Exploring the Options

Your Vacation is Worthy of Great Photography

Your pictures should say more than just the who, what, and where of your vacation. Great images will share HOW it felt!

Scenario 1: You Go It Alone

So, for one reason or another, you left for vacation without hiring a professional photographer. No biggie, you still have your camera or top-of-the-line phone to make sure you have all the important moments captured. Based on my own experience of not hiring someone, here’s how it will go:

During the Vacation
  • Out of the hundreds of pictures you’re sure to take, you may actually be in less than 20% of them. Of that 20%, half are selfies and the other half are somehow inadequate thanks to the stranger you asked to take the image not really caring about what it looks like.
  • You can’t decide between capturing the moment or being a part of it, so you try to do both. Your child yells at you to stop taking pictures- not because having the moment captured is annoying, but because they want you to be a part of it with them. You aren’t persuaded, so you keep trying to multi-task. Your child is now eating a Mickey Ice Cream bar and you can sense it’s about to fall off the stick…..capture the moment or put the camera down and be a hero? Tough decisions.
  • Oops! You’ve run out of storage space….time to clear the less important pictures to make room for new ones
  • Oh no! Your battery is running low and now you have to choose between using your phone to communicate or to take pictures.
After the Vacation
  • You’re home and the first thing you do is load all the pictures to your computer. Your pictures say where you went, who was with you, and a little about what you did. You pick some favorites to share on social media, but only a few of them are good enough quality to print.
  • You look into printing up the good ones, but what size, paper, frame or canvas and where will you hang them?  Too many questions for right now, so you decide to put them aside for that album you plan to make one day. Then, life happens. The memories of your vacation exist in the digital universe and their ability to last forever is dependent on the current technology no becoming obsolete.

If you rely on your phone for your photos, expect to make a lot of images that look like the one above. The overall quality isn’t great, the person taking the picture is missing from the image, and it is lacking feeling and connection to a moment.

Scenario 2: You hire a Portrait or Lifestyle Photographer for a 60-90 min session or pay for Memory Maker

You know you want professional images taken at some point on your vacation. You’ve heard good things about Flytographer, purchased the Memory Maker package, or did some searching and found a local photographer whose work you like. Here’s how this one might go:

Planning the Session
  • You email back-and-forth with your chosen photographer to pick a time and place to meet up. Depending on the level of service they offer, you might get assistance with picking out a coordinating wardrobe and tips on how to make the most of your time together. Awesome!
During the Vacation
  • It’s time for your session (or you’re in front of a Photo Pass Photographer), but at least one member of your family isn’t feeling it. They are begrudgingly participating because they love you, but it still isn’t enough to keep them from making that face. It’s in almost every picture!
  • Session is over and you’re not quite sure how it went, but you’re hopeful they got at least a few good pictures.
After the Vacation
  • You’re home now and get an email that your photos are available. Depending on the service level of your photographer, you may immediately get files, receive a link to an online gallery with some assistance with product suggestions, or a full reveal session with a presentation of customized products. (Bravo, if you hired the latter photographer! You are 3x more likely to feel great about your experience and have beautiful images to show off around your home.) If you hired the first or second type of photographer, it’s going to be your responsibility to bring your digital images to print to be enjoyed just as in the first scenario.
memory maker image with Chewbacca inside Rise of the Resistance

A Disney Photo Pass Castmember made this image of us while we were waiting in line to ride Rise of the Resistance. The skill level of these photographers varies a lot from person-to-person, and there is limited editing done to the image. This picture will look a lot better cropped down to remove the people on the left and right sides of the frame.

Scenario 3: You Hire Me (Yay!)

Let me start by saying that I always consider it a HUGE honor when a family decides to hire me to hang with them for part of their vacation. I do not take the responsibility lightly! Just like the past 15 years shooting weddings, each vacation is a once in a lifetime experience- even if you come to the same place every year, your family dynamics will never be what they are right now. Here’s how your experience will go with me:

Planning the Session
  • First up, we have our initial consultation where we discuss your plans and what you’re really looking forward to as a family. Once we figure that out, we will be able to pick the perfect time in your plans to capture those memories. If you think all sounds good, we’ll secure your date and you’ll get access to your own client portal. Here you can view all our shared documents including the contract, planning questionnaire, and product guides.
  • As we get closer to our time together, I’ll reach out again to confirm your plans haven’t changed for the day and that our block of time is still the best for our goals. If the weather isn’t looking good, this is when we will discuss possibly moving our time together to another day or time.
During the Vacation
  • Now it’s time to hang out together! Treat me like a second cousin you haven’t seen in decades. I’ll have my camera up to my face most of the day, but I’ll still carry on a conversation (if you want to have one with me). I won’t bat an eye if/when your child has a meltdown because I’ve been there- more times than I can remember- but I will be capturing it. I’m there to document as much as I can during our time together- big and small moments, play and snack time, waiting and walking….ALL the walking. Remember, the goal is a collection of images that tell the real story of your vacation- the who, what, where, but most importantly HOW it felt to be on this trip as part of your family.
After the Vacation
  • Your reveal session will take place approximately 7-14 days after your vacation. It can be done via video conference, if you aren’t locals. I get to excitedly present your slideshow, all of your images, and go over the custom family art options. The art is designed specifically for the walls in your home that you’ve shared with me or print/album preferences we’ve discussed during our final consultation before our session. Everything is completely customized to your liking and gets your approval before sending it off to be handmade in Italy or Australia. So, you’re guaranteed that these images will make it off your computer!
  • The last piece in our process is the delivery of your family art. If you’re local, I’ll hand deliver the items and will assist you with installation of any wall art pieces. If you live outside of Central Florida, I’ll have the items shipped directly to you and ensure your satisfaction with everything. That’s it! A full service process that includes planning, capturing memories, and printing them in a beautiful way to ensure they are shared and treasured!

If you would like to speak with me about possibly capturing your vacation, please click the button below and we can setup a call. If you still decide to go at this alone, you can read a guest blog post I wrote on how to capture better images in the parks by following this link.

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