The pitfall of a wide angle lens in Hotel and Holiday Cottage Photography.

You don't need to go too wide to make your accommodation look amazing!

📸 Aren’t Wide Lenses Great?

(Well… Yes — and No)

Like most things in life, wide-angle lenses come with their pros and cons — whether you're using a DSLR, a mirrorless camera, or simply your smartphone.

They’re especially popular in property photography, and it’s easy to see why: wide lenses can capture the entire room in one shot. Perfect, right?

Well… not quite.

Used with care, wide lenses are fantastic tools. But used carelessly, they can mislead viewers, distort key details, and even lead to unhappy guests or bad reviews. Here's what to watch out for.

✅ What’s Great About Wide Lenses?

• You can fit more of the room into a single image

• Great for tight spaces — bathrooms, hallways, or small bedrooms

• Helps showcase the layout and flow of the space

  
  

But be careful…

🚫 1. Don’t Get Too Close to Anything

One of the most common mistakes with wide lenses is standing too close to furniture or fixtures.

🪑 That stylish coffee table? Now it looks 9ft long and warped.🪞 That mirror? It’s practically bending the walls.

Wide-angle lenses distort anything near the camera. Even experienced photographers can fall into this trap — it’s a real mark of professionalism to know how to manage it.

📸 Image Tip: Always check the edges of your frame for “stretchy” shapes — these are classic signs of distortion.

🌄 2. Distant Views Look… Even More Distant

Got a stunning mountain view from your cottage window? Using a wide-angle lens may push that view so far back, it becomes almost irrelevant in the image.

Instead of drawing attention to it, a wide lens can make those peaks or coastlines look disappointingly small.

📸 Image Tip: For views, consider switching to a standard or slightly telephoto lens to show the landscape more prominently.

🏠 3. Making a Room Look Bigger Than It Is? Careful!

It’s tempting to make rooms look as large as possible — and wide-angle lenses do this well.

But guests might arrive expecting something far grander than reality, especially if the room looked huge online.

On a rainy afternoon, with a family of six huddled in what turns out to be a modest lounge, the disappointment can really hit.

🔁 Estate agents can get away with this because viewings are short and in person. Your guests are staying a week or more, are stuck there — and they’ll notice.

📸 Image Tip: Be honest with your space. Present it attractively — not misleadingly.

📏 4. Barrel Distortion Can Make Images Look Amateurish

Wide lenses often introduce barrel distortion, where straight lines (especially verticals and horizontals) start to curve outwards.

• Door frames may bulge

• Ceilings may droop

• Windows may bend

It might seem minor, but it can make a professionally decorated room look... odd.

🛠️ If you know your way around editing software like Lightroom or Photoshop, this is an easy fix. If not, it’s worth getting a pro to handle it.

🎯 So — Are Wide Lenses Bad?

Not at all! They’re essential for good property photography — but only when used with care, good lighting, and proper technique.

✔️ Use them to:

• Showcase layout and flow

• Help small spaces feel open

• Give context to a room

❌ Avoid using them to:

• Mislead guests about room size

• Over-emphasise irrelevant space

• Photograph items too close to the camera

  
  

👋 Need a Hand?

I specialise in photographing Holiday Lets and Hotels across the UK, and beyond — capturing honest, stylish images that help convert views into bookings.

Want your property photographed properly — with care, experience, and attention to detail?

Feel free to get in touch — I’m always happy to have a chat. simon@SiRanshaw.com