Photo credit @hispassport booked via Airbnb Experiences

You’ve booked a sick trip, you’re all packed and ready to go, you’ve got tons of cute fits you’re dying to take photos in, but wait...who’s gonna take the photos?

DON’T WORRY! I have the answers.

This is a question that comes up a lot. “Alle how do you find photographers in other countries?” “Alle who takes your photos on your trips?” “Where do I even begin to look for a photographer abroad?”.

If you’ve ever asked any of those questions, this guide is for you!

Today I’m going to share my tips on how to find the best vacation photographer for your upcoming trip.

I’ll admit, it can seem like a daunting task at first, but once you know where to look, you’ll see it’s not so hard to find them at all.

Photo credit: @rakeshjwalaphotography booked via Sacred Dot

What exactly is a vacation photographer?

A vacation photographer is someone who will take photos of you while you’re traveling abroad for an agreed-upon cost for an agreed amount of time. Typically, there’s a number of photos you will be given once the shoot is complete and most of the time they are professionally edited by the photographer (we’ll get into this a bit later).

Why would you want to hire a vacation photographer?

If you’re tired of asking random strangers on the street, bugging your mom or siblings to take photos of you and being disappointed in the results (Don’t worry Linda I’m never disappointed in your work ;), hiring a photographer is a great solution.

Typically you’ll shoot for an hour or so, in the spots that interest you most and you’ll come home with professional photos you’re excited to share on social or with your fam. Plus they’ll make for kick-ass scrapbook content if that’s still a thing.

And besides, who wants to stress out trying to get the perfect photo, while putting their camera on a tripod in a busy tourist spot and hoping and praying no one runs up and steals your camera. While I’ve totally done just that, I much prefer paying a professional to get the job done. It’s much more fun and relaxing.

So, are you convinced? GREAT! Now here are 5 ways you can find vacation photographers:

AIRBNB EXPERIENCES

This is my favorite way to look for local photographers in the cities I’m visiting. Airbnb Experiences is the vacation rental company’s way of curating local tours, classes, and well, experiences in the cities you’re visiting. The platform allows locals to list their experience or skill and visitors can book what sounds interesting to them. I’ve gone truffle hunting in Prague, discovered street art in Shoreditch and had afternoon tea on a double-decker bus, all through Airbnb Experiences.

But my favorite way to use this platform is to hire local photographers. Head to the Airbnb website and click experiences. Plugin the city you’re visiting and you’ll see lots of different experiences populate. You can then filter experiences (photography will usually be under Culture) or you can search (city) + photography. Have a look through the options and make sure to read their reviews. Many of the photographers share their Instagram handles which are helpful to look at to see their style.

TIPS

THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT. When you’ve found someone you like, message them to make sure their offering is private. I made the mistake of booking what I thought was a private photography session and it was actually for 3 people. You might not mind having others along, but I love to be selfish and have the full time all to myself LOL. Be prepared for the price to jump a bit because some hosts will want to cover the cost of the other people they’re closing off the tour to.
Also, make sure to communicate with them about where you want to shoot. They may have spots that they suggest but every photographer I’ve worked with has been open to trying new places if that works.
Lastly, make sure you ask ahead of time if they will be editing your photos, how many you get, if you can look through them and select your favorites, and what their turnaround time is. Because I edit my photos in a specific style, I always ask to have the unedited ones and to make the selects myself.

COST: This varies GREATLY depending on where you’re traveling. In Prague, I paid $100 for 2 hours and in London, it was about $160. Generally, Airbnb is the more affordable option when compared to other sites.

PROS: Easy to book and communicate with the photographer via the Airbnb website or app. Lots of options when it comes to different photographers in popular cities. Great value for the cost.

CONS: There are not always photographers or experiences in every city you might be traveling to.

FLYTOGRAPHER

This is my favorite option for a group photo shoot or if you’re planning a surprise engagement abroad! When my best friends visited me for Coachella one year, we decided to do a fun and girly photoshoot. My best friend faith booked it on Flytographer (I had never heard of this service before) and we were blown away at the concept. Hire photographers around the world for your vacation photos - genius. This is now the service that Scorby Travel uses to book client photoshoots.

All you have to do is head the Flytographer website, plug in your destination and have a look through the different photographers who are available for your desired date and time. You have a few different price options to choose from when it comes to Flytographer. There are four different categories and each will show you how long the shoot will be, how many photos you will get and how many locations you can select.

IF YOU WANT $50 OFF YOUR FIRST SHOOT CLICK HERE AND USE CODE ALLEPIERCE.

Once you select your photographer you’ll agree on a time and location to meet. Then you’ll shoot and you should have the photos edited and returned to you within 5 days. FAST!

COST: $250 - $650 depending on how long the shoot will be

PROS: You are paying for a premium experience. The Flytographer concierge team will help you through the entire process of figuring out if a photographer is available, coordinating the best route and delivering your photos to you FAST. This might be a GREAT option if this is your first time booking a photographer abroad and you need some extra guidance.

