Most buyers decide whether to enquire about a property in seconds, based on the lead photo. The quality and order of your shots is the single biggest controllable factor in how much interest your listing gets. The good news: with a phone, a basic technique, and an hour of preparation, you can produce photos that perform.
Prepare the home before you shoot
- Declutter ruthlessly — kitchen worktops, side tables, shelves. Less is always more.
- Hide bins, pet beds, leads, towels, and bathroom toiletries.
- Open all curtains and blinds. Turn every light on, even in the daytime.
- Make beds with crisp white linen if you can. It transforms bedroom shots.
- Put one or two simple touches in shot — a bowl of fruit, a couple of books — to add life without clutter.
Camera settings and angles
Hold the camera at chest height (around 1.3m), not eye level. Shoot from the corner of each room, looking diagonally across, to get as much of the room into the frame as possible. Keep the camera level — phones now have built-in spirit levels, use them. Tilted vertical lines make rooms look amateurish and shrink them visually.
If you're shooting on a phone, use the wide-angle lens (the 0.5x option on most modern iPhones and Androids). It captures more of the room and is closer to what a professional with a 16–24mm lens would use. Our smartphone photography guide has the full settings tables for iOS and Android, and the photograph your own home walkthrough covers the shot order and composition rules.
Lighting
The best time to shoot is mid-morning or mid-afternoon on a bright day with cloud cover (the cloud diffuses harsh sunlight and prevents hot spots). Avoid shooting against a window — the camera will expose for the bright window and underexpose the room. If you must shoot towards a window, take an extra HDR shot or use the camera's HDR mode.
The shot list — what to capture
- External front shot, ideally from a distance to avoid distortion
- Kitchen — usually the lead shot
- Main living room from two angles
- Dining area
- Each bedroom
- Each bathroom
- Garden (front and back) and any outbuildings
- Hallway / entrance
- Any standout feature (period fireplace, vaulted ceiling, view)
The order matters
Rightmove shows the first three photos in the listing card. Lead with your strongest external shot or the kitchen — whichever is more impressive. Follow with the main living room and the best feature shot. Save bathrooms and utility rooms for the end.
Editing
Do the basics: straighten the horizon, lift the shadows slightly, and make sure white balance looks natural (kitchens with yellow lights often need cooling down). Don't over-edit — buyers are sensitive to images that look too good to be true.
When to pay a professional
If your property is high-value, complex, or you simply don't trust your own eye, professional property photography costs £100–£300 and is well worth it. Most photographers also offer floorplans and drone shots as a bundle. For an Off Agent listing, this is one of the few extras worth considering — or add motion with our smartphone video walkthrough guide.
Once your photos are nailed, see our guide on writing property descriptions.