Great listing photos are THE primary avenue to gain bookings. The short term and midterm rental market is more saturated than ever so if your listing doesn't look good in photos, do not expect to get many bookings let alone be featured in the booking platform algorithms. Thankfully, technology is pretty amazing just using a newer smart phone. No need to purchase and learn to use a professional camera! Here are some useful tips to get those fresh photos that increase your bookings:
1.) Stage your space.
Get your place "guest" ready. But for the photos you need to do more!
Don't forget these important staging tips:
Hide or put away any visible electric cords, trash cans, soaps, sponges or cleaners.
Make the beds EXTRA neat. Smooth out those wrinkles on the beds. Fluff the pillows (karate chop the top middle for a great fluff effect.) Make sure the lines are straight and pillows are neat.
Turn on all the lights.
Open the blinds and the curtains.
Turn on any TV's you have in the space. We like to go to YouTube on the smart TV's and play a scenic video that matches the feel and color of the listing itself.
Hang the towels in the bathroom very neatly. I'm pretty particular on how I do this. I fold the towel longways in half, then half again so it is long and skinny yet plush. Then I bring the ends in, then hang in on the rod in half. The bath towels are displayed with more fluff and look neat this way, not hanging too long. Some people like to hang them folding them in thirds. That works too. You can also roll them and set them on the counter or in a basket to display. This is very welcoming as well!
If you have carpet, vacuum it with really neat lines. This helps it look clean and tidy.
If you have a fireplace and are able to, light a log in it. It creates a cozy ambiance!
Mow the lawn, blow the leaves - get that yard looking guest ready!
"Semi" set the table. Set out the place mats and a set of plates and bowls. No need to fully set it, or it may look cluttered since the point is to "display" function.
If you offer snacks or refreshments or fruit, add those in a nice display in the kitchen. But Nick and I suggest not adding anything you do not plan to keep up on a regular basis or you will disappoint guests expectations.
Stage any focal points. For example if you have a cute nook of decor, make sure it is neat and just how you want it. If you have accent blankets to drape on a bed or a "breakfast" type tray, get that set up too.
2.) Take your photos when there is a good amount of natural light coming in.
Now this part depends on where you are in the world and the time of year. In Portland, unless it is summer time we have to time this just right in between the rain showers. Mid to late morning, if there aren't too many clouds, is the best time that allows the best natural light.
3.) Take photos room-by-room and at different distances.
Take more photos than you think you need and stick to taking them room by room to help you organize them later when you upload to the listing platforms. Journey through your home just like a guest would when they enter. This will help you keep in mind their perspective.
Take wide/5x/zoomed out photos at the entry to the room. Hold the camera/phone up high for more of a "birds eye view".
Take photos at different distances of each room and include "portrait" images that focus on cute or particular qualities like a breakfast tray, a designated working space, soft pillows, or the towels hanging in the bathroom....or put them in a fluffy stack and take a picture of that.
Take photos at different perspectives of the room. For example if a bedroom has a TV, take a pic from the bed viewing that angle/direction.
Don't forget special features! If there's a beautiful view from the living room, capture that! I don't necessarily advise taking the photo from inside, but from the outside of the view.
If you are taking a picture with a window view that faces a street, try not to get any vehicles or outside clutter in the shot.
4.) Post edit your photos.
Here are the biggest tricks I have learned in post editing my listing photos:
Reduce the shadows. This is the number one step to getting those photos looking great. You do not want dark shadowy corners. Reducing the shadows brightens the photo naturally and makes it look more clear.
Increase the brightness but don't overdo it. This depends on how bright the room was when you took it, but more often, its not bright enough. So increase it so the photo looks bright and well lit but still natural. You don't want it to wash out the photo.
Adjust the temperature. Depending on the color lights you have in the house, you may need to dial the temperature in more warm or more cool. Many times, warm lights can make the room look yellow in a photo and distract. So I adjust the temperature to be slightly more cool for a better daytime natural light look.
Bring up the definition. This will make the photo look more crisp and clean.
Depending on the lighting, you may also need to reduce the saturation. For example, one of our homes has wood flooring that when photographed looks way more orangey/red than it does in real life. So by slightly reducing the saturation this helps it look more realistic.
Your photos set the guest's expectations so be sure they highlight the reality. Do not use any filters or drastically change the coloring from what it actually looks like in real life.
These are the main steps we take at Evari Properties to get our listing photos looking inviting and set our guest's expectations positively. Good luck!
