b'TAKING THE RIGHT PHOTOS CAN PROJECT THE CORRECT IMAGE OF YOUR PARKAND BOOST MARKETING EFFORTSbased Pelland Advertising. BY BEN QUIGGLE A photographer in his own right,having started his career as a free-lancephotographer,PellandtoldWCMthat park owners can immedi-ately create a negative or positiveimpression of their park based onthe photos they choose to display. BrianSchaeffer,presidentofTexas Advertising, noted that manypark owners feel they can wing it ontheirown,butSchaeffersaidthatoften leads to a less-flattering view ofthe park. The days of just going out andtaking a picture of a big RV site, evenwith an RV in it, are kind of pass,he explained. Just taking pictures ofoutside a building that looks nicedoesnt cut it anymore. Heather Baldwin, who works withparkownerstocreateprofilesatSoutheast Publications, a division ofSEPI Marketingand operator of Mo-bileRVing.com, said that good pho-tographyalsogivesownerstheFinding a perfectly framed photo, without additional clutter that can chancetoshowoffallthefundistract the viewer, puts your park in its best light when campers are camperscouldbehavingattheirsearching for their next camping adventure. parks. Taking a picture of kids enjoyingMany park owners are pulled in playgroundequipmentoranmultiple directions when it comes to amenity is important versus a shot ofmarketing their park. Between social an empty site, Baldwin explained.media, traditional print sources like It helps show the potential of whatmagazines or newspapers, websites camperscouldbedoingatyourand more, there is a lot to keep track park. of.Hire a Professional However, one of the constants of Pelland told WCMthat it is impor-marketing, no matter the applica- tant for campground owners to rec-tion, is photos. Good photography ognizeiftheycantakegoodcan make or break any marketing ef- photography or notand if not, tofort, according to marketing profes- hiresomebodywhocan.Heex-sionalsWoodallsCampground plained that professional photogra-Management (WCM) spoke with.phers will be able to set the sceneOften, photos of a park are some and understand the importance ofof the first things people will be look- lighting better than someone with-ing for when they explore a parks out a lot of experience. websiteand park owners who in- Pelland also noted that park own-A visible utility pole demonstrates the poor framing vest in great photography can stand ers should be looking for a commer-that went into creating this campsite photo. out from the pack, noted Peter Pel- cialphotographer,notsomeoneland, founder and owner of Mass.- who shoots weddings or other func-tions. You need someone with experi-ence shooting photos outdoors andsomeone who is willing to work on aSaturday, he said. You want some-one who can work when you have agood crowd at the park, so that youcanshowpeopledoingthingsinyour photos. They also have to beflexible enough that if the weatherturns bad, they are going to be will-ing to cancel and reschedule.Baldwin said that it is importantto hire someone who knows how toedit photography as well. You can go out and buy a goodcamera or even shoot some decentphotos from your phone, but a lot ofthe issues we run into are simple ed-iting mistakes, she noted. We seenew photos that come in looking likethey are extremely old because thephotographer left their flash on andthey dont know how to adjust thecoloring correctly.Schaeffer explained that ownerscould also offer campers with pho-tographyexperiencetheopportu-nity to shoot photos at the park. You can be successful if you putup notices in your laundry, office,and restroom areas stating that you34 -October 2019Woodalls Campground Management'