Light, framing and an honest photo gallery.
To take good holiday rental photos, start by deciding what a prospective guest needs to understand. The layout, beds, bathroom and usable spaces matter more than a collection of attractive corners. Natural light helps, but choosing the right time and preparing each room matter just as much as the camera.
This guide is for owners preparing a listing or updating it after improvements. Before the shoot, deal with cleaning and preparation using the guide to preparing a holiday rental. Here, the aim is different: plan your shots and show the property without distorting it.
Choose the time for each room, not out of habit
Do not schedule the entire shoot at one time just because the weather is good. Walk through the property in the morning and afternoon, take a test shot from each doorway and compare them. Look for a time when furniture and walkways are clear, without harsh shadows or a completely white window.
In a bedroom, light from a side window can illuminate the bed without pointing the camera straight outside. Open the blackout curtains and try leaving the sheer curtain closed if the sunlight is strong. If the room looks dark, change the time or your position before brightening the image so much that the bedding loses its texture.
In Tenerife, judge the light in that particular property rather than following a general rule about the north or south. Its orientation and the buildings opposite can change the result. If the terrace looks better at another time, photograph it later; do not sacrifice the interiors to get everything done in one go.
Spreading a shoot throughout the day is not always worthwhile, especially if you are paying a photographer by the hour. In that case, agree on a time slot that suits the main rooms and have the property ready to make the most of it. If you have flexibility, photographing different areas at different times may help: the bedroom in the morning, for example, and the terrace when the light is softer. The aim is to improve the photos without extending the shoot or increasing its cost beyond the benefit.
Airbnb recommends using soft natural light, switching off the flash and opening curtains and blinds. If you need to turn on lights, check the result: a very yellow lamp near a window can create patches of different colour. Compare both versions and keep the one that represents the room most accurately.
Prepare what guests will actually find
- Fabrics and surfaces. Make the beds, smooth the covers, remove stray hairs and clean mirrors, shower screens and windows. A fingerprint that is barely noticeable in person can stand out in a photo.
- Personal belongings. Put away clothes, documents, bags and cleaning products. Check what is reflected in mirrors and glass too.
- The actual equipment. Keep the furniture and amenities included in the stay. Do not add a borrowed coffee machine, desk or bed linen that will not be available to guests.
- How the space works. Show the table with its chairs, the walkway beside the bed and how doors open. Tidying should make the room easier to understand, not hide the fact that a bedroom is narrow.
Finish the cleaning before taking photos. Moving clutter from room to room during the shoot often means that one room never gets photographed. To check that you have not overlooked another aspect of the listing, use the holiday rental checklist as a general review, not as a substitute for a shot list.
Combine wide views with details that explain something
A wide shot should make it clear how the room is used. In the kitchen, first show the worktop, cooking area and main features. Then add a closer view if it explains the equipment or available workspace. An attractive sink alone does not show what the whole kitchen is like.
The detail in the image shows the hob, sink and work surface, but not the entire room. Use it as a supporting image, not the only photo. Apply the same principle to the bedroom: first the bed and its surroundings, then a reading corner or workspace if it adds different information.
When using a phone, clean the lens, turn on the grid and keep the camera level. Start with the main camera and try shooting from the doorway or a corner. If you use the ultra-wide lens, check that it does not stretch furniture at the edges or make a small room look enormous.
For the listing gallery, take the main shots in landscape orientation and leave some space around the important feature. This makes it easier to choose a cover image that still works when the platform crops it. Airbnb recommends images of at least 1200 × 800 pixels and a mix of wide, medium and detail shots; keep the original files rather than screenshots.
Solve these problems before repeating the whole shoot
| What you see in the test shot | What to change | How to judge the result |
|---|---|---|
| A white window and a dark room | Try a time with softer light and shoot from the side. | Retain texture in the bedding and furniture; if there is a view, take a separate photo of it as well. |
| Walls that appear to lean | Level the camera and avoid tilting it upwards or downwards. | Check doors and corners against the grid before taking the photo. |
| A small bathroom with your reflection in it | Shift your position slightly and check the mirror. | The bathroom should be clear without you appearing in the shot or hiding its main features. |
| A tidy kitchen whose layout is unclear | Add a wider shot before the detail. | Together, the photos should explain the layout and equipment rather than repeat the same angle. |
An example shoot for an apartment with a terrace
Imagine an apartment with one bedroom, an open-plan living room and kitchen, and a terrace. In your test shots, the bedroom looks best in the morning, the living room later, and the terrace has very harsh sunlight at midday. This is an example of planning, not a universal timetable.
Have everything clean the day before. Start with a wide view of the bedroom and another that shows the walkway beside the bed. Move on to the bathroom, checking the mirror and shower screen. When the living room light improves, photograph how the sofa, table and kitchen relate to one another, then add a shot of the equipment. Save the terrace for a time when the seating and surroundings are clearly visible.
When selecting photos, keep one main image of each space and add only those that answer a different question. Two almost identical angles of the sofa offer less than a clear bathroom photo. If there is a sofa bed advertised as a sleeping space, show it opened up as well. If the terrace is shared, say so; a photo should not suggest exclusive use where there is none.
Order the gallery and decide whether you need a photographer
Choose the room or feature that best represents the property as the cover, provided it is still clear at a small size. Then let guests explore the property: living room, bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and outdoor spaces, adjusting the order to what genuinely sets the accommodation apart. Add short captions when they explain something that is not visible, such as a bedroom being on another floor or an area being shared.
Editing can help you straighten, crop and correct brightness or colour. Do not use it to remove damage, add views, replace furniture or change the apparent dimensions. After a renovation or a change of equipment, replace photos that no longer describe the property; do not leave a gallery that mixes two versions of the accommodation.
You can handle a simple update with a phone if the rooms have enough light and you can achieve accurate framing. Consider a photographer if large differences between indoor and outdoor light persist, you cannot show a complicated layout clearly, or you need to redo the whole listing. Ask for a quote specifying the rooms, outdoor areas, file delivery and usage rights for the channels where you will publish.
Before booking the shoot, also agree who will prepare the property and check the inventory. If you need to coordinate photos, the listing and day-to-day operations, Vesta’s holiday rental management service brings presentation together with the other tasks, so the images reflect what guests will actually find when they arrive.
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