Vacation Rental Photography for your business

You’re only a few steps away from being a pro in Vacation Rental Photography.

The best way to show your potential guests what you have to offer is by taking beautiful photographs that highlight your property. Sounds easy enough, right? Unfortunately, no. You’ll realize how difficult this is next time you use your phone to snap a quick photo of a room. What’s the result? Blurry? Dark? Dingy? Taking good vacation rental photography is tough. It takes a lot of time and some trial and error to get it right. Thankfully, Hosty is here to make the process a little easier. We’re the professional vacation management software that’s here to help your business be the best it can be.  Keep reading below for some great vacation rental photography tips.

Vacation Rental Photography Considerations:

Consider some equipment upgrades:

Better equipment really does make a huge difference in the quality of a photo. If you’re looking to invest in some new goods that will make your next set of home photos shine, consider the following tools:

A new camera

If you’re shooting with your three-year-old smart phone, there’s a good chance you need to upgrade. You can purchase a great, high-quality camera for as little as $250. The quality difference will surprise you. If you’re shooting with your three-year-old smart phone, there’s a good chance you need to upgrade. You can purchase a great, high-quality camera for as little as $250. The quality difference will surprise you.

A tripod

End crooked and blurry photos forever with a trusty tripod. Most tripods are very inexpensive and will help you take photos quicker and more efficient.  

A remote shutter

If you have a lot of mirrors or windows in your house, you need a remote shutter button for your camera. This device lets you take a photo without having to push the shutter on the camera. It gets rid of those awkward “oops, I’m in the mirror” pictures or having to run out of the room like a maniac before the self-timer goes off. This is a fantastic upgrade that will take your photography skills to the next level.

Get smart!

 A fancy camera or super cool tripod won’t make your photos look good if you don’t know how to use them. Take some time to read the manual, watch a YouTube video, or ask friends that have similar equipment. Taking some time to learn your new toy will help you use it to its fullest potential. And you never know, your photos may turn out so good that another property owner will want to hire you to take their vacation rental property photos, too!

Pro tip: Don’t forget that you can write off equipment purchases like cameras and tripods. Read more about it in our posts about taxes here and here.

Be Patient

Good things come to those who wait. When taking pictures of your rental property, being patient is incredibly important. Homes will photograph best on sunny days as bright, airy photos are always the most popular on Airbnb. Taking photos on dreary or dark days will leave you with less than perfect results. It’s advisable that you leave yourself some time to make sure that you have a sunny day to get the best shots. Also, depending on the direction of the building or the placement of the windows in your home, different times of the day may be better for different rooms of your house. Ideally, you should take some time to play around with your photos to ensure that you’re getting the best shots you can.

We hope with these few tips and equipment suggestions that you’ll become the next great Airbnb photographer.