Hiring A Photographer On Vacation : 5 Reasons You Should Do It

when my husband and i took our daughter on her very first vacation this year to cabo san lucas, mexico, we were more than ready to both have some down time and to create some lasting memories with our family.  whenever i get ready to travel, i get a little anxious.  more specifically, i get a little overwhelmed with the idea of taking good pictures to document our travels and deciding how much or how little to bring with me, in terms of camera gear.  for this vacation, my husband encouraged me to pack light.  and when i mean light, i mean leave the camera at home.  i had been working non-stop with photographing clients and he knew that bringing my camera would just add to the pressure of taking pictures, and that’s not a vacation.  leaving my camera at home would encourage me to truly relax.  at first, i thought he was nuts.  and after leaving my camera at home, i thought i would regret it the moment i got on the plane.  but i didn’t, it as freeing.  and out of this freedom came another great idea…hiring a photographer on vacation.  win win.  great pictures so i won’t have regret, but ultimate relaxation on my part.  if you are thinking of truly giving yourself a break from the camera and enjoying yourself on vacation, here are 5 reasons why hiring a photographer on vacation is the best idea there is.

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Hiring A Photographer On Vacation : 5 Reasons You Should Do It

photo credit: photos in this post were taken by a resort photographer at sunset beach resort in cabo san lucas, mexico

1.  You Can Leave Your Camera At Home

listen, you may think i am absolutely nuts for leaving my camera at home when going on vacation but hear me out.  for me, my camera equals work.  i associate my camera with work.  sure it is fun too, but when my camera is in my hand, i mean business.  i stress easily with taking really great photos, to the point where i can ruin the fun in it for myself.  it’s my flaw, whatever.  i am working on it.  leaving my camera at home meant leaving work and the stress and pressure of taking photos behind.  also, it allowed me to enjoy vacation while putting my family first.  i wasn’t worried about where my gear was and if it was safe.  i mean, lets be real. my camera and lenses are expensive and not something i want to be babysitting when i should be relaxing

i am in no way saying that i never take my camera when vacationing, this is probably the first time in ten years that i vacationed camera-less.  some of my favorite images i have were taken on vacations.  but sometimes, less is more and good for the soul and it’s just time to truly vacation.   obviously, i took photos with my iPhone during this trip but that was fun for me because it was an easy going, put it in your pocket, camera.

2.  You Get To Be In The Photos, Too

one of the best things about hiring a photographer on vacation is that, you aren’t the photographer!  you get to actually be in the pictures too.  sure, you could set up your camera and jump in the frame from time to time.  but, that’s work and possibility bringing extra equipment to pull it off.  i really wanted to be in the photos too to document our first family vacation together and, if for only that reason alone, hiring a photographer made it worth the price.  plus, i look relaxed in these photos instead of looking a little stressed because i am taking the pictures too.

3.  You Can Document A Special Place

hiring a photographer at home is amazing and totally necessary, but wouldn’t it be even more fun if the setting of your session was someplace completely different from your day to day life?  you spent all this money on the travel tickets, the hotel, the outfits, so why not bring home really good memories in photographs.  not only do i love the moments captured within these images, but i love the fact that they remind me of a special place we went.

4.  The Pressure Is Off

there is absolutely no pressure on you to take pictures, the pressure is off.  you are handing the torch to someone else and allowing them to worry about getting good images for you.  hiring a photographer on vacation is well worth it if only to remove that pressure of picture taking from you.  seriously, you should try it. there is so much relief involved when you can just be, do and see.

5.  It’s A Cherished Souvenir

if the expense of hiring a photographer on vacation is making you hesitate, think of it as a souvenir.  my husband knows that photos mean everything to me and he also knows that i hate buying stuff on vacation.  it’s just going to end up at goodwill in a month and i am not a trinkets type of person.  for me, photos are my souvenir.  when considering hiring a photographer on vacation, think about how much better photos of your experience there are than things.  sure, i understand that other people like shopping for physical items on vacation, to each their own, but if the investment has you worried maybe place photos into your souvenir budget and spend accordingly.

believe it or not, when we left for vacation, i didn’t even think to hire a photographer…we did in on a whim.  i learned about the resort photographer once we actually arrived on vacation, making the fact that i left my camera at home even easier.  (also, thank gosh i am in the habit of packing color coordinating outfits for my family, it made deciding what to wear on a moment’s notice effortless.)  when wondering if it is worth it to have your photos taken while vacationing, think of the benefits to you. not only do you have memories in photographs that you are in too, but you are allowing yourself to truly enjoy yourself and your vacation. if taking pictures non stop is what you love to do, by all means go for it.  but for me, it’s nice to separate the pressure of picture taking from quality family time.

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