Search "Airbnb photographer Melbourne" and you'll get a long list of names, portfolios and price ranges — and not much to tell them apart.
This applies whether you're renting out a spare room on Airbnb, managing a handful of luxury holiday homes, or running a boutique hotel: the core question is the same. Here's what's actually worth checking before you book, and a few questions that tend to separate a good fit from a bad one.
It's not just an Airbnb thing
The advice below applies just as much to a luxury accommodation photographer booking for a Mornington Peninsula holiday house as it does to a single Melbourne apartment listing, or a hotel booking a photographer to refresh a dozen rooms. The property type changes the shot list and scope — it doesn't change what you should be checking before you commit.
What to check before you book
Are you booking the photographer directly, or through an agency?
Some of the names you'll find are independent photographers; others are agencies or marketplaces that book on behalf of a roster of freelancers. Neither is automatically wrong, but they're different arrangements. Booking directly usually means you're talking to the person who'll actually show up and shoot your property, and there's no coordination margin added on top of their rate. An agency can make sense if you're coordinating a large portfolio of properties at once and want one point of contact for scheduling — but for a single listing, it's worth knowing which one you're dealing with before you compare quotes.
Does the portfolio include properties like yours?
A photographer who mostly shoots real estate listings for sale isn't necessarily set up for short-stay or hospitality work — the brief is different: styling for a guest's imagination, not a buyer's inspection. Look for a portfolio with actual Airbnb, short-stay or hotel work, ideally in a similar style to your property (compact apartment vs sprawling holiday home vs multi-room hotel).
Turnaround time
Ask upfront, not after booking. If you're re-listing a short-stay between guests, a photographer who takes two weeks to deliver isn't going to work for you, however good the portfolio looks.
Usage rights
Confirm who owns the final images and where you're allowed to use them — your own listing, your website, print marketing, a real estate agent reselling the property. Some arrangements (particularly free or discounted shoots tied to a platform) restrict usage to that platform only. Get this in writing before the shoot, not after you've already used the photos somewhere they weren't licensed for.
What's actually included in the quote
A quote that looks cheap can turn out to exclude editing, only cover a handful of rooms, or leave out extras like twilight shots or a floor plan that you assumed were included. Ask for an itemised breakdown so you're comparing the same thing across quotes.
Editing style consistency
If you manage more than one property, a consistent editing style across your portfolio (colour, brightness, framing) makes your whole listing set look more professional and cohesive — worth asking to see a full gallery from a recent shoot, not just the hero shots.
Red flags worth watching for
- No willingness to give a written quote before the shoot
- Vague answers about who owns the images afterwards
- A portfolio with no accommodation or short-stay work at all
- No clarity on whether you're booking the photographer or an agency acting on their behalf
Questions worth asking before you book
- Are you shooting this yourself, or assigning it to someone else?
- What's your usual turnaround for a property like mine?
- What's included in the quote, and what's an extra?
- Can I use these photos anywhere I like, or just on one platform?
- Do you have examples of similar properties you've shot recently?
A photographer who answers these clearly and without hesitation is generally a good sign. Hesitation or vague answers, particularly around usage rights or who's actually doing the shoot, are worth pushing on before you commit.
Book directly, deal directly
If part of what you're weighing up is who you're actually dealing with, that's an easy one to answer here: you'd be booking directly, with no agency in between and no coordination margin on the price.
Get a direct quote for your property →