Five is the minimum. Ten to fifteen is better. Photographs do more to determine whether your listing converts than anything else you control, including price.
Why the first one matters most
Your lead photograph is what a guest sees in search results, next to every competing listing. It is the entire basis on which they decide whether to click.
Pick the single most appealing, most representative shot. Not a detail, not a logo, not a collage.
Practical advice
- Shoot in daylight. Mid-morning or late afternoon. Avoid harsh midday sun and anything lit by a single bulb at night.
- Shoot horizontally. Listings display in landscape. Vertical phone photos get cropped badly.
- Open curtains and turn on lights. Interiors in Siargao are often darker than they feel.
- Tidy first. Thirty seconds of clearing clutter is worth more than any filter.
- Show the real thing. Photograph the actual room, the actual scooter, the actual boat.
What to cover
Properties: exterior and approach, each bedroom, bathrooms, kitchen, communal areas, outdoor space, the view, and anything specific you mention in the description.
Activities: people doing the activity, the equipment, the location, the boat or vehicle, and the meeting point.
Rentals: the vehicle from several angles, the dashboard or odometer, any existing damage, and included extras such as helmets.
Honesty converts better
A listing that shows the small room as well as the good one gets fewer bookings but far better reviews, and reviews compound. Photographs that oversell produce guests who arrive disappointed, and that ends in a dispute rather than a repeat booking.
Photographing existing damage on a rental also protects you, because it establishes what the condition was before the guest took it.
Keep them current
Update after renovations, a repaint, or new equipment. A listing showing a room that no longer looks like that is a complaint waiting to happen.