It’s hard enough finding a wedding photographer that’s right for you, let alone gambling on a stranger from another country. If your wedding photographer doesn’t speak English well, you could be in serious trouble when problems arise.

Although the memories of your wedding are likely to last a lifetime, how will you be able to reminisce on the most important day of your life if your photographer falls through? For members of the family who can’t make it to the ceremony, what will you show them? Sometimes it pays to play it safe and stick with what you know – that’s where destination photographers come in.

Package Deals

Paying for a photographer from home to follow you across seas can be exceptionally expensive, so see if you can get a package deal out of them, at a fixed price. Get this sum as low as possible because you’ll be paying for a shed load of extras: accommodation, transport, air fare…and that barely scratches the surface. Agree what you’ll pay for beforehand, or you’ll be in for a nasty surprise when the bill comes through.

[Photo courtesy of Md Iftekhar Uddin Emon/pexels.com]

Be Kind To Your Photographer

Treat your photographer as a guest. They may be expensive, but they’re carrying out one of the most important jobs of the evening. Encourage them to have the occasional glass of bubbly and relax. When it comes to accommodation, set them up with the rest of the guests, rather than in some nearby dive.

Digital Copies

Ask your photographer if they deal in digital or film photos, as X-Rays from luggage security can damage rolls of film. Not ideal. Also see if you can keep several copies of the day’s photos – obviously you’ll want your photographer to go through every single one and bring them up to scratch, but if you have copies, should the worst happen, the originals are safe.

Get To Know Your Photographer

Have the same photographer take your engagement photographs and build up a relationship with him or her; you’ve got to like this person and their pictures, as he or she will be effectively tailing you for days. Inviting your photographer to spend time with your family will ensure a personal connection – a fast way to get fantastic pictures.

Fly in your photographer with the rest of the party. He or she will need a few days to acclimatize to the country and get inspirational juices flowing. If country house wedding venues are your thing, he or she can visit the ceremony location and start planning photo ops. Use these extra days to take plenty of pre-wedding photos to flesh out your album.

Snap Them Up At The Right Time

Plan to book your photographer on an ‘off season.’ Prices will be cheaper, as it’s likely that your photographer is struggling to get work.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are all prime wedding days, so if you plan to fly on the Monday and get your photographer back for Thursday, you could argue that you’re not impeding on the photographer’s work schedule. Cheaper prices, yay!