Capture memories by hiring a destination / vacation photographer for your next trip

Captured by Kate of @shved.photo at Myrtle Beach State Park, SC

Capturing memories is a priceless investment to me.  This has become more sentimental of a process since becoming a mother.  As someone who enjoys capturing every moment with my family, oftentimes, I am left out of the photos that will be good as gold to me in my elder days to come. A few years ago, I started hiring photographers local to the area that would be our vacation destination.  Since starting this tradition, I've been beyond pleased with that decision!

Recently, I have had family and friends reach out to me about this process and how I book a destination / vacation photographer, thus I decided to share my tips via this blog.

Prior to hiring a destination / vacation photographer, here are a few tips that I would recommend:

1. Find a photographer local to the area:  Local photographers know the ins and outs of their city.  They will know where the tourists flock, the hot spots, and where the off-the-beaten-road gems are located to snag the best backdrops for your photos.  Use Instagram by searching the hashtag of your destination (ex. #myrtlebeach was my search to find our photographer for our spring break trip.)

2. Research their work:  Instagram has been a saving grace to shortening the amount of time devoted to finding photographers and being able to view their work.  For many photographers, their images on Instagram is their portfolio.  I also use their business hashtags to find images posted by former clients to get more of a perspective of their work.

3. Book early & get multiple quotes:  While trying to secure our first vacation photo shoot, I realized that many photographers book early and their availability (depending on your time of travel) may be limited.  As soon as you know when and where you will travel, reach out to photographers to inquire about their availability and rates.  Prior to booking, I set a budget for how much I wanted to spend.  Upon getting quotes, I will narrow the field of candidates based on the quality of their work and availability.

4. Have some photo inspiration in mind:  While browsing various photographer's Instagram pages, I would "like" or comment on the photos that I wanted to use as inspiration.  I also create a Pinterest board and share it with the photographer after booking.  This is extremely helpful to a photographer to understand the vision of what you want to achieve during the shoot.

5. Pack attire or buy locally:  I try to coordinate our attire prior to leaving for the trip, but sometimes that simply doesn't happen.  For this shoot, I purchased my dress and my oldest son's shirt from the mall the day of our shoot.  Consider the location and weather when deciding what outfits to wear.  Referencing the photos below, I knew our shoot would be around sunset, so I figured yellows, blues, and whites would accent well with the natural colors on the beach.

If you are planning travel for this summer, there's plenty of time to book your photographer!  Take a minute or two to hop online and get to browsing.  Trust me, the future you will be glad you did.