griffiths | Lifty Life Vacation Rental Management
Your Airbnb photos are one of the most important parts of your listing; which is why it’s surprising to still see such poor quality on so many Airbnb listings. Trust me you won’t regret taking a few extra minutes to take some high-quality shots that better showcase your space.
Guests will be more likely to book a property with better photos. Plus photo quality is an Airbnb ranking metric.
If you don’t have a quality camera or editing skills don’t worry. Following these simple tips will allow you to drastically improve your photo quality without investing into an expensive digital camera. Most cell phones these days can take great high-quality photos.
- Declutter Your Space
Shots with clutter instantly look messy. Take an extra few minutes to remove items from your shots that don’t highlight important features or amenities. Remove magazines, kitchen clutter, oversized bathroom bottles, etc.
- Bring In Natural Light
Open up your blinds and let the light in. Natural light tends to look the best in interior photos. The light softens rooms and makes it more inviting. Plus open blinds will make your space look bigger and showcase your amazing view!
- Shoot With Landscape
Don’t take portrait photos. Landscape photos are almost always better for interior and exterior property shots. There may be some instances where portrait better highlights a specific amenity but I’d recommend trying the same shot in landscape. Airbnb prefers landscape photos so give them what they want.
- Add Colour Into Your Shots
If you’re taking a photo of your living room add some colourful or interesting throw pillows. Need to get some bathroom shots? Add some extra fluffy towels that look great and add colour. This will create more eye catching photos that will capture the attention of guests.
- Bounce Light Off Walls
When using the flash feature on your phone or camera bounce the light of walls to soften them. Do not point the flash in the direct centre of your shot. This will create a bright central area and dark border. The term for this mistake is called vignetting. If you can bounce the light off the wall behind you, the ceiling, or the side walls, so that light will diffuse into your photo.
Now that you have some basic photography tips go ahead and start taking some photos. I encourage you to take multiple photos of each shot so that you can pick the best one of each.
If you’d like some more detailed tips and expert photography advice read the Lifty Life blog How To: Airbnb Photography. You’ll learn some great tips, gain some suggestions on photography must-haves, and advice on the editing and selection stage.
Photography is a skill that can be developed with practice. Keep improving your abilities and gaining an eye for design. I promise this will improve your performance on Airbnb both in regards to guest reservations and Airbnb ranking.
Read also: 20 better alternatives to Airbnb
