How to Capture Stunning Photos to Sell Your Boat

If you’re planning to sell your boat, capturing high-quality photos can make a significant difference in how quickly and successfully she sells. Well-executed media not only showcases your boat’s best features but also grabs the attention of serious buyers. Below, I’ve compiled some essential tips and tricks to help you take amazing listing photos of your boat. These tips are designed for both novice cell phone photographers and are optimized to help you stand out in a competitive market.

Clean and Stage Your Boat

Before you pick up your iPhone or Android camera phone, ensure your boat is clean and staged to look her best. Plain and simple, boat photos that aren’t clean and tidy will sit on the market longer, be tougher to get traction on, and send a message to prospects that you may not be taking care of your boat.

Clean thoroughly: Remove clutter, personal items, and unnecessary gear. Tidy lines, polish windows, and wash off salt and rust.

Stage thoughtfully: While flowers or plants aren’t necessary, setting the saloon or deck table with dishware and adding decorative pillows to seating areas and made-up beds can enhance the presentation.

Focus on the details: Sparkling stainless steel, streak-free glass, unwrinkled bed sheets/covers, and a tidy deck create an inviting atmosphere that resonates in photos.

Leverage Good Lighting

Lighting can make or break your boat photos.

Shoot during golden hour: Early morning or late afternoon sunlight creates soft, diffused light, perfect for interior and exterior shots.

Turn on all lights: Even in well-lit spaces, turning on interior lights adds warmth and minimizes shadows.

Avoid harsh midday sun: Overhead light can cause glare and harsh shadows, detracting from your boat’s appeal. Consider taking cabin shots with hatch screens closed/covered, especially if you’re shooting in midday sun.

Nail Your Composition

Framing your shots properly is crucial to presenting your boat in the best light:

Use gridlines: Enable your camera’s gridlines and follow the Rule of Thirds for balanced, visually appealing shots. Click here for a short tutorial about the Rule of Thirds.

Capture wide shots: Use a wide-angle setting (-.6x to -.8x zoom maximum) for both interior and exterior spaces when necessary to provide context and highlight key features. Feel free to take the same shot with multiple zoom settings - again, the more shots we have the better!

Level your shots: Keep your photos straight with your camera’s built-in leveling tool to avoid tilted horizons.

Highlight Unique Features

Showcase what sets your boat apart from others on the market. Capture upgrades like custom finishes, navigation systems, solar panels, upgraded stainless appliances, or tidy lithium battery installations.

Clean engine bays make a strong impression—buyers notice clean mechanical systems, especially engine bays, so put some elbow grease in and showcase the muscle under the hood.

Take multiple angles, zoom settings, and lighting changes of standout features to ensure they grab attention.

Use HDR Mode for Better Exposure

High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode balances bright and dark areas in your photos. This feature is especially helpful for capturing both interior details and bright outdoor views through portlights. Turn it on to ensure your images are clear and evenly lit.

Include Drone Shots

Drone photography can elevate your listing by capturing stunning exterior shots.

Key shots: Under sail or anchored in a scenic location are great to have, though stay away from artsy sunset shots - remember, you’re showcasing the boat, not a beautiful sunset.

Optimal settings: Position the drone at 60–90 feet in altitude and no more than 250 feet away for the best results. Take multiple shots as you move around the boat in a half-circle pattern as well as moving closer to the boat. This is a great time to use the Rule of Thirds.

Pro tip: Exterior shots always look better when sunshades and canopies are put away, and the deck isn’t cluttered. Consider stowing fishing gear and other accessories.

Avoid Reflections and Glare

Reflections on windows, mirrors, and stainless steel can distract from your boat’s features. Experiment with angles to minimize unwanted reflections and clean all surfaces to ensure they shine, as fingerprints and smudges are tough to edit out.

Take Multiple Angles and Lots of Photos

When in doubt, take more photos than you think you need, and always shoot in landscape orientation since the major listing sites don’t publish portrait oriented images too well.

Variety is key: For every shot, capture angles from above, eye level, and chest height at a minimum, and don’t be afraid to take shots from other angles as well.

More is better: The more photos you take, the more options we’ll have to create a compelling listing. It’s not uncommon to have 300+photos from an exercise like this, and if I’m your broker you’ll have a folder with unlimited capacity to upload into, so don’t hold back.

Organize and Upload Your Media

Once your photos and videos are ready, if I’m your broker you’ll have a folder setup to upload photos into.

Upload in bulk: I encourage you to share as many files as possible, including video files—there’s no limit.

I’ll do the rest: One of the things you pay a broker for is editing and selecting the best images that showcase the best of what your boat has to offer.

Why Great Photos Matter

Quality media is often the first impression buyers have of your boat. Listings with professional-grade visuals not only stand out but also sell faster and for higher prices. Whether you’re showcasing custom upgrades, a pristine deck, or cozy interiors, these tips will help you present your boat in the best possible light.

Ready to get started? If you have any questions or need help along the way, feel free to reach out. Let’s make your boat the next one under contract!