Picture Perfect Places: A Creative Director’s Blueprint for Visual Storytelling 

In economic development, talent attraction and destination marketing, photography is not decoration, it’s strategy. 

Long before a vacation, a move, a site visit, a pitch meeting or a location decision, people encounter your place through images. Those images quietly answer high-stakes questions: Can I see myself here? Does this place feel credible? Is it relevant to my ambitions, my business, my life? 

And today, those visuals travel far beyond your website. They live on social feeds, in earned media, across paid campaigns, and in pitch decks in boardrooms where real decisions are made. Each image becomes a proxy for your region’s competence, culture, and confidence. 

That’s why photography can’t be treated as filler content or an afterthought. The strongest place brands use imagery with intent: aligning composition, subject matter, and tone to reflect who they truly are, not who they’re trying to imitate.  

Here’s a practical framework for getting it right.  

1. Take Photos That Actually Do their Job 

Most destination image libraries don’t fail because they lack volume. They fail because they lack discipline. 

We’ve all seen the usual suspects: awkward crops, a table full of empty glasses, soft-focus “vibes” that obscure more than they reveal. These images might pass as social snapshots, but they actively undermine credibility in a marketing context. If your goal is to position your region as must-see, investable, livable, and forward-looking, your photography needs to be clear, intentional, and authentic. 

Resolution & Longevity 

Start with images that are built to last. A minimum width of 2,700 pixels gives you flexibility across platforms—from large-format digital to print—without quality degradation. Think of this as futureproofing your visual library, not over-engineering it. 

Orientation & Framing

A smart library includes both landscape and portrait orientations, captured intentionally—not retrofitted later. Frame with restraint. Avoid amputated limbs, clipped signage, or compositions so tight they leave no room to adapt for overlays, crops, or headlines. 

Lighting as Narrative 

Lighting is not a technical detail; it’s an emotional cue. Natural light, particularly early morning or late afternoon, adds dimension and warmth that signals vitality and approachability. Indoors, aim for soft, even illumination that feels lived-in, not staged. 

Real Representation  

Diversity should not read as a checklist. Show people of different ages, backgrounds, and abilities doing real things in real environments. The most compelling images feel observational, not orchestrated—capturing moments of collaboration, focus, or enjoyment without forcing a pose. 

Clean & Contextual 

Pay attention to the details in your environment. Avoid cluttered backgrounds, half-eaten meals, or people wearing sunglasses indoors, which can make the scene feel unpolished or impersonal. Choose settings that support the story you’re telling whether it’s a lively downtown café or a peaceful park filled with activity. 

Multi-Channel Flexibility 

Every shoot should anticipate downstream use. Capture multiple angles and variations of the same scene. Build in negative space where appropriate. The goal is a library that adapts easily across social, digital, paid, and presentation environments without constant workarounds.  

2. Source Imagery with Intention, Not Convenience 

 Once you know what “good” looks like, sourcing becomes a strategic exercise, not a scavenger hunt. Whether you’re building a new website or refreshing your marketing materials, here’s where to look: 

In-House Resources

Your best assets may already exist. Internal events, social posts, employee features, and day-to-day documentation often yield the most authentic imagery. These photos tend to reflect real culture and real people which is exactly what external audiences respond to. 

Local Partnerships

Reach out to local universities, chambers of commerce, convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs) and major employers. Beyond saving time and budget, these partnerships help ensure visual consistency across how the region shows up in the world. These organizations often maintain image libraries filled with high-quality, rights-cleared images that are already aligned with your region’s identity. 

Commission with Purpose

When the stakes are high, hire a professional photographer who understands community, corporate, or editorial work. A well-directed shoot can deliver years of usable location-specific content that no stock library can replicate. 

Stock, with Restraint

Stock photography has a role, but it should never lead the narrative. Use it sparingly, and only when it aligns clearly with your region’s reality. If an image could belong to any city, it probably shouldn’t belong to yours.  

3. Match the Shot List to the Story You’re Telling 

Every region has different strengths. Your photography should reinforce those truths, not default to a generic checklist. Here’s a breakdown of the types of shots that help bring different aspects of your region to life:

Cityscapes & Scenery

Use wide shots, aerials, and recognizable landmarks to establish identity, but avoid emptiness. A city without people feels inert. Energy, movement, and human scale matter. 

Workplace & Industry

Economic credibility is visual. Show people at work across sectors, in environments that feel current and capable. Training sessions, collaborative moments, and real production spaces communicate growth far better than staged headshots. 

Lifestyle & Infrastructure

Quality of life is lived in the details. Capture everyday moments—dining, shopping, gathering—alongside the systems that support them: healthcare, transportation, public spaces, and mobility. Together, they tell a more complete story. 

Culture & After Hours

Restaurants, music venues, festivals, and nightlife reveal personality. These images should feel alive and specific, reflecting the texture of your community rather than a sanitized highlight reel. 

Education & Innovation

From classrooms to research labs to startup spaces, show learning and experimentation in action. These visuals help position your region as future-ready, not just historically strong.  

Great destination photography doesn’t shout; it signals. It quietly conveys confidence, coherence, and credibility. When done well, it invites the right audiences to imagine a future in your region and to take that next step closer. 

Ready to elevate your region’s visual identity and attract the right audiences? Connect with Michael Mackay, Vice President & Executive Creative Director at DCI, to learn more: michael.mackay@old.aboutdci.com.