Leticia Roncero says:

PHOTOWALK GUIDE: HOW TO MAKE YOUR PHOTOWALK A SUCCESS


To help make your photowalk a success, we want to share some general tips with you. This was adapted from this original post.

1) Have a map. It will be useful if the group diverges from its path because someone saw something cool around a corner, or it might be to find a shortcut after your group got delayed by an interesting activity you ran across or had to stop for coffee to warm up in poor weather. Make that map available to people before the event, along with your phone number (if you’re comfortable!), so that people who get distracted from the group can find their way back to it.

2) Welcome new people individually. (especially if you already know a number of people on your walk) but don't overwhelm them with friendliness or do introduction games. Some photographers can be shy and are there for the joy of taking photos, not necessarily to make new friends or meet new people. A warm, “Hi, welcome! I’ll be leading the walk today so find me if you have any questions” is sufficient to start. Those who want to chat more, definitely will!

3) Meet at a cafe, park, or public plaza. Be sure everyone can easily find the meetup location.

4) Plan easy-to-get-to starting and ending points. Be considerate of those who use public transit (how often does that bus run?) and those who drive (how will they get back to their car?). Consider setting up a ride-share system if your walk isn't easy to get to by public transit.

5) Pick a good start time. We recommend starting around mid-morning or mid-to-late afternoon. The lighting should give some good options to work with. Aim for a 1-2 hour walk.

6) Make the route short. A big group tends to walk quite slowly and it's better to cover a small area really well than to sprint through a long walk.

7) Have everyone tag their photos. Remember to ask folks to tag their pictures and updates with a unique tag (#FlickrPhotowalk, #FlickrPhotowalkDay) and the location of your walk so you can easily find the photos later.

8) Be prepared.Try to familiarize yourself with your route before the walk. You can also organize guest speakers to talk about the route or the photo walk’s topic like local art or history. This will help engage the others joining you for the walk and make it memorable.

9) End at an “oasis”.Pick somewhere that serves food or drink for the final destination of your photo walk and inquire if reservations are necessary. Share the location with participants upfront in case someone gets lost along the way or wants to join later on. Ideally it’s a venue suitable for all ages particularly if you’re expecting under-21s to come along, otherwise a nice restaurant or pub is quite social as well.

10) Have a few ushers. People walk at different speeds so it's good to have ushers to keep the crowd together. Ask your friends to help or get volunteers at the start of the event.

11) Be respectful of local residents. Some photo walks can be in and around where people live or work. Please be respectful and keep your group from blocking public access areas.

12) Consider accessibility and inclusion. Definitely keep in mind what will work for all types of photographers. Try to pick a route that is short and is wheelchair friendly (the fewer hills, the better).

13) Be reachable. Consider sharing a contact phone number, email address or nominate a Twitter feed for attendees to see updates on location.

14) Plan a group photo. Think ahead about where the group shot might be. Do you take it at the beginning or at the end? This might also affect where you want to start or end your photowalk.


Thanks for reading and have a happy, safe, photowalk! Did we miss anything? Share your own tips below or read the original post (complete with multiple languages available!) at: www.flickr.com/groups/flickr10photowalks/discuss/72157642...).
Originally posted at 1:48PM, 6 March 2020 PST (permalink)
Leticia Roncero edited this topic 57 months ago.