Online Listing

#1 Strategy to Take Better Airbnb Photos with Your Phone

This "straight on" approach will make all the difference

Sound Familiar?

Pesky Problem

The smartphone photos of your Airbnb look bland.

In last week’s post, we recommended that all Airbnb hosts invest in professional photos of their space. (Yep! We really do mean all Airbnb hosts. Unless, of course, you personally happen to be a photography wiz. Then you’re good!) If you’re still saving up for that investment, we want to make sure your listing’s current photos still rock.

If you’re struggling to capture your Airbnb’s charm with your smartphone, you’re not alone. While we’ve all got a ridiculous amount of practice photographing people with our phones, most folks don’t have much experience photographing interior spaces. And as you’re likely finding out, they’re an entirely different beast.

Let's Try This

Bite-Size Solution

Line up each photo like a professional: straight on.

Luckily, just changing where you’re standing when you take your photos can make an enormous difference. Most Airbnb hosts are trying to capture as much of the physical space as possible. This often creates uninteresting photos from confusing angles. Instead, your goal should be to frame each shot intentionally. Here’s how.

Clearly identify the amenity you’re trying to capture, like the bed or the tv console.
Then stand directly in front of it and take your photo straight on. No standing to the side. No angles. No crouching in the corner.
Position your camera directly across from the focal point and confidently crop out the surroundings. Less is more here.

There’s a reason that this straight on approach is the default shot for professional photographers. The symmetry it produces is super pleasing to the eye. Photos taken straight on feel intentional, artistic, and direct our attention to a single, obvious place.

5 Minutes

Here's Your First Step

See how we use this “straight on” strategy to photograph a real Airbnb.

The easiest way to understand this “straight on” strategy is to see it in action. Click here to check out our complete step-by-step blog post, How to Take Gorgeous Airbnb Photos (with Just Your Phone). Scroll to the bottom of the post and look at the final reel we put together for this host. You’ll notice just how many of these photos leverage this “straight on” framing. And we’d bet that your eye gravitates towards those direct, framed shots as opposed to the angled ones. Sure, the photos from the corners add helpful context, but the direct, straight on photos are the reason guests book.

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The Ultimate Airbnb Checklist Collection

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You’re an ambitious Airbnb host with a big heart. But on some days, hosting isn’t exactly what you had imagined. Maybe it’s overwhelming. Or isolating. Or just not making the kind of money you had envisioned. At Big Heart Hosting, we’re on a mission to help hosts like you thrive, not just get by. We create step-by-step resources that bring together the best hosting strategies from around the world. We’ll give you the knowledge and community you need to create the joyful, prosperous Airbnb you deserve.