Your Smartphone: The Ultimate Scouting Tool?

When I started my career as a location scout 30 years ago, all location photos were shot on real film. For a long time, I remained loyal to Canon's EOS series. Fast-service film processing shops emerged, offering film development in just under an hour – just enough time for a double espresso and a cookie. One might have wondered, could it get more modern than this?

As we entered the digital era, Locamundo was born. We quickly realized that registers would soon move online. Many scouts began scanning their analog photos and uploading them to Locamundo. Despite the low resolution of 0.3 MB, it was painfully slow to upload these images. Locamundo provided a solution where scouts could email their pictures, and the system would automatically manage and upload them to the correct account.

The Evolution of smartphones:

Around 2005, the thought of uploading images via mobile phones seemed unrealistic due to high mobile costs and slow systems, often humorously referred to as "Wait And Pay"
By 2007-2010, breakthroughs like cheaper data plans, the iPhone, Facebook, and WhatsApp drastically sped up the process. However, digital cameras still dominated on Locamundo, necessitating image transfers via computer
From 2015-16, top mobile models started delivering better images than traditional digital consumer cameras, leading to more scouts using their smartphones for uploads

High-Speed Connectivity - The 4G and 5G Era: The real breakthrough came with 4G, and now with 5G, smartphones dominate the scene. At Locamundo, phones and our platform work together perfectly.

How I Work as a Scout Today:

Capturing the Scene: I take 50-100 photos of a location
Using Locamundo: I log in to my account and opt to add a new location
Uploading Images: All images go up swiftly
Details Matter: Next, I input all the basic details
Categorization (Sometimes Later): This is the most time-consuming step, often done back at the office on a computer
Next Location: Save my progress and move to the next spot

Additional Techniques and Future-Proofing:

For panoramic views, I use an Insta 360 camera, transferring these special 360 images to Locamundo later
While mobile photography works almost universally, for especially high-quality requirements, a high-end camera may be used, though the images are compressed for display on Locamundo
Future Proof: Locamundo is prepared for the future, allowing storage of large files, and will likely enhance resolution as 5G becomes the standard

At Locamundo, we remain committed to providing a robust and innovative platform that evolves with technology and meets the demanding requirements of professional location scouts and beyond.