Most guests choose a holiday home from the photos and only then read the description. On Airbnb and Booking.com the search results show the cover photo first, and a guest who likes it opens the next four or five. If those pictures are dark, crooked or taken on a grey day with the bins in view, the listing loses the booking before the price is even compared. This is what we look for when we photograph and film a holiday home in Kerry, and how to get the house ready for it.
This summer we photographed and filmed seven of the homes we look after: The Old Schoolhouse in Cloghane, Elfin House on the Maharees, East Bay and West Bay at Aughacasla, Slate Cottage in Camp, The Lighthouse in Fenit and 59 William Street in Listowel. The photo at the top is Elfin House from that shoot. Open any of those listings and you will see the approach described below.
Photos guests actually book from
The cover has one job: to make someone stop scrolling. For a house on the Dingle Peninsula that is usually the outside of the house with the view behind it, or the living room with the sea in the window. The next photos follow the order a guest would walk through: the main living space, the kitchen, the best bedroom, the view, a bathroom.
Every bedroom needs its own photo. A three-bedroom listing with only two bedroom pictures makes guests wonder what is wrong with the third. We shoot each room from the corner that shows its real size, keep the lines straight, and use daylight with the lamps on rather than flash. The photos are edited for colour and light but not changed: if the bathroom is small, it looks small. Overselling the house turns into bad reviews, and reviews stay with a listing for years.
Video: the house and where it is
A short video does what photos struggle with: it shows how the rooms connect and what you see when you step outside. Owners use it on their own website, on Instagram and Facebook, and when they send the house to a group that is choosing between options. On our own site every house we manage has a short clip of where it is, because guests coming to Kerry for the first time want to know what the road, the beach and the village look like.
Drone footage: the setting from above
From the ground it is hard to show that the beach is a five-minute walk across the fields, or that the house stands on its own with nothing between it and the bay. From the air it takes one picture. Drone photos and video work best for houses near the sea, on a hill or with land around them, and they make a strong cover image when the setting is the main reason to book.
The Atlantic coast is windy, so a drone shoot depends on the weather. We agree the day with the owner and move it if the wind would keep the drone on the ground or the cloud would flatten the landscape.
Getting the house ready for the shoot
The house should look exactly as it will for the next guest. Before we arrive:
- Clean throughout and make up every bed with fresh linen.
- Clear worktops, fridge doors and windowsills of personal things.
- Move cars away from the front of the house and put the bins out of sight.
- Cut the grass and tidy the garden furniture if the garden will be in the photos.
- Replace any blown bulbs, since we shoot with the lamps on.
We tell each owner what else matters for their house when we confirm the day.
How it works and what it costs
We offer photography and filming as fixed-price packages for holiday home owners:
- Photo and video: €750 plus VAT. Interior photos of every room and the outdoor spaces, a short video of the house and its setting, edited files ordered the way Airbnb and Booking.com show them.
- Drone: €350 plus VAT. Aerial photos and video of the house, the land around it and the view.
- Photo, video and drone together: €1,100 plus VAT, done in one visit.
These prices cover homes within one hour's drive, one way, of our base in Castlegregory, which takes in the Dingle Peninsula and the Tralee area. When you send the request we ask for the Eircode of the house, so we can check the drive and the time of day when the light falls on the front of the house. We confirm the date and the price in writing before anything is booked. See the photo, video and drone packages and send a request.
Once you have the photos, the listing itself needs the same care. Our step by step on listing a holiday home covers the text, settings and prices, and we can do that work for you as a listing setup service. For everything else, see all our services for owners.
FAQ: photos, video and drone for holiday homes in Kerry
Do I need a professional photographer for Airbnb?
You can list with your own photos, but the cover and the first few pictures decide whether a guest opens the listing at all. Wide, straight, well lit photos of every room are what gets a listing opened instead of scrolled past.
How much does holiday home photography cost in Kerry?
Our photo and video package costs €750 plus VAT, the drone €350 plus VAT, and both together €1,100 plus VAT, for homes within an hour of Castlegregory.
When is the best time of year for the shoot?
Any dry, bright day works for the inside. For outside and drone shots, late spring to early autumn gives green fields and long light, but a clear winter day can work too. Ideally the photos are ready before the listing goes live or before the main booking season opens.
Can I use the photos on Booking.com, Vrbo and my own website?
Yes. The files are delivered ready to upload to Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, your own website and social media.
Do you cover the whole of Kerry?
Our prices cover homes within one hour's drive of Castlegregory. For a house further away, ask us before you send the request.