Why You Should Book a Portrait Session on Vacation

It might seem extravagant to hire a professional photographer when you’re on vacation. You’ve already invested in a trip so it wouldn’t make sense to also book a photo session when you can just bring your own camera. However, you don’t want to be the one taking all of the photos. You want to fully enjoy your vacation and that means being present in all of the photos. From supporting a small business to preserving your precious memories, there are many reasons why you should book a portrait session on vacation.

The Beauchamp Family reached out to me for an extended family session in this spring while they were visiting Chattanooga. Even though the family lived in different locations, including California, the “scenic city” was a nice location for everyone to spend time together for a long weekend. They chose Raccoon Mountain for their portrait session because of the beautiful mountain views. The family had other pictures taken in the past, but ended up having a less than perfect experience. Keri spent some extra time researching photographers in the Chattanooga area and booked me from Instagram for their family session.

Because their family is not together very often, they knew they wanted to book a photographer while on vacation to capture this special time together – especially since there was a new grandchild! They didn’t know anything about Chattanooga, so they relied on me to choose the best location for portraits. A family portrait session needs to include everyone so no one person is in charge of taking the photos! Here’s a list of my favorite reasons to book a photographer during your vacation:

Photographers Know the Best Locations

As someone who has been a local native for my entire life, I know everything about the Chattanooga area. As a photographer, I also research new locations for portrait sessions whether it’s an urban and mountain setting so my clients have plenty of places from which to choose. If you live near the beach, you may want to schedule your session in the mountains or vice versa. Your photographer should have a long list of locations and should be able to show their work from these places so you can make a conscious decision of where you want your shoot.

Avoid the Crowds

No matter what city you live in, you know the busiest places and therefore, the locations with the most tourists. These are exactly the places you want to avoid for your photo shoot. You don’t want a lot of people and distractions in the background. You want your photos to focus entirely on you and your family. Even though you have your heart set on a particular area of town, your photographer will be able to tell you if it will be too crowded or not.

Your Vacation is Worth Remembering

If several members of your family are meeting in a city that you have never been to or will most likely not return, then it’s worth hiring a photographer. I know the importance of booking a photo session on vacation, especially with having small children. You could bring your own camera and take photos, but let’s be honest – how likely are you going to print those photos when you get back home? This is where planning a portrait session comes into play. As your family grows and your start adding grandchildren for example, you realize that these are moments that you won’t get back. They need to be documented on camera. You are more likely to print professional photos than your own to frame in your home.

There are many more reasons why you should book a portrait session while on vacation! I love when visiting families reach out to me to photograph their special times together. If you’re planning a vacation this summer to Chattanooga, send me an email so we can plan a date!