Recently the destination wedding photography side of the business has really taken off. Having been to Venice back in June, heading to Mexico in November/December and then venturing to Sorrento, Greece and Turkey next year, it has become a big part of my job in a short space of time.

So this lead me to think of the pros and cons when deciding wether to have a local/resident photographer at your destination wedding or if you should choose a UK based photographer and take them over to your chosen country.

Here is what came up when talking to Destination Wedding planners and couples choosing to wed abroad.

Pros for UK based Photographer:

1. They speak English.
2. You can meet with them before your wedding day and get to know them and discuss your photography needs.
3. They are “down the road” if there are any issues with the images or album.
4. They are there for your day and your day only.
5. You can see their work/albums.

Cons for UK based Photographer:

1. They may not know the area in the country you choose to wed (but this shouldn’t really be an issue as a good photographer can photograph anywhere)
2. They may not speak the local language. (But there are phrase books and Google Translate)
3. There may be a delay with them arriving on time. (This can be avoided by having them fly out the day before)

Pros for Local Photographer:

1. They speak the local language.
2. They know the local area.
3. They will be there already.

Cons for Local photographer:

1.  They may not speak English.
2. You cannot meet with them before your day.
3. They may be shooting more then one wedding on the day if they are a “package deal” with your hotel.
4. They are in another country so harder to get in touch with if something goes wrong.
5. You can only see their online work to make a choice.

These are just a few points that we raised when discussing the topic. All of which have solutions that can help however it all comes down to how you personally feel at the end of the day.

If you choose to go for a UK based photographer, see how they price their destination packages. See if they charge day rates, if you get to choose the flights etc. etc.

For me personally, as a destination photographer my clients choose the package they would choose if they where to get wed in the UK (See my pricing post) and then I ask them to source the flight for the day before and then return the day after (so 2 nights) as soon as possible to make it as cheap for them as possible.

I then ask for them to source a B and B near to their venue for the two nights. This all means that the cost to my clients is completely in their control. I am not snobby, as long as there is a bed and a shower I am happy.

Being there the day before ensures I am there in plenty of time. It also gives us a chance to do a pre-wedding session in the beautiful location/climate that they have chosen.

I alway ensure we meet in the UK before hand so that they can view my albums and also meet me in person so we both know we get on well.

This is my process and every photographer is different. So make sure you ask as many questions as you can if you go down the UK Photographer route.

Take a look at my recent blog posts “An Italian Engagement” and “An Italian Wedding” to see some of my recent destination work. Also take a look at this recent shoot on the beach with the beautiful Sarah and Elliot!……Can you guess where it is?