Airbnb Photography in Montreal: How Better Photos Increase Bookings
Why Hire an Airbnb Photographer in Montreal?
Montreal’s Airbnb market is very competitive. At any given moment, there could be over 1000 listings available in the city. There are so many listings that it can be incredibly difficult to stand out. Because of the sheer volume of options available, travelers tend to scroll by each listing very quickly. If you don’t catch their attention immediately, you’ve probably lost them. That’s why having high-quality Airbnb photography in Montreal is so important.
What’s the first (and possibly only) thing that catches their eye enough to stop the scroll? The main photo. You have one chance to make them take notice of you, and that chance is a photo. It needs to be a good one, because they’re going to be seeing a lot of main listing photos right next to yours.
Professional Airbnb photography does this for you. It gives you that “Hey, look at me” cover photo that your listing needs to grab attention. But that’s not all. Professional photography has a direct impact on bookings, rates and guest trust.
Your Photos Are Your First Impression
The photos (and the cover photo in particular) are the first thing travelers see when scrolling through listings. The photo is even more prominent than the headline. This is simple psychology: humans are visual animals, and we’re drawn to imagery even before text. There’s a reason news organizations always have a big, bright photo taking up the entire front page of their publication for the main story. They know that it’s the image more than anything else that will catch people’s attention.
Now think about how most of your potential guests will be looking for you. It will probably be with their phone. It’s no surprise that a given person’s attention span, however long it might be, is generally shorter when they’re browsing on their phone than with a tablet or desktop. The nature of the device encourages short attention spans. This makes the photo even more important because it’s just about all that they’ll see of your listing as they’re scrolling through the options.
The Psychology of Trust
Take a look at the photo at the top of this article, for example. It’s bright, it’s detailed, and it looks clean. The space feels open and inviting. The lighting is controlled, and all of these things together inspire a feeling of professionalism. This signals to a potential guest that there is a certain level of quality with this listing and it is the first step toward inspiring trust in you, the host.
People are incredibly reluctant to purchase from someone they don’t trust. This is especially true with larger purchases, such as accommodations when traveling. Your listing needs to reassure people that they’re making the right choice by considering you. How does this help your business?
Higher Click-Through Rate in Search Results
As we’ve already discussed, listings are in competition with each other for attention. This is especially true in larger cities like Montreal. Hosts have a ton of options available to them. You might even say the only problem they have is that there’s too much choice. Higher-quality photos will give your listing a higher click-through rate, meaning more people will look at your full listing. More interest will translate to more bookings. More bookings will translate to…
Higher Nightly Rates
If you have a high demand, you can think about increasing your rates a little bit. Even a small increase will add up to a significant increase in revenue because of your higher booking rate. Don’t worry about losing business to competitors with lower rates. Remember, you’re trying to present yourself as a high-quality option. People are willing to pay more for better quality.
High-quality photos go a long way toward establishing your listing as a high-quality option. If your listing is presented as an upscale listing, you’ll attract guests who will have no problem with the higher price point because they value the experience you’ll be providing them. In short, if you can create a perception of high value then you will be able to justify a higher rate. The (regular) increase in revenue will cover the (one-time) cost of professional photography very quickly, possibly with 1 booking.
Fewer Vacancy Gaps
More bookings also translates to less down time for your listing. You’ll have a more consistent stream of bookings during the busier times of the year, which will make it much easier for you to weather the storm during the inevitable quieter times. It will be much easier for you to cover the operating expenses in the middle of February, for example, because you were booked for 4 months straight over the summer.
Airbnb Photography vs. Real Estate Photography
Not all properties are equal, and the same is true about listings. A real estate listing for the sale of a property is not the same as an Airbnb listing for a vacation rental. It’s important that you hire an Airbnb photographer that understands the difference. You need your photos to present your listing and your property in the right way.
