The Rise of ‘Vacation Photographers’
Holidaymakers are hiring professional “vacation photographers” to document travels with their families abroad.
In a 2018 study, more than 40% of millennials said they prioritized “Instagrambility” and the picture-worthiness of a particular destination when they chose their next holiday.
And five years later, it appears that holidaymakers are willing to pay for professional photographers to travel with them and shoot their vacations.
According to a recent report in The Daily Mail, companies such as Flytographer recognize this demand and specialize in connecting travelers with photographers in their holiday destinations in over 350 destinations.
“We’ve had tens of thousands of people use our services to hire a photographer around the world, including solo travelers, couples, and more than 20,000 moms,” Nicole Smith, who founded Flytographer a decade ago, tells The Daily Mail.
“It’s so important for moms to get into the photo instead of always being the invisible one documenting the moment.”
Tired of Not Appearing in Family Photos
The Daily Mail spoke with multiple mothers who hire vacation photographers for their family holidays. Some of these mothers explained that while paying for a vacation photographer may seem like a luxury, it is a small price to pay for capturing memories of a holiday — especially when it can often be challenging to get a portrait of the entire family.
Several interviewees including Hannah McClune, who is a mother as well as a professional photographer herself, tell the publication how they had become frustrated with taking the majority of the pictures of their families on holiday. As a result, many of the mothers interviewed found they did not feature in the holiday pictures with the rest of their families.
McClune says she paid $881 (£700) for a photographer for a half-day shoot with her husband and her sons, aged 12 and nine, in the Dominican Republic a few years ago. She noted that the images were some of the first photos that she managed to capture of her and her husband together since their wedding day in 2009.
McClune says she often sources her vacation photographer on Instagram ahead of a family holiday. She recently paid $377 (£300) for a shooter for a vacation photographer for her family in Kerala, India.
‘Clients Can Be Fully Immersed in The Holiday, Rather Than Photos’
Photographer Juliet Lemon specializes in wedding, corporate, and wildlife photography. However, The Daily Mail reports that since 2013, families have also been hiring her to travel with them to document their holidays.
Lemon reportedly charges upwards of around $2,518 (£2,000) a day to shoot on vacation. The photographer says she recently spent eight days in Finland with one family, taking pictures of their adventures in the Arctic Circle. She has also been to Palma, South America, and on multiple safaris for clients.
“The clients who flew me to Finland wanted to be fully immersed in the holiday, not fretting about taking photos,” Lemon tells the publication.
“Having me there meant they could enjoy those magical moments of husky sledding, feeding reindeer, ice fishing, or watching the Northern Lights, while I discreetly snapped away.
For Lemon’s clients, there’s a big difference between taking holiday pictures away on an iPhone and having an experienced photographer, who understands lighting techniques and has everything from underwater equipment to drones and long lenses.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
