Airbnb photo checklist: plan a gallery guests can understand
Plan the gallery before you pick up a camera. Every photograph should help a guest understand the stay: what the space feels like, how the rooms work and which advertised features they will actually receive.
We sell property photography. This is our studio’s guide; sources and limitations are linked where they matter.
Start with the rooms, then choose the photographs
Walk through the property in the order a guest arrives. Write down each bedroom, bathroom, living space, kitchen and usable outdoor area. Add practical features that influence the stay, such as parking, a work desk or laundry. Mark shared areas clearly and confirm you can access them for the shoot.
Airbnb’s photo-tour guidance asks for at least one image per room or space. Our recommendation is to plan a main view and a second view that adds information, then add a detail only where it explains something useful. Repeated views of the same sofa can wait until every bathroom is covered.
Prepare what the guest will actually find
Finish cleaning, make the beds and remove private paperwork before shooting. Check mirrors and television screens for reflections, including people and equipment. Put consumables where guests will normally find them and keep safety equipment in its real position. Leave a short gap between the cleaner finishing and the camera arriving so someone can inspect the rooms.
Airbnb’s professional shoot preparation guide covers opening curtains, removing personal clutter and readying each room. Use the booked photographer’s preparation instructions too: their lighting approach may differ from a phone shoot.
Use this room-by-room shot plan
| Space | Main photograph | Useful supporting view |
|---|---|---|
| Living room | Show seating and the room’s relationship to its windows or adjoining space. | Explain the dining area, work desk or a sofa bed if it is offered. |
| Each bedroom | Show the complete sleeping arrangement with a believable sense of scale. | Include storage, bedside access or the route to an en-suite. |
| Kitchen | Make the cooking area, worktop and major appliances readable. | Show the dining connection or a useful supplied appliance. |
| Each bathroom | Explain the layout and whether guests have a bath, shower or both. | Show the shower entrance or another feature the main view obscures. |
| Garden, terrace or balcony | Show the area available to guests and its real boundaries. | Explain seating, access from the home or the actual view. |
| Arrival and exterior | Show the correct building and entrance. | Document the route, steps or parking arrangement where useful. |
For a studio, show how sleeping, sitting and eating share the same room. For a sofa bed, make clear where it opens and how the space works in that configuration. Photograph a second bedroom as its own room rather than hoping guests can infer it from the bed count.
Find useful daylight without distorting the room
Visit the rooms at the planned shoot time if possible. Notice which windows create strong patches of sun and which spaces stay dark. Start with open curtains and clean window glass. Move around the room to find an angle that shows its shape without turning furniture at the edges into stretched objects.
Keep the camera level and compare the picture with the actual room before moving on. If a phone automatically brightens the image, check that pale walls still have detail and the view remains plausible. Different lamp colours can make neighbouring rooms look unrelated; check the set together, rather than judging each image in isolation.
Choose a cover that survives a small screen
The first image should make the property understandable at a glance. Try the strongest living space, bedroom or genuine standout feature, and compare the candidates at phone-thumbnail size. Can you still tell what the room is? Does a useful feature disappear when the image is cropped?
Airbnb gives the first five images prominent placement and uses the cover in search. Build variety into that opening group: show the main space, sleeping arrangement and another reason the property suits its intended guests. Save the decorative coffee cup until the home itself is clear.
Give a Cardiff shoot a practical access plan
Supply the full address and postcode, the correct entrance and a working contact for the appointment. If parking needs a permit, the flat has a managed entrance or a shared facility needs permission, arrange that before the photographer arrives. The point is to spend the appointment photographing the property.
During shorter autumn and winter daylight windows, confirm timing before setting a same-day cleaning handover. If wet weather would make a garden, balcony or exterior unsafe or unrepresentative, agree an approach with the photographer. A Cardiff address alone does not confirm a slot: access, readiness and the actual diary still matter.
Keep accuracy separate from proposed improvements
Show what guests can book. Airbnb’s ground rules prohibit misleading imagery, including digital edits that hide damage or add amenities the listing does not have. Repair a defect, then photograph the repaired space. A furnishing concept should stay separate from the live listing until the real room matches it.
For accessibility, photograph the route and features needed to support the specific claim. A bright entrance picture cannot establish step-free access on its own. Use Airbnb’s feature definitions and photo requirements before selecting accessibility amenities.
Check the published gallery, then decide what needs help
Review the uploaded set on a phone. Assign images to the correct rooms, check the cover crop and add factual captions where a feature or shared arrangement needs explaining. Keep the original delivered files separately. Replace stale images when furnishings, access or amenities change.
If room coverage, difficult light or consistent finishing is taking more time than you can give it, configure a property photography shoot. The room list you have just made becomes the brief.