Before Local Guides, I was just a photographer taking photos of inanimate places and fleeting moments. Posting them on my blog and YouTube channel. Getting appreciated for the creativity they possessed. Nothing more, nothing less. The appreciation was limited to skill.
I encountered the Local Guides program when I wanted to revisit a place on Google Maps. I had a few pictures of it but wanted to explore other people’s experiences. I wasn’t able to find that many so I uploaded the ones I had as a tribute to that place along with the videos I had.
Little did I know, I was entering this dynamic community of wanderers. With over 250,000+ views on my photo contributions as a Local Guide, I have found myself addicted to the experience of sharing my perspectives about a place to the world. The ability to help others through small deeds is what Local Guide means to me.
A little every day helps many.
I have myself become an avid user of Google Maps lately and I’ll admit that the contributions of other local guides have navigated me out of some pretty weird places. To prevent the same for others, I do my best to check facts, review places and of course leave visual imprints of my experiences on the map.
As an undergrad, I don’t get the chance to travel that often and the places I often visit are either friend meets or official community affairs. Most of my contributions are about these places and I’m sort of turning into a food reviewer 
So what does this community of Local Guides mean to me? It turned those inanimate places and fleeting moments of mine into reviews and guides. Local Guides has proved transcendental for my photography and I am excited for the way it continues to transform my outlook for life.