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How to get great listing photos: a guide for new hosts

Your photos decide whether a guest opens your listing at all, so they're worth doing properly. We recommend professional photos for every listing. This guide shows you how to brief a photographer, how to prepare your home, and what to do with your phone if you need photos before your shoot.

The short answer

Hire a professional who shoots interiors, and aim for 20 to 25 honest, horizontal, high-resolution photos of every space guests can use. Put your strongest photo first, and leave out people, text, logos and heavy filters. If you can't book a shoot yet, use your phone in daylight to get started, then replace those photos.

What each platform asks for

If you meet the highest bar here, one set of photos works everywhere.

Airbnb

• Fewest photos: 5 to get started
• Size: at least 1200 × 800
• Direction: horizontal
• Good to know: search results crop photos to squares

Booking.com

• Fewest photos: at least 10
• Size: at least 2048 × 1080, ideally 4000 × 3000
• Direction: horizontal only
• Good to know: at least 4 photos of each room, plus the bathroom and toilet

Vrbo

• Fewest photos: at least 6, all different
• Size: at least 1024 × 683, ideally 3840 × 2160
• Direction: horizontal shows best
• Good to know: under 6 photos for more than 30 days can suspend your listing

These are the platforms' current minimums, and they do change. Check the platform's help page before you upload.

Sizes are in pixels. Ask for original files, because a screenshot or a photo sent over a messaging app can shrink the file.

Hire a professional: what to ask for

Airbnb itself suggests considering a professional, and a good photographer knows how to handle light, space and angles. Look for someone who shoots interiors, then agree these points before you book:

• Examples: ask to see rooms they've shot, ideally apartments or guest houses like yours.
• Size and direction: horizontal photos at 4000 × 3000 or larger, so one set works on every platform.
• Number of photos: 20 to 25 finished photos, covering your whole shot list.
• A natural look: no heavy HDR, strong filters or extreme wide-angle or fisheye lenses, which Booking.com advises against.
• No watermarks: no logos, borders or text on the photos.
• Your right to use them: written permission to use the photos on every booking site you list on. Platforms can remove photos you don't have the rights to.
• What you'll receive: the final files, and when you'll get them.

Before the shoot: prepare your home

Your photographer can't fix a messy room, so this part is yours.

1. Clean and clear every surface. A Superhost and photographer quoted by Airbnb says it's surprising how many people forget this. Put away chargers, remote controls, bins, toiletries, shoes and personal photos.
2. Make your place guest-ready. Make the beds properly, put out fresh towels, and close the toilet lid.
3. Decide what guests will love. List your best features: a view, a balcony, a work desk, a good kitchen. Also note what guests should know in advance, so nothing surprises them.
4. Write a shot list. Walk through your home and list every room and area guests can use, so nothing is missed. Give it to your photographer.
5. Pick your time. Book the shoot for when your rooms get the most daylight. For outdoor photos, Airbnb suggests the hour after sunrise or the hour before sunset.

What to photograph

Aim to show everything guests will actually use, from several angles.

• Each room: at least 4 photos from different angles, which is Booking.com's rule and a good habit everywhere.
• Bedrooms: the full bed, and storage if you have it.
• Bathroom and toilet: at least one clear photo of each.
• Kitchen: the whole room, then useful details like the stove or coffee maker.
• Living space: the seating area and any work desk or dining table.
• Outside: the building, the entrance, and any balcony, terrace or garden.
• What makes you different: the view, a fireplace, a sauna, parking.

Be honest. If a bedroom is small, show it clearly. A guest who feels misled leaves a poor review, and that costs more than one lost booking.

Shooting it yourself for now

Need photos before you can book a shoot? Airbnb says most cameras can work, including your smartphone, and Booking.com accepts a smartphone with a good camera. Treat these as your starter set, and replace them with professional photos when you can. Use your phone's main camera at full size, and follow these steps.

