Not happy with my latest 'official' photos

[Louise0]

The photos from my most recent ABB photography shoot were uploaded today and I'm not happy with the quality.    They're weirdly overlit, out of focus and shot from unflattering angles.    My own iPhone 'happy snaps' are more engaging.   So naturally, I'd like to delete them.  

The problem is that using a 'Verified Photo' apparently pushes the listing up the search rankings, so deleting could be to my detriment.  Though, having said that, they're so unappealing that no one would click through them anyway 😞    I find it really frustrating that it isn't possible to pay out of our own pockets to have photos prepared by a photographer of our choosing and then have them verified in some other fashion by Airbnb.   I'd even pay for the 'Verified Photo' imprimatur if that would achieve what I want, i.e. accurate, appealing photos of my listing.

Has anyone else had this problem, or share this sentiment?          Compare 'Verified Photos' with my iPhone handiwork

[Andrea9]

Hi @Louise0 -

Is it really so that using the verified ABB pics will push the listing higher in search results??

Unfair to say the least. Don't use them, get dinged. Use them even if not updated, get dinged in 'Accuracy'...

I needed to update my own pics recently and can't again get an ABB photographer, so took care of them myself.

Obviously, I can't have a solution to your question, just needed to 'vent', since it seems as though there are so many things that can ding hosts, it's becoming more and more the scenario of "The Circle" book...

Even Evelyn Badia, who offers workshops and tips for hosts advises using professional photos, even if they are not by an official ABB host!

[Dede0]

@Louise0 -- I wonder if using just *one* of their verified photos would be enough to prevent them from dinging you? Personally, I bet it would, given the poor quality of the rest of their coding.  🙂

[Louise0]

Yes, that's what I'm thinking of doing.   They're so incredibly bright, that it would give guests the wrong impression if I left them up 😞  It hardly seems fair.

[Enda0]

I'd just tell Customer Service that the photos aren't usable. They may be able to ask the photographer to process them again and make them less bright.  Worth a shot!

[Eugenie7]

Do you happen to know how to delete photos l have too many up ?

[Lindsey6]

I had a similar problem with 'professional' photos taken of a property that I used to manage last year. The photos were harsly bright and the photographer had left all of the bedroom doors open so the rooms were very exposed and you could see parts of the hall and other areas within the photograph. Not good at all.

[ZenHomes0]

@Louise0 I actually thought your verified photos look great!

[Stephanie6]

Hi @Louise0, I don't believe that airbnb will improve your search results if you use the airbnb official photos.  I have a listing that shows highly in search results and it does not have any airbnb official photos.  Important factors you can control are responding within 1 hour to any request or inquiry and not cancelling a booking.  I think airbnb may recommend using the official photos because they are usually higher quality and prospective guests are more likely to book if the photos look good.

Here is more info on the search results:

 https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/39/how-are-search-results-determined

[Ed-and-Hugh0]

@Louise0 You just need to have at least one verified photo. You can take the others down. You can move the verified one "to the back of the line" so that it's not seen unless guests browse through every photo.

[Eugenie7]

Hi Louise l took my own photos and they are fine but l have too many up and can't see how to delete them do you happen to know how to take down those l don't need ?

[Eugenie7]

Move to back of the line ?

I don't know how to do any of these tips especially deleteing unwanted photos.

[Brian68]

Hi Louise,

I invested $500 US into having a professional photgrapher do a day and night, exterior and interior shoot, dressing each scene.

I can without doubt say that my bookings rocketed up once she had sent me the photos, they are a very clear and true representation as well. I also watermarked them so no other condo owner could use them.

For the price of a weeks rental my yield went up 5%, it is well worth it

Brian

[Lorna21]

Yip - just had the same experience.  Photos were over-lit, some were out of focus, some had really unattractive angles and one you could see his equipment bag lying on the floor in the hallway 😞

I decided to keep as many of the "official" photos as possible since they maintain the "verified photo" tagline.  I did edit a few of them myself then re-uploaded them - and they look much better (for example I edited out the offending equipment bag).  It will just lose the "verified photo" tag but as long as you have at least one in there - it proves an AirBnB photographer was over there.  I also kept a lot of my own less lit, less messy, more attractive photos in there right next to the "official" ones - that way guests get a feel for how it really is as well as how it can look when edited.

There seems no other way around this.  I'm not a happy bunny.  It's a shame because my other properties had excellent photos.  So it really must just be the individuals and not a standard for AirBnB.