Real Estate Photography
Photos for the sale of a property are designed to present the property in an entirely different way. The idea of a real estate listing is to build up a lot of interest quickly in order to generate a single sale. The photographer will generally concentrate on the size of the overall space and it will be staged in such a way as to appeal to as many people as possible. There will be little to no character to the photos other than what’s part of the property itself. A broker wants potential buyers to be able to see themselves and their own style in the space, so the staging will try to be as neutral as possible.
Airbnb Photography
Airbnb photography, by contrast, is meant to generate repeat business for the same property for months or years. Rather than simply showing space, the photographer will try to incorporate images that portray the listing as an experience. The staging generally presents a given lifestyle and the photos are designed to show that. Much more emphasis is given to the small lifestyle details that make the listing unique, such as the fully-stocked library of modern-art books and the array of specialty coffees in a downtown penthouse condo or the fishing rods at a lakeside Mont-Tremblant cottage.
Hiring an Airbnb Photographer in Montreal
The Process
The first step is an initial consultation. Your photographer is going to want details about your property, such as what kind of vibe it has (modern, rustic, classic, etc). They’ll give you suggestions and information about what styling and staging you should do to help the property show well.
For the shoot itself, it’s best if you’re on-site. The photographer might have some questions for you or need you to adjust some of the staging for maximum effect. The photographer might work entirely with ambient light, they might use their own lighting or they might do a mix of both.
No matter what technique they use, it’s important to have as much natural light as possible because that’s the element that contributes the most toward giving the space an open, inviting feel. This is why it’s best to take the majority of the photos during daylight hours.
That doesn’t mean you should avoid after-dark photos, though. If you have a spectacular lighting setup on a terrace, it should definitely be captured because it’s part of the character of the property.
After the shoot, the photographer will spend a day or two editing the photos to make sure they’re as accurate a representation of the property as possible. Making sure brightness and colour are correct is very important. Photos that are very yellow because of excessive artificial lighting, for example, can turn potential guests away. One thing many people overlook is perspective. Vertical lines should be straight. If the walls look like they’re all converging toward the top or the bottom of the frame, it’s visually off-putting and a sign of poor technique.
How to Prepare Before the Shoot
Staging makes a huge difference and needs to be done properly. Here is a short list of steps you should take:
Turn on all the lights. This is an optional step in most areas with lots of natural light and will mostly just be for the look of having lights on rather than actually providing light for the photo. Many spaces can look quite good with interior lights off if they have the right natural lighting.
Remove personal items. If this is an income property, this isn’t an issue. If you’re renting out your personal home, it’s best to remove personal items such as family photos and toothbrushes.
Make sure the towels and toilet paper rolls are fresh.
Declutter. Make sure anything that doesn’t need to be on a table or countertop is put away. This is especially important with your personal home, but it should still be considered with an income property.
Make sure any decorations, such as plants and coffee table books, are neatly placed or arranged and don’t prove to be more of a distraction than a decoration. A giant plant in a giant room looks fine. A giant plant in a small room becomes clutter.
For more information, here’s a full guide to preparing your Airbnb property for photography.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Different photographers have different prices, of course. As a reference, as of 2026 my pricing starts at $160 for a 1-bedroom listing in Montreal.
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A shoot can be anywhere from 35 minutes to about 2 hours, depending on the property. A 1-bedroom condo will take less time than a 5-bedroom, 2-storey lakefront cottage, for example.
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Again, it all depends on the property. A 1-bedroom apartment can be anywhere from 12 to 20 on average, more if the building has common areas like a pool or gym. A 3-bedroom cottage could have over 30 photos.
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By default, ownership of the photos belongs to the photographer. You get an unlimited-usage license to use the photos to market your listing.
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Most listings can be delivered in 24-48 hours.
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Drone photos are certainly an option, depending on whether the airspace permits it. Not all properties will benefit from drone photography, however.
If you’re hosting in Montreal or nearby areas and want your listing to stand out, professional photography is one of the highest ROI upgrades you can make.
Contact us to schedule your Airbnb photography session.
Want to see what the finished product looks like? No problem! Take a look at our Interiors portfolio!