Get your content noticed with great images
Images in your ATIS listing often create the first impression of your tourism experience for potential customers. The photos you use to market your business may make the difference in someone choosing your experience over another.
Good photography should be a part of your overall marketing plan and is worth the investment in time and money. Great photography does not need to cost a lot of money if you follow some simple rules.
What makes a good photograph?
Follow these guidelines to get the best photos for your ATIS listings:
- Creating a sense of place is key so that visitors can see themselves in the image and get a feel for the ambience, landscape or vibe.
- You can add up to four photos with your ATIS listing, which allows you to tell a story with your photos. For example if you own a ranch, perhaps start by taking a great image of your exterior and include some of the landscape. Then add an image of the interior and some of the setting. If you are restaurant, take images of the interior and perhaps a signature dish. Try to capture the vibe of your establishment.
- Include photos that represent an activity that the average visitor can take part in.
- Ensure your photos feel authentic and not overly posed. It’s important to capture the activity involving movement rather than a static image.
- Great photos evoke a sense of emotion that conveys how the tourism experience makes a traveller feel – it's difficult to capture this in posed shots.
- The composition of photos should focus primarily on the landscape; people and experience should support the landscape/environment. If you use people in your images, don’t forget to get a model release form.
- Use colour photos only (with minimum filters). No black and white photos.
- Winter images should include vibrant, warm tones. Take these photos on sunny days to avoid grey, cold winter skies.
- Photo sizes must be a minimum of 72 dpi for web and the file should not exceed 20 MB.
- Images for listings, events and offers must have a minimum width and height of 640 pixels.
- Images are displayed in 4:3 ratio. (853 pixels wide x 640 pixels high meets both standards)
- A basic editing tool is available in ATIS to crop images with different ratios.
Things to avoid
- A logo by itself is not a photograph and will not be published.
- Images with text on them do not render well on all devices (mobile or tablet), so it’s best to avoid these altogether.
- Dangerous or illegal locations or actions such as walking on rail road tracks, standing too close to a cliff’s edge, or doing something that’s explicitly against Parks Canada or Alberta Parks regulations will be rejected.
- Black and white photos or film, sepia or other filters. Authenticity is key.
- Distorted or blurred images.
- Consider hiring a professional photographer. If you require content development for your business (photography, video or written content), you may be eligible for cooperative marketing funding. Visit the Cooperative Marketing Investment Program page for more information on how to apply for funding support.
