Last week I told you all some of the places I would LOVE to shoot sessions or weddings at. If you were anything like me, you might have had the thought of โWhy would someone fly a local photographer out to shoot their destination wedding?โ I know this was one of my first thoughts when I began thinking of whether or not I wanted to shoot destination weddings. It wasn’t until recently that I had an answer for the following question: Why wouldn’t I just use the resort photographer? Now I realize my answer may seem biased, but I will be as objective as possible ๐ ย There are several advantages of hiring a local photographer for your destination wedding.
- Quality. Take a look at the resort portfolio. I’ve heard of and seen countless examples of not-so-good photography from the resortsโ photographer. Flash when flash is not needed, weird posing, and shooting your ceremony like they’ve shot every other ceremony with no creativity.
- Time. Personally, I have decided to arrive at your destination wedding a day or two in advance, and stay a day or two after. This way, I am able to get to know everyone as much as possible, and it gives me several opportunities to capture your whole experience. The extra days allows me to capture an extra engagement session, your rehearsal dinner, post wedding brunches, a day after session, or anything else you have planned before the wedding. With a resort photographer, you get your wedding coverage and thatโs it.
- Communication. Will you have met the resort photographer before the wedding? Iโm sure I sound like a broken record, but having a connection with your photographer is so important! Finding a local photographer allows you to communicate and get to know them before one of the biggest days of your life!
- The Final Product. Are your images included in the resortโs photography package? Do you have the ability to buy the digital negatives? Do you only receive the album? These are all important questions to think about. My wedding collections come with beautifully edited digital negatives. I want you to have these, and I am sure you want to have them! When Tyler proposed, he had the photographer at the resort we had stayed in in Myrtle Beach document. We have TWO 5×7 photos from that day. TWO. We couldn’t afford the disc after paying for the session fee, so we settled for one photo of Tyler proposing and one of us posed on the beach. Before you book, check out how much a disc of your day will cost if you go with the resort photographer!
So, are you as convinced as I am? As I said last week, I love to travel and I am available for travel worldwide! I have decided to charge only for at-cost travel and lodging for the next three destination weddings or engagement sessions I book! Contact me today for a custom travel quote.
