FAQS

What is your service area for VRBO photography?

We are based in Virginia and currently provide vacation rental photography services to Airbnb hosts & VRBO hosts in Virginia, Maryland, & Washington D.C.. However, our network of certified Five Star photographers is able to provide rental photography to almost ANY location in the US! Depending on your proximity to one of our certified Five Star photographers, there may be additional travel fees. All of our photographers are trained to provide the highest level of photography for vacation rentals.

How much does a vacation rental photography session cost?

There is no one size fits all answer to this question. Our pricing is based primarily on the nightly rental rate of the short term rental during peak season. However there are other factors such as travel distance for our photographers, and certain other special cases. Hiring a professional photography company to photograph your home is an investment, and we take pride in knowing that the money you invest in our services will be multiplied many times over and returned to you through increased bookings.

Why does vacation rental photography cost more than standard real estate photography?

While they may seem similar, commercially used VRBO photography is completely different from “standard” real estate photography that is provided to real estate agents for the MLS. While typical MLS photographers use techniques & processes that take an hour or less on site for almost any property, our vacation rental photography techniques require much more time on site - typically 4-8 hours or more. This is due to the fact that our Five Star Photographers are custom lighting each shot, usually with multiple flashes, to achieve the sharpest, cleanest lighting and richest color possible. Standard RE photography also typically outsources edits overseas for quick turnaround at the expense of quality, whereas our AirBNB & VRBO shoots are hand edited/blended in house, typically requiring 4-6 business days of editing time or more.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, image licensing terms are quite different for commercial photography. Typical RE photos are licensed to a real estate agent for a period of 1 year or less, specifically for use of marketing the property for sale, after which time the images may not be legally used any longer. The images may not be used to market the realtors business, or for any other use. In most cases these images are used for 3-4 months or less. In comparison, our commercial image license for short term rentals gives you unlimited usage of the photos for as long as you want, to be used however you want. This means they can live online for years to come, and they can also be used in print/magazines, or even to sell the property should you decide you want to sell your rental property. The only limitation is that the images may no be resold to 3rd parties.

How long does a vacation rental photography session take?

There are many variables that determine how long your vacation rental photo session will take. Depending on the size of your property and the services you order, most jobs fall into one of three categories:
Half Day - Small to medium vacation rental properties that order one service (aka just photos). Typically we are on site at these properties for 2-4 hours.
Full Day - Medium to large vacation rental properties that order multiple services (photography + 360 Tour + Aerial + Floorplan). Typically we are on site at these properties for 5-8 hours.
Multi-Day - Larger vacation rental properties that order multiple services (photography + 360 Tour + Aerial + Floorplan). Typically we are on site at these properties for multiple days.

Do I need to be present for my VRBO photography session?

No, you do not need to be present on the day we photograph your rental property. In fact, we encourage you NOT to be present. Our Five Star vacation rental photographers work better when they are able to put 100% of their focus on providing you with five star photography service. Having people present other than our Five Star team only serves to slow down the process and provide distractions.