Photo essays are a bit like those essays many of us had to write in order to pass subjects at school and university – except they’re far more visually stimulating and way more fun.
We use photo essays, created for South African Tourism, to showcase the fantastic images shared on the Love South Africa Flickr group and to encourage people, both local and international, to experience what South Africa has to offer.
And it’s a part of my job I really enjoy.
First, we find photos we love that portray what we want to share; and then we put together content around these to show off our beautiful country and its people.
The process can be time-consuming … sometimes because we can choose only a few photos from a long list of stunning options, and other times because we struggle to find the kind of photo that portrays the experience we’d like to share.
But the end result is always worth it.
On a personal level, putting these pieces together is a journey on which I’m challenged to write differently and to expand my thinking. I learn about topics that I previously had very little knowledge of (birds and trees), and I write about things that interest me greatly (graffiti, the people of South Africa and the Big Five).
I like to think of our photo essays as lovely aerial tours of South Africa on which we can stop and experience what the country has to offer (this, of course, is in a world where I have superpowers – most importantly, the ability to fly). And I have to stop myself from fretting over the fact that I can’t actually use my ability to fly (because it doesn’t exist) to go to these amazing places and experience them before I write about them.
The photo essays are our invitation to people to find their own ability to “fly” and take the tour with us.
Visit the South African Tourism blog every Thursday to see the latest photo essays.