how to book a vacation photographer.

Prepare for an overload today, because I am so excite to share our family vacation pictures from our photoshoot in Paris.  I just had to share them all because I am so happy with how they turned out.  I’m booking a vacation photographer on every future trip from now on.

Our trip to Europe was a dream come true for me and Craig.  And while it’s something we plan to repeat (adding in lots of other locations throughout the world) this trip was particularly special, because it was the first time we’ve really done something on this scale, with our kids.  I knew as we planned this trip that I wanted to book a vacation photographer to capture some beautiful professional shots to help us remember this trip, and after I mentioned it over on my instastories I had so many of you message me asking about how to do it, so I thought I would share all the details for how we found and booked our awesome photographer, and why you should book one on your next trip.

We were in Europe for 3 weeks, and as you can imagine, traveling with 6 people is not cheap, so we did everything we could to find the best prices on airfare and stays, and to save here and there through the entire trip, but I knew that one thing I wanted to splurge on was having our family pictures taken while we were there.  Now that I have all the images back, I can say without a doubt that it was worth every penny (and the early morning wake up call ;-).  If you are planning a trip in the future I highly recommend booking a vacation photographer.

Today I’m going to share a few reasons why you should book a vacation photographer, how we did it, and a few tips for success.

First of all: Why should you book a vacation photographer:

1. It is the very best souvenir.  I learned long ago, that I pretty much never really get much out of souvenirs and most of the stuff you buy on a trip ends up in a junk drawer.  I’d much rather have spent that money on experiences, good food and some beautiful photography capturing the feeling of the trip.

2. It is so relaxing.  Because we do a lot of photography for this blog and we own a very nice camera, we very rarely hire a photographer.  But trying to shoot pictures with all of us (even with a tripod) is so, so stressful.  I can’t tell you how fun and relaxing it was to just show up and let our wonderful photographer do all the work of setting up the shot, telling us how to adjust, smile, etc.  It was actually such a fun and relaxing time, and we all had a blast.  I loved this because even though we were shooting pictures we were still able to stay in vacation mode because it was fun!

3. You get beautiful pictures with everyone in them!  Ever notice how hard it is to get pictures of the whole family?  There’s usually one parent missing in all of ours, I’m so glad I have a bunch of beautiful shots with all 6 of us in them.

Now let’s talk about how to actually go about finding and booking a vacation photographer, shall we?

How to find  and book a great vacation photographer:

I did a tonnnnn of research on the best way to book a vacation photographer and there are lots of different ways to do it, everything from just a simple google search, to hashtag searches on Instagram, to reaching out to bloggers and asking who they’ve used in the past.  None of them felt very effective, and I worried about booking someone putting a deposit down and having them not show up, or never getting my pictures.

Anyway, as I was researching I found that there are now a few companies out there who actually help you find and book a vacation photographer.  The company I decided to go with was Flytographer, because I felt they offered the best options for photographers and I like the way they handle the details of the shoot and streamline everything.  It’s all done through the website, from booking, paying, communicating with your photographer and even getting your prints.  The whole process was so simple and it made coordinating our pictures so easy.

How it works.  When you are ready to book your photographer, you simply go to Flytographer and type in the city you are planning to travel to.  Once you do, it will provide a bunch of different photographer options and you can go read their bios and see a portfolio of their work.  I love this because it makes it really easy to find a photographer that fits the style you want for your pictures.  We hired Olga and I cannot recommend her more.  She was amazing, great with the kids, so kind and helpful and did a beautiful job.  If you are going to Paris, definitely hire her!

 The package pricing is the same for all the photographers.  Once you decide on a photographer (or two) that you are interested in, you request to book them for the date and time you are wanting.  They usually respond within a few hours and once you’ve got a yes, you select the package you are wanting, anything from a 1/2 hour with one location to several locations.  We found a 1/2 hour to be more than sufficient to shoot everything we wanted.

The thing I love about Flytographer is that they help coordinate everything between you and the photographer, from choosing the location, to the time, to giving you tips for a successful photoshoot.  They are super communicative and helpful and I was so happy with the service.  We  even had our pictures edited and back to us only a few days after the shoot.

If you are planning to book a vacation photographer through Flytographer, you can use this link and get $25 off your first session! (or use the code: CODE3749)

Tips for successful family vacation pictures.

Do not, under any circumstances lose your cool at your kids.  Don’t stress about it too much, just try to make the process fun and let the photographer capture the magic.

Make sure you communicate your vision with the photographer before had.  Share any specific needs your family might have and even if you have a child who can be a little difficult to work with for pictures.  Give your photog a chance to prepare and you will be so much happier with the results.

Plan your outfits before the trip, but don’t over complicate it.  And don’t be too matchy-matchy.  You want to compliment and coordinate with each other, but you don’t want to look like twin day at the local middle school.  I love a good neutral palette with subtle textures and prints and layers, that feel coordinated and intentional.  I’m a really big fan of neutrals because they don’t distract from the people in the picture and they are much easier to incorporate into your families decor themes (should you wish to have them framed).  For this shoot I went with creams and tans, soft blues and a little denim.  I love the way it all came together.

shop our looks:

Schedule your pictures for first thing in the morning.  Like right after the sun comes up.  The lighting is the best, the location will most likely be free of crowds and people and most importantly you’ll get it over with nice and early and have the whole day left for fun.  Every hour on a vacation is precious, so it’s better to get up early and get the pictures finished than to have a whole day revolve around getting your pictures taken.  It’s also cooler in the mornings and everyone will be less grumpy cause they’ll be fresh.

So there you have it!  If you have any questions about hiring a vacation photographer, go ahead and ask in the comments and I’ll make sure to answer!