A vacation rental photo shoot is only as good as the state of the property when the photographer walks in. Retouching can fix a colour cast; it cannot fix a missing lampshade, a stripped bed, or a pool full of leaves. Thirty minutes of preparation is usually the difference between a good photo set and a great one.
Here is the checklist we send owners and managers before a shoot.
Schedule It Right
Shoot immediately after a full turnover clean. The property will never look better than it does in the hour after housekeeping finishes and before the next guest arrives.
Allow 2-4 hours on site for a typical 4-8 bedroom home. Add time if there is a twilight exterior in the plan, since that has to happen in a narrow window after sunset.
Confirm the pool service ran in the days before, not the days after.
Whole-House Basics
- Replace every dead bulb, and make sure bulbs within a room match in colour temperature — mismatched warm and cool bulbs in one frame are the single most common fixable problem we see
- Open all blinds and curtains to the same position
- Remove trash bags, cleaning caddies, vacuum, mop, and laundry baskets from every room
- Hide cords and chargers where you can
- Take down guest-facing paperwork: house rules signs, WiFi cards, laminated notices
- Move all vehicles off the driveway and away from the front of the house
- Turn off ceiling fans (they blur in longer exposures)
Kitchen
- Clear every countertop except one or two deliberate items
- Remove magnets, notes, and calendars from the refrigerator
- Put away dish racks, sponges, soap bottles, and bins
- Hide small appliances you do not want in frame
- Wipe down stainless steel — fingerprints show badly in wide shots
Bedrooms
- Make every bed properly: pulled tight, pillows stacked and standing, throw squared
- Match the pillow count and arrangement between similar rooms
- Clear nightstands to a lamp and maybe one small item
- Close closet doors
- Straighten lampshades and align their seams to the back
Bathrooms
- Remove all personal toiletries, including any left in showers
- Fresh, matched towels — folded and hung evenly, or rolled
- Put the toilet lid down
- Remove bath mats unless they are new and clean
- Clear the counter completely
Living, Game, and Theater Rooms
- Straighten and plump every cushion
- Square up rugs and coffee tables
- Coil and hide game controllers and cables
- Turn on arcade cabinets and any accent lighting — those lights are the point of the room
- Clear the TV screen of any paused image or menu
Pool Deck and Exterior
- Skim the pool the morning of, and stow the skimmer and hoses
- Straighten and evenly space the loungers
- Stow pool toys, floats, and noodles, or arrange them deliberately
- Remove hoses, bins, and equipment from frame
- Sweep the deck and clear leaves from the screen enclosure
- Mow and edge if the shoot includes exteriors
Themed Rooms
Themed properties are the reason many guests choose the Orlando corridor over a hotel, and those rooms deserve the extra minute.
- Turn on every accent light, LED strip, and star ceiling
- Confirm any theming that runs on a timer or a remote is switched on
- Clear anything modern and out of theme from the frame
If the Property Is Occupied or Mid-Turnover
Tell us in advance. We can work around a partially staged home, and AI virtual staging ($5/photo) can furnish a room that is waiting on a delivery. What we cannot do is fix it in post after the fact without knowing.
Booking a shoot? Call (321) 800-5294 and we will send this checklist to your cleaning team directly.