Planning Tourism Photoshoots – A Guide for Tourism Boards & DMOs
Whether you’re refreshing a destination library or building a campaign from scratch, the most successful shoots start with clear goals, the right team, and a smart plan for rights and releases. Here’s a concise, copy-pasteable playbook you can adapt to your region.
1) Start with strategy (not a camera)
Audit your library: Identify gaps by season, activities, demographics, and priority locations.
Write a sharp brief: Define audiences, messages, must-have shots vs. nice-to-haves, and any “avoid” clichés.
Make a shot list + mood board: Call out safety/responsible-travel visuals (PFDs on water, stay-on-trail, cultural respect), time of day, and weather contingencies.
2) Choose a photographer with range
Tourism work is multidisciplinary. Beyond the big “hero” landscape, you’ll often need:
People & lifestyle (natural direction, consent, inclusive casting)
Food & beverage (lighting, styling coordination)
Architecture & interiors (technical compositing, mixed lighting)
Action/adventure (safety planning, weather pivots)
Aerial/drone (proper certification where applicable)
Portfolio check: Can they show strong examples in the exact categories you need? Do they manage logistics, permits, crew, and casting? Can they handle high-res requirements and deliver both horizontal and vertical assets for web/social?
3) Nail usage rights up front (this drives cost)
Licensing is simply permission—what you can use, where, for how long, and on which channels. Decide early:
Term (Duration): Common ranges are 2–5 years, but increasingly, DMOs are requesting the option of using photos in perpetuity. This means that no one will need to renew the right to use images or remove images with expired terms. Longer terms cost more.
Geography: Local, regional, national, or global. Broader geographies increase value—and fee.
Channels: Organic social, paid social, web, print, broadcast, trade, etc. More channels = more value.
Exclusivity:
Non-exclusive (most common): You license it; the photographer can license elsewhere too.
Exclusive: You’re the only user; expect higher fees.
“Unlimited” use: Typically means “unlimited channels within the licensed term,” not forever.
Third-party use: If you want to share assets with partners (provincial/ state boards, operators, hotels, media, associations and other tourism partners), include third-party rights in the license. Get this in writing to avoid re-clearance later.
These are my typical tourism industry usage rights:
A non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, assignable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modify, and distribute the Produced Material, including the right to grant sublicenses to third parties for the same purposes.
In plain terms, this means DMOs can use the photos in virtually any way, with no time limit or geographic restriction. Many clients have shared how frustrating it can be to manage complicated licensing terms from old shoots. My approach eliminates that headache by keeping usage simple and flexible—though this broader license does come at a higher cost.
4) Model releases are non-negotiable
If a person is recognizable and the image is used to promote/market anything, you need a signed model release.
Model release checklist:
Full legal names + contact details
Description of shoot and permitted uses (commercial/promotional)
Term, geography, channels, and whether third-party promotion is allowed
Compensation (fee, voucher, in-kind)
Minor clause and parent/guardian consent where applicable
Sensitive contexts/cultural considerations and any carve-outs
Permission for derivatives (edits, crops), and editorial mentions if relevant
Indemnity/waiver language suited to your jurisdiction
Store signed releases on cloud storage with shoot info. If you anticipate sharing with partners, make sure the release language covers that.
5) Talent options & fees (how to keep it authentic—and on budget)
You have a spectrum:
Agency models: Camera-ready, efficient, experienced with usage paperwork. Higher day rates and often much higher fees for extended usage.
Photographer-run casting/model calls: I can run targeted calls and cast “real people” who match your audience. This often reduces fees and yields authentic imagery.
Community/partner casting: Work with operators, local clubs, colleges, and cultural groups for specific looks/skills.
Social open calls: Great for volume and diversity; budget for coordination and clear instructions.
Whichever route you choose, always secure signed releases matching your license scope.
I’ve written another blog post that dives deeper into model sourcing, which you can read here.
6) Contracts that prevent headaches
Scope: Shot list, dates, crew, deliverables.
Licensing: Term, geography, channels, third-party rights, exclusivity, edit permissions.
Money: Fees, overtime/add-image pricing, travel/per diem, payment schedule.
Releases & permits: Who secures and stores what; audit trail.
Insurance: Appropriate to your locations and activities.
Attribution/credit: If/when credit is required in your ecosystem.
9) Finding pre-qualified tourism photographers
Look where your stakeholders look: Regional/provincial/national content libraries and media repositories often credit photographers—great places to spot talent who already understand destination guidelines and licensing. Here is the Destination BC Content Hub and the Destination Canada . You will typically need to be part of the tourism industry to access these galleries.
Ask partners: Hotels, operators, and agencies can recommend photographers who’ve delivered for them.
Portfolio filters: Search specifically for the mix you need (people + food + interiors + landscapes), not just one specialty.
Reaching out: Ask potential photographers for quotes and relevant past shoots. If extended licensing is needed, expect a wide range of quotes.