1. Clean your lens. Phone lenses collect fingerprints, and a smudge makes every photo hazy.
2. Hold your phone horizontally. Airbnb crops to squares in search and shows landscape on the listing, and Booking.com asks for landscape only.
3. Turn the flash off. Open the curtains first. If the room is still dark, then turn on the lamps.
4. Stand in a corner. Booking.com recommends shooting from room corners because it adds depth and shows more of the room.
5. Keep your phone at chest height. Booking.com suggests 3 to 5 feet, about 1 to 1.5 metres. Hold it straight, not tilted up or down, so walls stay upright. Airbnb calls this a neutral position, and it gives guests a realistic view.
6. Turn on your camera's grid. It helps you keep lines straight and your subject in the middle, which matters because platforms crop your photos.
7. Leave some space around the subject. Don't get too close, or cropping may cut it off.
8. Avoid Portrait Mode. Vrbo warns that it adds blur.
9. Mix your distances. Take wide photos of each room, then mid-range shots, then a few close-ups of details.

Choosing and ordering your photos

How many: the minimums are low, but guests want to see more. Expedia Group says the average Vrbo property has about 25 photos. For most homes, 20 to 25 is a good target.

A sensible order (our suggestion, not a platform rule):

1. Your strongest photo, usually the main living space or the view
2. Living area
3. Bedrooms
4. Bathroom
5. Kitchen
6. Outdoor space and entrance
7. Details and extras

Light editing is fine. Airbnb suggests adjusting brightness and contrast, and straightening or cropping. Your phone's auto button is usually enough. Don't change what the place really looks like.

Add captions where you can. Use them for what a photo can't show. For example: "The sofa opens into a bed for two." On Airbnb, you can also use the photo tour, which sorts your photos by room.

What gets photos rejected

Between them, the platforms reject or discourage these:

• Blurry, grainy or pixelated photos
• Black-and-white or sepia photos
• Collages, or several photos in one
• Watermarks, borders, logos or text on the photo
• Heavy filters, strong HDR, or over-saturated colours
• Tilted, stretched or distorted photos, including fisheye lenses
• Duplicates or near-duplicates
• Close-ups that don't show anything useful
• Documents, certificates, posters or illustrations
• People as the main subject

Keep these out of every photo:

• Phone numbers, emails, website links and QR codes
• Door codes or anything showing how to get in
• IDs, bills and contracts
• Identifiable people without their permission, especially children

Only use photos you have the right to use. Don't copy them from another listing or the internet. Booking.com says content uploaded without rights can be removed and can restrict your account.

Don't use AI to change reality. Expedia Group's policy bans AI editing that misleads or fabricates. Removing a wall stain is one thing; adding a view you don't have is another.

Your checklist

Booking the shoot

• Photographer chosen, examples seen
• Size, number of photos and delivery date agreed
• Written permission to use the photos on every platform

Before the shoot

• Home cleaned, beds made, personal items away
• Shot list written, every guest space included
• Booked for the room's best daylight

Checking the photos

• Horizontal and high resolution
• At least 4 photos of each room
• Bathroom, toilet, entrance and outside all covered

Before uploading

• 20 to 25 sharp, bright photos chosen
• Strongest photo placed first
• No people, text, logos, door codes or duplicates

Questions hosts ask

Do I need a professional photographer?
We recommend one for every listing. If you can't book one yet, a careful phone shoot can get you started, but plan to replace those photos.

How many photos do I really need?
The minimums are 5 on Airbnb, 10 on Booking.com and 6 on Vrbo. Aim for 20 to 25 so guests can see the whole place.

Can I use the same photos on every platform?
Yes, if they're horizontal and high resolution. That's why it's worth shooting for the highest bar once.

Vertical or horizontal?
Horizontal. Booking.com asks for it, and it displays best on Airbnb and Vrbo.

Can I use photos taken in another season?
Yes, as long as they still show the place honestly. Replace them if anything has changed, like new furniture or a renovation.

Why was my photo rejected?
Check the list above. On Vrbo, rejected photos show in your dashboard under Edit Property, then Photos. If it's a size problem, upload the original rather than a compressed copy.