2011/08/02

Local photos for tourism - Small Biz Survival

Local photos for tourism

Posted: 02 Aug 2011 04:22 AM PDT

Want more local photos for your tourism efforts? Sponsor a photography event.

Adding more punch to your photos at #pmw2011

Alva's Picture My Weekend event
draws photographers from all over the region.

Help your local creative types put on a photography workshop or even a simple photo walk. Both are perfect for small towns.

A photo walk is a group of photographers walking through an area more or less as a group, shooting lots of photos. Anyone can pull one of these off, with maybe one or two helpers. Photo walks also fit well into other events. Do a photo walk through your arts festival, your quilt show, your car show, or your heritage festival.

A photography workshop can be much more organized with class sessions and hands on time. This calls for a committee of organizers.

Pick an area in your town, one you need more photos of. Historic? Tourist friendly? Great looking? Must do attractions? Let that be the focus of your photo event.

Make an easy way for them to share photos with you: a specific email address, or even a laptop where they can upload photos during the event. Get creative and ask them how they want to share! Explain to participants what you do to promote tourism, why it helps your town. Invite them to share their photos with you, and allow you to reprint them.

If you miss that one step, you miss a big opportunity. Those who ask not, receive naught.

Make it easy, make it reflect what the photographers themselves want, and make it fun. Then make a new folder on your hard drive, because you're about to get a whole bunch of new and interesting photos.

New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.