by McKenna Hogan, on May 11, 2020 8:30:00 AM
As COVID-19 continues to transform our day-to-day lives, businesses everywhere are realizing that global transactions don’t necessarily have to stop—they just need to adjust.
Now more than ever, industries of all shapes and sizes are keeping up with these challenging times by integrating virtual tours into their digital strategies.
Because of their sudden rise in popularity, we’re here to provide useful tips for photographers and content creators on creating a virtual tour amid the ongoing pandemic.
4 safety precautions to practice on a photo shoot
Since photographers must go on site for a photo shoot,, it’s important to practice safety measures and follow CDC guidelines.
Below we will discuss best practices for conducting a photo shoot during these times..
1. Practice social distancing
Just like you would everywhere else, while onsite it’s imperative that all parties involved practice social distancing with these guidelines:
- Avoid following the photographer during the photo shoot.
- For everyone's safety, remember the 6-foot distance rule.
- Don't conduct a walk-through unless it's absolutely necessary.
Ideally only a photographer should be onsite, however, if there’s any more than one person, ensure these safety precautions are top of mind.
2. Remind clients to keep doors open
While it's standard practice to keep doors open for a virtual tour, as an added reminder, inform clients to leave all doors open to limit the number of surfaces you’ll have to touch during the shoot.
3. Remind clients to clean and disinfect surfaces
Photo shoot prep should already include a deep clean of a space - but as a safety precaution, we suggest reminding clients to give all exposed surfaces a little extra cleaning to avoid spreading any germs.
4. Wear safety garments
The CDC recommends anyone who isn’t social distancing should be wearing a cloth face mask at all times. To ensure everyone’s safety, anyone on site during a photo shoot should be wearing a mask while remaining at least 6 feet apart.
In addition, photographers should have hand sanitizer with them on a shoot in the event that property teams don’t provide it.
Be proactive instead of reactive
Learn the ins and outs of your virtual tour software
With the additional obstacle of limitations in publishing, now is the perfect time to become an expert in your virtual tour software.
Looking into useful resources will be the best way to start.
Panoskin offers everything from guides to tutorials to master the art of virtual content. See our list of helpful resources below.
Panoskin Support Page
Our support page covers everything from specific inquiries to frequently asked questions.
A few notable areas include:
- Navigating the Panoskin platform
- Authorizing Google account access
- Steps on building a Google tour
- How to leverage Panoskin Publisher and Panoskin Builder
- Tips on publishing to Street View with Trailblazer
Overall, if there are any questions regarding the process of using Panoskin, there’s really not much our support page can’t answer.
Leverage this resource when you run into obstacles building a tour, or to just read up on recent announcements and general FAQ.
Panoskin tutorials
If you’re a beginner, or are looking for a refresher, both the Panoskin community as well as our team are equipped with step-by-step tutorials that cover the entire tour building process.
Located on user dashboards under the “Intro to Panoskin” button, you can find a comprehensive tutorial that details every part of getting started on the platform to creating and publishing virtual tours.
You can also find this introduction to Panoskin here.
In addition, one of our community members, Eysteinn Guðni Guðnason, put together an entire tutorial on how to upload virtual tours to Street View using Panoskin.
Click here to watch his detailed video tutorial.
Panoskin blog posts
Differing from our Support Page and various tutorials, the Panoskin blog covers a variety of topics such as Google My Business Image Size Requirements all the way to new and exciting announcements.
Whether you’re interested in staying informed within the tech world or you’re looking for ways to become a virtual tour expert, take a look at our page for diverse and informative articles.
The Panoskin Facebook Group
What we love about the Panoskin community is the encouragement and support our members provide each other.
We created this group for users to have an open forum to communicate and ask questions among peers..
Join our Panoskin Facebook Group to receive regular updates from our team as well as community support.
| Related: Managing Photography Clients During COVID-19
Safely and efficiently create virtual tours amid Coronavirus
Right now it is imperative for photographers and content creators to provide virtual tours for struggling businesses. And although there are new and challenging obstacles during COVID-19, there are ways to provide the best product you can, without risking your health or income.
Learn more about Panoskin virtual tours.