If you’ve been looking for a niche of photography to branch out to, you’ve probably stumbled on travel wedding photography at one point or the other. This also means you must have several questions, like “What is a travel wedding photographer? How much do they earn? And how do I become one?”
In this article, we will dive into an in-depth answer to these questions. We will also give you the key factors you’ll need to consider before becoming a travel wedding photographer. To ensure clarity, we will also answer some frequently asked questions.
What Is a Travel Wedding Photographer?
A travel wedding photographer is a professional with the skill and training to take pictures in a demanding environment. A travel wedding photographer is constantly on the move to different destinations to take pictures of newlyweds.
This is a challenging area in the photography business because the photographer is always in a new location and has to have a vivid imagination to bring the wedding pictures alive and make them memorable.
Destination weddings are a big deal because of the travel cost. Travel wedding photographers usually cost more than local wedding photographers and therefore have to deliver more quality work than others. They have no control over the wedding venue but they can help in choosing an epic location for the photoshoot or bring ideas that seem fitting for the couples.
Things to Consider Before Becoming a Travel Wedding Photographer
Becoming a destination wedding photographer doesn’t happen overnight. Before you consider becoming one, you should consider a couple of important factors. These factors include planning, getting the appropriate skills, the cost of travel, handling travel delays, etc. Once these factors have been thoroughly considered, you’ll know if this type of photography suits you.
1. Be Realistic
It’s essential to be realistic about the “why” behind becoming a destination wedding photographer. The biggest mistake you can make is to think this photography business only involves free trips and seeing the world.
There’s more to it, and to ensure longevity in this field, you need to be passionate. Be realistic about your goals and the way you’d go around achieving them. It’s important to note that you need plenty of time to build yourself up from scratch.
2. Sharpen Your Skills
Travel photography is quite different from other types of photography like still life or editorial photography. Even if you have experience in photography, you still need to know what this field entails and what is expected from you as a professional.
This step is necessary to build your confidence in your work. Working with other destination photographers can be eye-opening and introduce you to the right connections.
3. Start Small
A big part of being realistic is by starting small. You can take online courses or simply relate with other professionals to build yourself up. You don’t have to travel far and wide to take pictures for your portfolio.
Simply taking beautiful images in an epic location and meeting the right people can get you on your feet. Before you get into destination photography, you can start by being a local photographer, and at a wedding location, you can introduce yourself to prospective clients.
4. Build Your Portfolio and Your Brand
To pull clients interested in destination weddings, you need to build your portfolio and brand. You can build your portfolio by taking beautiful images whenever you get the chance. Take pictures of couples on the street, at the wedding venue, etc. Think outside the box and trust your imagination and instincts.
To build your brand, you need to make business cards, flyers, and posters to distribute around your locality. Introducing people to the services you provide is a big step in building your brand. Since it’s essential to start small, you should begin in your local area before moving on to something bigger like social media.
5. Make Use of Social Media
There are so many ideas for marketing yourself as a photographer. One great way to get gigs for destination weddings is via social media. For this to work, though, you need to build your social media presence. One of the easiest ways you can do so is by making breathtaking blog posts, taking beautiful images, making catchy captions, and more of that kind of thing.
You won’t want to wait for a wedding to make posts on Instagram or Facebook because consistency is very important. You can hire people for photoshoots or you can have volunteers. You might be surprised by the number of people that love having their pictures taken.
Apart from being present on social media, you should have a website where people can easily browse through your portfolio and have access to important information like your email, telephone number, and credentials.
6. Plan Ahead
Before you get a gig for an overseas wedding, you need to plan. There are several elements you need to take into consideration like if you’d be traveling on the wedding day, how you’d sort out travel expenses, travel arrangements, what you’ll do in case of a travel delay, and what type of camera and accessories you should pack.
An overseas wedding can be stressful for couples so you need to ensure everything at your end goes according to plan. Planning prevents you from disappointing prospective clients.
7. Know Your Value
When it comes to putting value on your services, you should be clear about what you have to offer and set your prices accordingly. It’s smart to have a contract form to show you’re in business with your client. Apart from this, a contract form shows what you’re willing and not willing to do during the time of your service.
It’s also great to have wedding photography packages to give your client a variety of options to choose from. Wedding package prices also show adventurous clients what the service they require will cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is travel wedding photography profitable?
Yes, travel wedding photography is profitable. It should be noted that as a wedding photographer, you’ll be paid depending on your services and, sometimes, years of experience. It’s essential to build your platform, portfolio, and experience to increase your profit.
How many years of experience do you need in travel wedding photography?
It is hard to judge the years of experience you need in travel wedding photography. We can say that you should be constantly building your portfolio. If you’ve had two years or more experience but not enough catalog, you might find it hard to get gigs. Once you gain experience and create a strong portfolio, you should begin to reap the rewards of success.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article has done justice to the question (what is a travel wedding photographer) and you now know the essential steps to take in becoming one.
It’s important to be budget conscious as a travel wedding photographer. Don’t spend your profit going all out while traveling. Budget travel expenses to ensure that you only spend what’s necessary and save the rest. The chances are that you’re going to be taking care of your travel expenses most of the time.