B.C. realtor nearing 44 million views from Google photography days
Published 9:48 am Thursday, October 29, 2026
When people are looking into locations, they like to get the lay of the land.
Thanks to Sean Phillips and his camerawork, they’re able to with a few clicks on the internet.
Now a realtor in Vernon, Phillips spent eight years as a Google trusted photographer, photographing hundreds of B.C. resorts, attractions and businesses and creating Google Street View virtual tours that let people step inside online.
Phillips is now nearing a significant milestone: his roughly 7,700 photos have been viewed a combined 43,995,344 times as of Tuesday, Oct. 27.
One photo alone, of Swan Lake Motors in Vernon, has passed 1.4 million views, according to a milestone notice Google sent him in September. The photo is dated Sept. 3, 2017, and it was one of the first locations Phillips photographed in the Okanagan.
Another photo, of JC Bradley Jewellers, has passed 100,000 views and was still drawing more than 1,000 views a week in September.
“I never set out to rack up views. I just wanted people to see how good these places looked before they got here. Every one of those views is someone checking out a local business or planning a visit to the Okanagan,” said Phillips.
Phillips also filmed for chambers of commerce and city tourism departments, building virtual city galleries where the public could browse a city’s businesses, attractions and services by category. His projects included Virtual Vancouver, Virtual Vegas and Virtual White Rock, along with Virtual Big White – a walking virtual tour of every store and attraction at Big White Ski Resort.
Phillips is now a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Executives Realty in Vernon. A programmer by background, he has put his mapping know-how into free online tools for the community, including a hill-aware walking and e-biking rating for homes and a tool that shows the listing details for the for-sale sign people are parked beside.
“Choosing where to live is about a lot more than the house. The tools are free for everyone, whether you’re buying or not,” he said.