How to Get the Perfect Photo Abroad Without an Instagram Husband: There’s an App for That!

Imagine this: the perfect location for an amazing Instagram picture, but not a soul to take it. Whether you are traveling solo or even with a companion who has taken one too many photos of you that day, you might find yourself in a Pinterest worthy shot, but have no one offering to be your personal photographer. This, my friend, is every aspiring influencers’ nightmare. Where’s my Instagram Hubby at?

The golden hour only lasts so long. Not every travel buddy is willing to spend hours of their vacation time scouting the most picturesque spot to match your outfit and then spend hours finding the best angel for your hairdo. You leave with an okay shot with okay lighting that you know won’t break triple digits on the gram.

Well, I’m here to tell you it is 2019, and there is an app for that, and I tried it out. 

As the owner of a travel clothing store, I knew I had to take some stellar photos in our latest collection on my next trip abroad. I also knew my fiance’ wasn’t going to have it if I dedicated a full day to this activity. Let’s say he’s still in Instagram husband in training (just kidding Michael). A friend of mine mentioned an ad she saw on Instagram for a service that finds you local photographers in destination cities. Before she had finished her sentence, I was already grabbing my phone to Google this godsend. As a matter of fact, I found three different sites that offer this service, and I was able to do some price shopping. 

Vacation Photography Services

1. Flytographer
2. Shoot My Travel
3. Localgrapher
4. Locallens 
5. Snap My Trip

My experience:

I chose Shoot My Travel to shoot our engagement photos because I liked the photographers available, and they were a bit cheaper than Flytographer. I was able to email my photographer shortly after booking, and he suggested a few different areas we could hold the session. He also chose the meeting spot and was waiting for us when we arrived right on time. He immediately began advising us on where to stand and how to pose. The photographer brought us to many spots in the small Italian coastal town that we would have never known existed. He must have taken hundreds of pictures in a very efficient manner and had a well thought out vision. He was polite, professional, yet still amiable, and we enjoyed our experience. We received the edited photos about three days later. I ended up paying for more pictures than my package offered because there were so many great ones I could not narrow them down!

Pros:

• Professional
• Spoke English
• Friendly
• Knew all the best spots
• We didn’t have to ask strangers to take our picture

Cons:

The only con worth mentioning would be the cost. Hiring a photographer abroad is not going to be as cheap as asking your travel companion to snap all of your pictures. There is a set number of images you will receive for the package you select. You will not receive all of the pictures that the photographer took without paying a fortune. A paid photoshoot may cut down on other vacation activities you can include in your trip. 

Despite the cost, I still highly recommend booking a professional photographer on your next trip if you can swing it. You will cherish the pictures you walk away with for life, especially if you never end up returning to that particular destination. The once in a lifetime, photos will set you on your way to becoming an Instafamous traveler. 

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