My husband and I have a common problem when we travel. After the vacation, we realize there are hardly any photos of us together, since it was usually one person taking a photograph of the other (or perhaps a few unimpressive selfies of us together, or a poorly framed picture by well-meaning waitstaff). On our most recent visit to Guanajuato, Mexico, we tried something new to remedy that vacation conundrum: we hired a professional photographer through Airbnb Experiences.
5 tips to help you find the best photographer for your next vacation (it’s how we found Daniela!)
While Airbnb is best known for its accommodations, the company also offers a variety of tours, services and activities through its Airbnb Experiences feature. The advantages of hiring a local to take photographs goes beyond simply having someone on hand to document your trip for a couple hours; the person will likely have a much better idea about unique and interesting places for travel photos and cool street portraits, providing you with much more interesting visuals than you’d find simply by following general travel tips from a guide. And, at just about $29 per person in Guanajuato, we felt it was worth the cost to try something new (here’s a link to Daniela’s profile on Airbnb).
••••••••
MEXICO TRAVEL TIPS: 8 Awesome Things to do at The Grand at Moon Palace Cancun Resort
••••••••
Whether you’re on a romantic getaway, a vacation with friends or just looking to record special memories, hiring a photographer can be a great way to document your time together, and show some of the more beautiful aspects of the destination that you’re visiting. Here are some travel tips to find the best photographer on Airbnb for your next vacation:
- Read their profile thoroughly. What does it say about their experience and interests? Obviously, the more education and experience a photographer has, the better. But also read the profile to get an idea about the photographer’s personality and passion; does the person sound like someone you’d feel comfortable spending time with and posing for?
- Review the photos in their Airbnb profile — and also in their exterior links. You may find additional portrait and travel photo styles that you like even better outside of their Airbnb profile. If a photographer on Airbnb doesn’t have some kind of a link or handle for Instagram or a personal or professional website, that’s a bad sign. I wouldn’t hire any photographer who doesn’t provide a link to additional work.
- Consider the photographer’s style. Do you like the overall feel of their work? Does it flow well with your own personality and the type of vacation you’re taking? If you’re traveling as a couple, does the photographer show good work with couples, and if you’re traveling in a group or alone, does the photographer work well with those types of themes, too? (In our case, for example, I saw in our photographer Daniela’s portfolio that she’d photographed a same-sex wedding, which made it clear that she’d be cool photographing me and my husband. It might get uncomfortable if we’d hired a homophobic photographer to document our gay vacation!)
- Consider how their portfolio showcases the destination. How much of the destination do you want to show in your travel photos and street portraits? As we reviewed the photographers available in Guanajuato, we really liked the work of two of them — but one focused so tightly on the people that the photos didn’t have much of a sense of place. The other photographer, meanwhile, showed talent and creativity that incorporated the beauty of the destination while also showing the subjects in their best light. That’s the one we went with.
5. Review the fine print. There are a bunch of questions you should ask, if you don’t already see the information in their profile and description:
• How many photos can you expect to receive from the session, and how long is the wait for the photos?
• What is the format of the photos that you’ll be given? In our case, for example, the rate included nearly 50 low-resolution digital photos for Internet and social media use. We had to pay extra for actual prints, and there was no option for high-resolution digital photos, unfortunately.
• Is editing/retouching included, or will the photographer just hand over raw images that you might need to edit?
• Does the rate include high-resolution images (that you can actually print) or just low-resolution photos for use on social media and online? Is there a certain time of day that the shoot always takes place?
• Is it a group experience, and what is the maximum and minimum number of people in the group?
• Is there an option for a private, individual shoot, and how much more does that cost? (We lucked out in Guanajuato and while we paid a rate that wasn’t for a private shoot, it turned out we were the only subjects that day.)
• What is the policy about rescheduling, and are both of you able to do so? Be aware that uncontrollable elements like the weather may affect the shoot. We had to reschedule our shoot for one day later because of the rain, moving it from the early evening to mid-morning. Do you and the photographer have flexibility for that, or are refunds offered if rescheduling is impossible?
••••••••
DON’T MISS: Where to See Cool Immersive Art Exhibits in Mexico City
••••••••
We enjoyed our photography experience with Daniela, the photographer in Guanajuato. She was pleasant, fun to walk around with and had a great eye for picking out the best photo locations and also poses that worked for us. The cost was reasonable (although we did spend a lot more ordering larger prints afterwards). Overall, I’d say that hiring a photographer is a worthwhile option for anyone looking to document their vacation and have some professional-quality images as souvenirs.