The most important goals when shooting and selecting photos for your website are Quality and Resolution! Whether you are replacing a page or an entire website, make a list of the shots you'll need for each page, then shoot them.

Just because you have a photo of the lake, doesn't mean it is the best one to use. Look at all your photos and if the picture is not an award winner, it is time to grab the camera and do it again. The visitors to your website will immediately judge your park based on the pictures they see. If they are impressed they might explore your site and read your text.

Best times to shoot photos is early in the morning, and I mean early. Plan your shoot by staging the area. If at the pool, make sure the water and deck are clean, chairs in place, trash emptied, and then select a family or two to appear in your photos. People having fun will make a bigger impact than an empty flat water pool. If the page is about fishing in your lake, show a parent and child reeling in the big one.

If the sky is hazy, shoot only close up shots. Wait for a clear, early morning to shoot broad shots with lots of blue sky. Hazy shots might give the impression your park is in a smog zone, and your photos lose a lot of their appeal.

Every photo should show-off the park. Take big shots of the entrance, pool, lake, tennis courts, concerts, dinners, and functions, but small shots of the laundry, bathrooms, etc. If you have a good store then say so, or insert one photo. I saw a site recently with a full page of photos of their store. I doubt anyone has chosen a park because they had a good store.

Always keep a digital camera under the counter at the front desk so when something magical happens in the park, you're ready to take pictures. Cute kids and funny dogs often make wonderful photos.

Study other websites and make a list of the shots you liked so you can do the same at your resort.

Final point: Organization is the key. On your computer, create folders for the categories of photos. This is where you put those numerous shots of the pool. However, make another group of folders for each page of your website. Put only the top photos in that folder. This will make it easier to plan a remodeling of your web pages. You may also realize that you need to improve the quality of the photos in a particular folder.

A great photo on your website sells 24 hours a day!

Copyright 2009 by GTI