Should I hire a photographer from the US or the wedding destination?

When planning a destination wedding there are about a million things to consider. Perhaps one of the most important vendor considerations is your photographer! Afterall, these photos are how you will remember the best day of your lives forever! But deciding whether to fly someone in with you, or use a photographer already there can be tricky. Here are some reasons why I believe flying in an experienced destination photographer is the better way to go…

More Control of The Style and Quality of work

Often times when you are using a photographer that comes with your resort, or who you’re simply able to find in the area, you do not get a full and clear picture of that person’s artistic style or ability. Making sure the photographer you hire directly aligns with your vision for your day is sooo important.

Established Relationship with the 3rd Wheel of Your Wedding Day!

I always say it is so important to be super familiar with your photographer, get along with them, and feel comfortable with them. Establishing this relationship often happens through your engagement session. The reason I include an engagement session complimentary with my wedding photography packages is because I see a DIRECT correlation in the quality of poses and imagery from the wedding day and whether or not the couple had an engagement session with me. I could go on and on, but I will say I’ve photographed hundreds of couples in my time as a wedding photographer and every one of them is different. They have different ways they interact with each other, subtleties that I can pick up on and showcase in their photographs. Oftentimes this what makes me get the feedback from brides and grooms that they love how their photos feel like them. What a compliment! It’s also because they have a chance to get used to being behind my camera, my posing cues, and it makes for the wedding day logistically to go sooo much smoother too! You get used to me, and I get used to you as a couple, so wedding day is comfortable, and you’re much more confident in knowing what to expect going into it! The wedding day is a whirlwind already, learning your photographer should not need to be a concern on your mind :)

Communication Convenience

Establishing that pre-wedding connection, and having the ability to more easily connect post-wedding is huge. Having a state-side photographer for those pre-wedding meetings to ensure everyone on the same page, being able to send off an email to someone not half-way around the globe in another timezone or text with a quick question without the use of a complicated communication app may not seem like a big deal until it’s crunch time and you have a logistics question you need to sort out asap. In my opinion, the less headaches the better! You should be able to thoroughly enjoy your engagement leading up to the big day too!

Get More Out of Your Photography Service

Most more tourist-centric photographers have a more assembly line approach. Strangers drop into their location, they are referred to them by the venue and it is an easy for-hire process, they show up and shoot their wedding, and then send off the images to people halfway around the world they may never see or hear from again. The mass-production approach is nowhere near the personalization you deserve for your day. You deserve a photographer invested in you, and your love story, and at this destination specifically to serve you and your spouse. When my couples have taken me abroad, they often times will also book me for the full story of their destination wedding. For example, they may also hire me to photograph their welcome party, their rehearsal dinner, their day-after brunch, or bride and groom portraits around the town to really showcase the beauty of the place you may not have the full time for on a wedding day. And WOW do these photo galleries of a whole weekend truly become something to cherish!

Nitty Gritty Details

Are all US-Based photographers right for bringing abroad? Nope! You definitely need a PROFESSIONAL with experience. I’m talking with the right liability insurance, familiar with taking camera equipment through customs, having all the correct permits, etc. etc. To put it simply, contracts for US clientele are MUCH more seamless with US photographers and that matters!

To play devil’s advocate…

I often hear it’s better to have a photographer that is familiar with the location rather than bringing in someone new to the area. Does that have a few perks? Sure! However I have yet to meet a single creative-brained person that would choose photographing in the same area repeatedly over photographing in a new area full of untapped photography potential. I never shoot better than I do in a new place full of fresh and inspiring areas . There is a reason you hear the phrase that after looking at something for too long it’s better to come back with “fresh eyes”. We operate better that way. I LOOOOVE photographing in new places. I think you can tell that difference in my new-venue galleries too.

In summary, to ensure you’re going to get the photos you are wanting, from someone you’re comfortable with on a personal level, as well as logistically, in the most stress-free way, I would go with a US based photographer! Get the most out of the person in charge of capturing the biggest day of your life!