When staging photos of your vacation rental property, here are a few tips to turn ordinary photos into inviting, appealing representations of what your second home or condo has to offer your guests: • Toss coordinating pillows on the easy chair or sofa.  This will easily add color to your room and help to make your photos pop on your listing page.  Plus it helps the furniture look more comfortable.

• Drape a cotton or chenille throw over the edge of the sofa. This is an especially nice touch for travelers visiting cold-weather destinations.

• If you have a fireplace, light a fire. If you're getting ready to book renters for the colder months, use your photos to really set the stage for winter travels.

• Angle an area rug on the floor to make the area seem more intimate. A straight area rug under a table might get lost in a photo, but angling the rug adds some interest to the space.

• If you allow candles in your unit, light a candle arrangement on the coffee table. Make your decorations come to life in your photos.

• Bring a silk tree into the picture to add vertical line and color to the picture. This is a simple and inexpensive way to fill up space and add some color in front of plain wall or empty corner.

• Use low-wattage bulbs for added intimacy.  Turning lamps on in photos usually adds to the lighting and overall impression.

• Put flowers, place settings or a bottle of wine on dining tables to make your photo more interesting and colorful.  You could even place a wooden checkerboard on the coffee table to imply that a game is in progress.  Not only are you adding color and dimension to the photo, but you're giving renters some insight into everything they can do while staying at your home. 

• Do not turn the TV on (it rarely photographs well).  And if your TV is old or relatively ordinary, you probably don't want to make it the focal point of your photo.

• Make sure the pillows are arranged nicely and the sofa cushions are smooth.  The same goes for bedspreads and comforters.  Be sure to fluff pillows and make the bed crisply before taking photos.  Believe it or not, we can tell.

• Angle furniture so that it fits the picture, not the room (an industry trick by photographers who shoot editorial layouts for magazines). 

What do you do to stage your rooms before taking photos? "My vacation rental is in Kihei on the island of Maui.  I like to add bright colored fruit or pineapple to photos of my dining area or kitchen." - Sonia M., Kihei, Maui.

4 Quick Steps to Improve Any Photo Using Photoshop Elements Tips to quickly and easily improve the quality of your property photos using Photoshop Elements.   Decorating Your Beach Vacation Rental Home Classic and understated beach-inspired decorating ideas.   The 7 Photos to Include in Every Vacation Rental Listing   Put yourself in the shoes of your vacation rental guest. Would the photos of your property make YOU want to rent it?   Decorating Your Vacation Home for The Holidays Easy ways to spread holiday cheer from afar.

© Copyright, Christine Karpinski 2006, Updated 9/8/08