How to Photograph a Listing That Actually Sells

A bad photo costs more than a low price. On a marketplace where every thumbnail competes for the same swipe, the picture is the product. Here is the shortest path to listings that get opened.

1. Window light, north side, mid-morning

Direct sun is your enemy. It blows out highlights, casts harsh shadows, and turns whites yellow. North-facing windows give soft, even daylight all day. Shoot between 9 and 11.

2. Plain backdrop. No exceptions

A wrinkled bedsheet on a wall, a blank section of parquet floor, a clean kitchen table. Anything but the contents of your living room. Your bicycle is not more interesting because we can see your laundry behind it.

3. Three angles, in this order

1. The hero shot — straight on, dead centre.
2. A 30-degree angle showing depth.
3. One detail crop — the wear, the scratch, the maker's mark. The thing you want a buyer to ask about anyway.

4. Show the flaws

A scuffed corner photographed honestly closes a sale. The same corner discovered in person kills it. Buyers forgive what they expect.

5. Wipe the lens

Half of all phone photos are slightly hazy because the lens has been pressed against the inside of a pocket all morning. A microfibre cloth costs €2. Use it before every shoot.

That is it. No editing apps, no presets, no filters. The job of the photo is to tell the truth, fast.