CONS: It is expensive. And you are mostly communicating with the Flytographer team, rather than the photographer. This service is also not available everywhere, but I’m sure they’re continuing to grow!

INSTAGRAM

Good ole Instagram, right? This is where I turn when I cannot find a photographer via Airbnb Experiences or Flytographer. This is actually how I found photographers in both Salzburg and Hallstatt! What I do is search hashtags. I typically try a few combinations but most often I do #city+photographer (example: #salzburgphotograher #londonphotographer etc). Then I start digging and looking for photography styles I like.

Once I find an account I like, I look to see if they have a website or email to contact them. I’ll shoot them an email or just a dm and find out their availability. I’ll ask them basic questions like what’s their rate, are they free, will they let me edit the photos etc. We agree on a time to meet and a price and the rest is history!

COST: Entirely depends on the person but you can expect to pay around $150 - $250 for an hour or an hour and a half (typically I pay cash or Paypal)

PROS: Flexibility with schedules and the photographer gets 100% of the profit rather than giving it to Airbnb or Flytographer. I also like this because I feel like the photographers feel less constrained to a schedule that the booking engine might have them on

CONS: Of course safety is always a risk. You’re messaging a perfect stranger on the internet and there’s no 3rd party to help mitigate any issues that might arise. However, I have now used this method in two foreign countries and have the entire experience safe and pleasant. You do need to use your best judgment here. I ALWAYS advise telling the hotel where you’re going and when you expect to be back. If you’re not staying at a hotel text a friend or a family member what you’re doing and tell them you’ll text them when you’re done.

Photo credit: @lovelaurafilms — Photo credit: **@lovelaurafilms**

GOOGLE

If all else fails, GOOGLE IT. I haven’t had to use this method yet, because I’ve always found photographers on the previously mentioned sites. BUT, if I didn’t, I would search on Google. Type in “your destination + photographer” or try “your destination + engagement photos” (you might not be getting engaged but this will help you with a place to start). You’re bound to find a few websites where you can look through their work, read reviews and find an email to reach out to.

Once you’ve got your photographer you’ll need to decide on a date, time, rate and deliverables.

COST: Varies

PROS: You will be able to speak directly to the photographer you’re trying to work with. You also might be able to negotiate a bit on price and deliverables. Many foreign countries are VERY used to and often expect to negotiate when it comes to price. This is not, however, the case in the US and I wouldn’t recommend doing that with photographers here.

CONS: Literally anyone can call themselves a photographer...you’ll need to do a bit of research to make sure you’ve got someone reputable.

ASK YOUR TRAVEL AGENT OR TOUR OPERATOR

This is always my last resort but shouldn’t be discounted as an option. When we were in India BOTH times, our dear sweet friend Parrul the founder of Sacred Dot set up 3 different photographers for our visit in 3 different cities. This was a HUGE help and honestly such a relief to not have to work out pricing and times myself.

If you’re working with a travel agent, this is something we can help you with. We have connections at hotels and in destinations around the world and can make recommendations on who to use. Often times Scorby Travel will first look to Flytographer but it sometimes is more cost-effective to ask our local contacts.

You can also email the hotel you’re staying at to ask if they have suggestions.

COST: Depends on the country but I’ve spent anywhere from $150 - $350

PROS: Learn about photographers that locals recommend and that you might not have found online. Have someone else manage the details of your photoshoot and all you have to do is show up.

CONS: You might not be able to personally vet the photographer ahead of time.

Wow, you made it this far, YAY!!!

Before I let you go, here’s some general tips for booking a vacation photographer:

Always make sure to negotiate everything before the shoot (price, deliverables, editing style etc)
Research places you might like to shoot and don’t just rely on the photographer to pick the locations (I find lots of inspo on Instagram and blogs)
If you don’t know how to pose, practice in the mirror a little bit before the shoot. Also, you can ask the photographer to make suggestions if you’re lost.
Plan your outfit the day or night before and lay everything out. It’s one less thing to think of the day of.
TIP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER if you love the service. Sometimes you just have someone who totally knocks it out of the park, TIP them. It’s not necessary but it’s always appreciated.
If you share the photos on social, tag your photographer either in the photo or in the comment. They will be so grateful and it helps them build their portfolio too!
If you’re nervous, take a shot beforehand (lol always loosens me up)

OKAY, THAT’S ALL FOLKS!

While I know to some people the idea of hiring a photographer on vacation sounds absolutely insane. But let me assure you that it’s worth it. You’re already spending all this money on that vacation, you might as well invest in some fantastic photos to remember the trip.

Plus many times the photographer is a local and they’re SUPER fun to hang with and learn from. I’ve stayed in touch with all the photographers I’ve worked with and I consider all of them my friends. And I’ll be reaching out to them if I ever have clients or friends looking for a photographer in their city.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. While clicking these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help me keep this site up and running as well as keep me traveling!