How Many Photos Does Your Airbnb Listing Actually Need?
Open-plan kitchen and living area in an Airbnb, showing full room coverage from stove to lounge in one wide shot
This is one of the most common questions I get asked before a shoot, and the honest answer is that it all depends on the size of the property. But there is a reliable way to think about it, and most hosts either under-shoot or over-shoot in predictable ways.
The Short Answer
For most one to three bedroom Melbourne properties, somewhere between 20 and 35 photos gives a guest everything they need without padding the gallery with filler. A large house or a multi-room property with shared amenities can justify more, sometimes up to 45 or 50. A studio or compact one-bedroom apartment can do the job properly in 15 to 20.
Coverage Comes Before Count
The number is really a symptom of something else: whether every space a guest cares about has been shown clearly. I work through a property room by room and ask myself what a guest actually needs to see to feel confident booking. Every bedroom gets its own coverage. Every bathroom gets shown, with more than one angle. Kitchens get a wide shot and, where relevant, a detail shot of standout features like a benchtop or coffee machine guests will actually use.
Where Hosts Under-Shoot
The most common mistake I see is treating the exterior, entry, and any outdoor space as an afterthought. A single dark, rushed photo of a courtyard or balcony undersells a genuine selling point. If the property has any outdoor area, it deserves proper coverage, not a token shot squeezed in at the end of the shoot.
Where Hosts Over-Shoot
The opposite mistake is padding a gallery with near-duplicate angles of the same room. Three slightly different shots of the same living room do not add information, they add scrolling fatigue. Guests are moving quickly through a gallery, and a bloated set of repetitive images actually works against you by slowing down the moment they reach the photos that matter, like the second bedroom or the bathroom. Three to five angles of each room or area of your listing, showing every wall, corner and connecting area is the aim of a good Airbnb photography shoot.
Detail Shots Earn Their Place, But Sparingly
A well-chosen detail shot, a striking light fixture, an interesting staircase, a view through a window, adds warmth and story to a gallery. The mistake is treating every property like it needs five or six of these. five to six well-placed detail shots do more work than a dozen scattered throughout the set. Detail shots aim to draw focus to items, textures or features that might be missed in the overall coverage. They are drawcards that hold the guests attention a moment longer, to prevent them from scrolling past your listing.
What This Looks Like in Practice
For a typical two-bedroom Melbourne apartment, I would usually land on something like this: one strong hero shot, three to four living and dining angles, three shots per bedroom, two per bathroom, three to four kitchen shots, one or two exterior or entry shots, and two or three detail or lifestyle shots. That lands around 25 to 30 images, which covers the property fully without becoming repetitive. Each property is different though, and this will change as needed, to accommodate for extra features and fully styled listings.
The Real Goal
The right number of photos is whatever number lets a guest feel like they have genuinely seen the property, no more and no less. Getting that balance right is less about hitting a target count and more about knowing which rooms and features are actually doing the selling. That’s where I come in.
Get in touch and I will map out exactly how many shots your property needs before we book the shoot.
