Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 20 July 2018
How to Get Better Vacation Photos, No Selfie Stick Required

By GREGORY KARP, most popular package is
Associated Press one hour, which includes
If you find yourself vaca- 35 photos for $350.
tioning in Budapest, Hun- HOW TO BOOK A PRO
gary, you could preserve - GO ONLINE. You could
travel memories by taking a do your own research to
few arm-length, low-quality find someone in the place
cellphone selfies that will you're visiting. But online
fail to capture the magic of booking services could
your visit. make hiring a photogra-
Or you could hire someone pher easier, especially if
like Dana J. Ardell, a Bu- you're going abroad and
dapest-based professional don't speak the language.
photographer who knows With many, you choose the
photo spots you'll never city, then read biographies
find in a guidebook and of local photographers,
who can deliver stunning look at their portfolios and
pictures — with your whole pick one. Examples of on-
travel party in the shots. line services include Flytog-
Ardell is a photographer rapher, Local Lens, Shoot
with Flytographer , one of a My Travel and Localgra-
growing number of online pher.
services that help travel- - GATHER INFORMATION.
ers find and hire a photog- Research a photographer's
rapher to take pictures of style and note the profes-
them during a vacation. sionalism of their website
"People who believe mem- and social media channels.
ories are the best souvenir" Seek information on timing
are among those who will In this June 29, 2012 file photo, a photographer composes a picture on the Camp Ellis jetty as the of photo delivery and what
find value in photo services, sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean in Saco, Maine. format they will be in. Find
said Flytographer founder Associated Press out about refund policies
and CEO Nicole Smith. and quality guarantees.
Still, the cost could run a camera and lens. Plus, handing your camera to a rapher typically isn't cheap, - CHOOSE A PACKAGE.
few hundred dollars, so be phone cameras aren't usu- stranger in hopes they take but it might seem surpris- An hourlong session offers
smart about whom you ally operated by a skilled a decent shot of every- ingly reasonable for a va- enough time for photos at
hire. Here's what to know photographer who knows body. cation costing thousands a couple of locations and
about hiring a pro to take how to incorporate the It's the reason Ardell hired of dollars. Sessions are typi- gives vacationers time to
pictures on your next vaca- best light and properly vacation photographers cally priced by time. With warm up in front of the
tion or bucket-list trip. compose a shot and later for trips to Amsterdam and Flytographer, for example, camera. But a half-hour
WHY HIRE A VACATION edit the images. Glasgow, Scotland. "I know, shoots start at 30 minutes shoot can work for those
PHOTOGRAPHER? If you plan to turn a vaca- personally, even as a pho- for $250, although an hour- tight on time or budget,
- QUALITY. Vacations usu- tion photo into a wall-wor- tographer, if my husband long session with 30 photos Smith said.
ally involve a lot of plan- thy print, you'll want some- and I are on vacation, we for $350 is more common, - BOOK EARLY. Earlier book-
ning, money and great mo- thing better than a cell end up getting solo shots of Smith said. It's customary ing — several weeks out —
ments. "The problem is, the phone snapshot. "Nobody's each other or arm's-length to pay the full price when means a wider selection of
photos don't always match going to blow up a blurry selfies that aren't very flat- you book. With Local Lens photographers, days and
that marvelous time they're selfie with seven chins," tering," she said. , another booking service, times. If you've taken fabu-
having," Smith said. Smith said. - LOCAL KNOWLEDGE. Pho- pricing varies by city but lous journeys but your pho-
Smartphone cameras are - EVERYONE IS IN THE PHO- tographers who live in your generally is about $200 for tos just don't match, hiring
decent, but they don't pro- TO. Travel photos often destination know where a half-hour to around $500 a vacation photographer
vide the same caliber of involve two undesirable and when to shoot — when for two hours. Another ser- might be the ticket to pre-
pictures as a professional choices: a selfie stick or the light is most favorable vice, Localgrapher, says its serving memories. q
and where you won't be
jostling with other tourists
during busy times at land-
marks.
- LOCAL CONTACT. Part of
the benefit of hiring a trip
photographer has nothing
to do with photos — it's in-
teracting with a resident,
gaining insight into how
locals live. It's part of what
Ardell offers in her sessions
in Budapest. "We chat the
whole time," she said. "I
love giving recommenda-
tions on my favorite plac-
es to eat and things to do In this Oct. 13, 2015 photo, a Russian models for a photographer
In this May 31, 2018, file photo, tourists walk the beach of Maya around the city." as the sun sets over the Red Sea at Sharm el-Sheik, south Sinai,
Bay, Phi Phi Leh island in Krabi province, Thailand. HOW MUCH IT COSTS Egypt.
Associated Press Associated Press
Hiring a vacation photog-