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| Local Guide in Chesterfield Inlet Nunavut |
In today’s fast paced world of technology and visual
overload, it’s hard for a tourism destination to stand out among all the
noise. Amanda recently attended the
EyeEm Photo Awards in Berlin that showcases some of the world’s most talented
photographers/visual storytellers and she was inspired by what images grabbed
the most attention.
Surely images with beautiful landscapes, sunsets, and
waterfalls draw you in, but it’s the images that trigger an emotion or tell a
story that make the viewer want to learn more. One of the photographers was a
street photographer from New York that become famous from showing “real”
unscripted photos of locals that focused on a more authentic, strange, and
interesting side of New York. His photos
made you laugh, or become confused, or question what was going on… they were
memorable in a very unique way that triggered the urge to start conversations
and want to learn more. That summarizes
the power a single image can have.
When it comes to promoting your tourism product, your brand,
and/or your community it’s important to showcase the real story behind your
community and its people but leave room for interpretation for a potential
client to insert their own take or be able to visualize themselves in that
experience. For example, one of CES’s photographers recently travelled up to
Chesterfield Inlet Nunavut to capture images and video footage that shared the
community’s story. A simple activity of making a cup of tea out on the land
turned into the main story behind the video because of the willingness of the
local guide to invite people in to experience a moment with him through photos
and videos. As a viewer you feel as
though you are right there in that experience and you instantly want to learn
more. Nothing was particularly special
about this experience, but it was authentic and unscripted, therefore it
provided you with a real human experience.
Check out Chesterfield Inlet’s new website and video at http://chesterfield-inlet.ca.
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| Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut |
It’s very easy nowadays to notice when images are scripted
and staged – it feels too perfect and beautiful. Similar to the New York
photographer’s images, the newest trends in imagery is to want things that look
different, perhaps weird or strange, and at the same time intriguing. Images of a beautiful model posing in front of
a waterfall or at a scenic viewpoint don’t really tell a story… so you may end
up attracting clientele that doesn’t really want to interact with locals or
have a real experience. So this brings up the question – what type of visitors
(tourists) do you want to attract? How
do you want your tourism business and/or community’s brand portrayed? What and
who do you want to highlight?
Those are all great starting points to ask yourself before
hiring a photographer or taking the photos and videos yourself. Images have the potential to drastically set
the stage for your brand image and assist in determining who you will attract to
your destination. Another strong tip or word of advice for the images that you
use to promote your tourism experiences, is to not be afraid to get your
visitors to show their own perspectives and takes. For example, in Sooke BC, they promote
photography contests on Istagram that showcase what they love about the region.
They offer prizes for the winner, which support local businesses, and at the
same time they get a wide range of different people, perspectives, and images
that share stories about the region. So there are a bunch of creative ways that
you can have a large database of authentic images that assist in sharing your
destination’s story.
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| Amanda sharing a "moment" with a Mistissini local |
To summarize the power of images and videos to help share
your destination’s story, here are some useful tips:
- Be authentic and don’t be afraid to be real
- Promotional photos/videos don’t have to be scripted and beautiful
- Develop your brand strategy and define who your clients are and who you want to attract
- Empower your visitors (tourists) to share their perspectives and images to help tell your story
Where to get started…
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