Greetings everyone! My name is Dolly Duran and I am a Host i...
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Greetings everyone! My name is Dolly Duran and I am a Host in sunny Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I am also a proud member of the ...
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You may not believe it but the first thing most guests do when looking for accommodation on Airbnb is scroll through the photos even before reading the description or reviews and often the decision is based solely on the photos! You therefore understand the importance of having beautiful photos of your home 😉
Let me start by saying that I am not a professional photographer, but I have always been passionate about photography, I started taking photographs when everything was still analogue, at the time they used rolls of negative or slide film. There was a period when I enjoyed printing my photos at home in the darkroom. Other times! Now technology has made great strides and it is no longer necessary to have expensive cameras to take beautiful photos. It seems incredible but, in most cases, your smartphone is enough!
In this short guide I would like to give you some tips on how to best photograph your home using your smartphone, I personally use an iPhone 15 Pro Max but many of my tips apply to all smartphones.
👉 The first advice I give you is to open the Airbnb homepage and take a look at the photos of the listings that appear on the front page, they are the ones that the Airbnb algorithm positions high in searches and can give you many excellent ideas...
👉 So let's move on to practice, the first thing to do is set up the "photographic set": first of all clean and tidy every room, don't leave things lying around, enrich the scene with elements that transmit "warmth", for example plants, some beautiful crockery in the kitchen, a set table (naturally avoid inserting something that will not be available during your guests' stay)
👉 It might seem like useless advice but before taking photos, clean your camera lenses thoroughly, sometimes dirt, such as food residue, can compromise the quality of the photos
👉 To obtain beautiful photos, light is essential, so take your photos during the day with the sun when the brightness of the rooms is at its maximum, the best light is natural light, so open the curtains well, but if it is not enough don't be afraid to turn on all the lights in the house...
👉 Take at least a couple of photos for each environment, from different points of view, perhaps positioning yourself in the corners
👉 Try to diversify your photos, don't take photos that are too similar which could seem like duplicates
👉 Always use the wide angle (in the case of my iPhone 0.5x 13 mm) as it makes the environments larger
👉 Use the 16:9 format and when possible favor photos in horizontal format
👉 Pay attention to the vanishing lines and keep the horizon as aligned as possible (on the iPhone the “Grid” and “Horizontal alignment” settings can help)
👉 Use the rule of thirds (helping yourself with the grid) to put the furniture you want to stand out at the center of attention
👉 Always take photos from the same height, approximately just above your waist (for this you can help yourself by using a tripod with a smartphone adapter), not from the height of your eyes as would be more natural, in this way the environments will seem higher
👉 If there are interesting objects inside the rooms, such as beautiful vases, a coffee machine, a beautiful plant... you can take detailed photos, in this case use a higher focal length (in the case of my iPhone 2x 48 mm) and possibly the “PORTRAIT” mode which, by blurring the outline, puts the object at the center of attention
👉 In the case of small environments, where the wide angle may not be enough to include the whole scene, for example a small bathroom, a "trick" is to use the panoramic mode of your smartphone, naturally without exaggerating so as not to "false" the photo
👉 You can also use a post-production program to edit your photos, but if you have taken the photos with the utmost care, in most cases it will not be necessary
👉 The cover photo is very important, it must be beautiful, it must attract attention, and it must highlight the reason why a guest should choose your accommodation, in short it must stand out among the dozens of photos that the guest scrolls through before clicking on a particular listing
👉 Also carefully choose the next four photos which must highlight the other strong points of your accommodation, basically the first five photos should be a summary of the best that guests will see on the photo tour
👉 Of course, don't forget to describe each photo by inserting captions, try to write a "story" thinking above all of the advantages and comforts that your guest will be able to enjoy
👉 Finally, remember to include a floor plan of your home among the photos, it is very useful to help guests understand how the rooms are arranged
👉 Last tip, but perhaps the most important, don't overdo it in slavishly applying all the tips above, in short, avoid having your photos look too similar to those in a glossy magazine, it must be clear from the photos that your house is a "real" home not an artificial photographic set, furthermore photos that are too perfect risk generating expectations in guests that could be disregarded when they enter your home... and we don't want this to happen 😉
The fundamental thing is to take your photos with "love", imagine telling a good story, try to understand what your guests might like, highlight the strong points of your accommodation, dedicate time to it, keep your photos always updated... you will see that they will give you a lot of satisfaction!
I hope these little tips are useful to you. If you really aren't good at photography, then all you have to do is hire a professional photographer, and believe me in this case it will be money well spent 😀
Andrea
https://airbnb.com/h/la-casa-sul-canale-con-piscina-jacuzzi-in-giardino
@Andrea6232
Your pictures look great! Very good suggestions also! I've also had good results from a phone camera. In fact for a few shots I'm having a hard time getting a better image with a simi pro camera and good lens than my 2020 iPhone SE.
This is a pic from my iPhone thats been the best so far. It just looks nice and bright and can see out the window some.
I do prefer the 4/3 for this one to include the overhead lights and more flooring. Don't really need to see any more of the door to the left, and still get a good flow of the room
So far this is the best I can get with my camera. I even ordered a new 15mm lens for it with a 1.7 f. to try and get a better exposure for the outside through the window and not be blown out.
I have to wait for just the right lighting outside. But here is one of the best from the camera which didn't beat the iPhone pic I think just because the lighting was a little better outside for the phone bur still not bad.
I also got an external flash for the real camera so have more control so can get better image looking through the window but still a little dim inside for this picture so have to wait until just the right lighting outside.
Finally I also built some new valances for the windows and took a quick pic with my phone. Notice though I broke the potted plant.
So I have to wait for a good morning when I don't have a guest to try and get a better image. I like your technique to lower the camera down.
Also as you minted the editing options in Photos is very good. All of these images were adjusted especially the low end light but still need a decent image to start with.
I'm not sure if I should update my pics with the new valances? As you mentioned you don't want it to look like a magazine and too staged. I like how yours show the entire rooms and doorways and get an idea about the flow and overall guest would think the pics look exactly like the listing. I like how you show exactly where it is. Looks like a really amazing place to visit!
@Andrea6232
Yes the phone pic did well with that photo with the two windows in the background but think I'll eventually get better results with the dlsr. Here is another with the new 15mm lens, but the iPhone is practically as good.
I like what you said about not having it perfect and looking like a magazine, so may just try and keep the pics in the winter.
I suspect pro photographers are using two images with different exposure for the windows. I did download a free Photoshop software but will likely need to use Photoshop to create a mask to combine two photos with different exposures. But honestly the ones with the iPhone look good enough.
You have already been hosting a while to get over 50 five star reviews so well on your way. The goal is to build up enough 5 stars so that a few retaliatory reviews won't matter. Looking over your photos you definitely understand what is relevant for your guest and from this post what is helpful for other host as well. I just try and make it an exceptional stay for each guest. I don't mention reviews at all because I don't really need to and wouldn't really be good at it, and really just wanting guest to have a great trip overall.
I was considering creating a similar topic on how to take photos with a phone and edit in the free basic program so this is very helpful! BTW I did get a new potted plant with a pot that matches the new valances!
Meant to add this one. This was the iPhone
