Photos of customers enjoying your tours and activities can easily be the most effective form of marketing for your business.  

You may not have put an emphasis on how you take photos of your business so far. But, try to put yourself in your customers’ shoes. When you are looking to book a vacation, aren’t you more interested in the hotels, tours, and activities that have engaging pictures?

Why should your business be any different?!

This guide will cover five easy photography tips that will help you capture not only great photos, but also more customers. 

Always Have Your Phone (or Camera) On You

This may seem like a given, but it is also our most important tip. You can’t take photos without your phone or camera handy! You never know when inspiration will hit or when an exciting, unique occurrence will happen on one of your tours or activities. 

Say you run a whale watching tour and you catch a rare species sighting. You want to be able to snap photos immediately to ensure this moment is remembered and then you can use it throughout your marketing materials. 

Some of your greatest photos can come from unplanned events. Don’t miss the opportunity by simply not having your equipment. 

Know The Features of Your Phone or Camera

Whether you have the latest digital camera or are using your smartphone, it’s vital to know all of the features your equipment has to offer. Using the correct setting or adding in image edits can truly be what takes your photo from good to great. 

Take some time to study the features your phone or camera has to offer. You do not have to be a “pro,” but Portrait Mode or auto-focus are easy tools that make your photos better.

Plan Your Shots

Just with any strategy for your business, planning will make execution more seamless. Start by coming up with a list of the pictures you want to take.

For instance, if you run a biking company in San Francisco, your list can be:

• A group of bikers crossing the Golden Gate Bridge to showcase the locations someone will see. 
• A child (or adult!) getting their helmet to show you care about the safety of your customers. 
• A shot of all the different bikes you carry to let customers know how many ages and skill levels you cater to. 

Of course, the list can go on and on. But, if you plan for your shots, it will ensure you get all of the images you want so you can use them on your socials, in your emails, or on your website. 

Use the Time of Day to Your Advantage

Time of day can be a game-changer when you are taking photos. The lighting is very different from morning to evening — and, of course, even more drastic into the night. 

There is a softer, more tranquil light in the morning and a golden hour in the evening. You can take the same photo at different points in the day and produce an immensely different feeling and effect. 

If you are promoting your sunrise SUP class, be sure to take pictures in the morning. But, if you are taking photos for your wine tastings, the afternoon or evening would be a better time to shoot. And, as any haunted house business can attest, there is definitely a time and place to take your photos at night. 

Decide which time of day works best for the experience you are trying to sell and that will help you produce your best photography. 

Get Creative!

There is no harm in trying to capture different subjects and taking hundreds of photos (unless you are using a film camera!). Get creative with your shots since you don’t know what will end up working well until you see the final product. 

Ask your employees or even your customers if they have any fun photo ideas to try. You can also see if they want to be featured in pictures. Take photos of anything and everything you think would be intriguing to your potential bookers, then sift through and find the ones that really make your tours and activities pop.

The human brain can process entire images that the eye sees in as little as 13 milliseconds (MIT).

That means you should make those 13 milliseconds count!

As you start to take more pictures for your business, remember to be patient with yourself. The perfect shot may not come the first day you try for it. The more photos you take, the more likely you are to capture the moments that best represent your offerings.