Holiday-let photos: how many, which shots, and what order
Of everything on your listing, photos do the most selling. A guest forms an opinion of your place from the images long before they read a word — and a strong set of photos can carry an average description, while weak photos can sink a beautiful property. This guide covers the three decisions that matter most: which photo leads, how many you need, and the order they go in.
The cover photo: your most important image
Your cover photo is the one job you cannot get wrong. It is what shows in search results next to your title, and it decides whether anyone clicks at all. Pick your single most appealing, brightest, most distinctive shot — usually the best living space, the view, or a standout feature like a hot tub or a fire-lit lounge. Avoid leading with a bathroom, a close-up, or a dark room, however tidy.
How many photos?
Enough to tell the whole story with no gaps. A guest should be able to picture every space they will use without having to message you. As a rule of thumb, cover:
- Every bedroom
- Every bathroom
- The main living area and the kitchen
- Outdoor space — garden, balcony, parking
- Standout features — the view, hot tub, wood burner, games room
- A couple of the local area or setting
A missing room reads as something to hide. More good photos almost always help; padding with blurry or repetitive ones does not.
The order that tells a story
After the cover photo, arrange the rest like a walk-through so a guest can mentally move through the property:
- Your hero shot (the cover photo)
- The main living area
- The kitchen / dining space
- Bedrooms, largest first
- Bathrooms
- Outdoor space
- Standout features and local area to finish
A logical flow keeps people scrolling; a random jumble of rooms makes the place feel disjointed.
What each photo should show
- One clear subject per photo — a room, a feature — shot to show its size and how it connects to the rest.
- Context, not close-ups — guests want to see the whole bedroom, not just a cushion.
- Wide but honest angles — show the space without distorting it so badly that arrivals feel misled.
Quality basics that make a listing look professional
- Light. Shoot in daytime, open the curtains, turn the lamps on. Bright, airy photos outperform dark ones every time.
- Straighten up. Keep verticals straight and the camera level — wonky lines look amateur.
- Declutter and stage. Clear surfaces, made beds, no bins or personal clutter. A few styled touches help.
- Landscape orientation. Most platforms display wide; portrait phone shots get awkwardly cropped.
- High resolution. Sharp and clear; never upload tiny or grainy images.
Captions earn their place
Most platforms let you caption photos, and most hosts leave them blank. A short caption adds the detail a picture cannot — “super-king bed with sea views,” “EV charger on the drive,” “ten-minute walk to the village.”
Common mistakes
- A dark, dull, or cluttered cover photo
- Too few photos, or rooms left out entirely
- Portrait phone shots that crop badly
- Misleading wide angles that overpromise on space
- A random room order with no flow
Checklist
- Cover photo is your brightest, most appealing image
- Every room and key feature is photographed
- Photos run in a logical walk-through order
- Everything is well-lit, level, and landscape
- Key shots are captioned
Score your photos one by one
LetMomentum’s Photo Review tool scores your listing photos individually on composition, lighting and guest appeal, gives you an enhanced version to download, and a reshoot brief for the shots holding you back — and the free teaser audit shows how your photos fit with the rest of your listing as a whole.