Bringing Own Photographer - Etiquette

KWandCM · June 30, 2013

Hi Ladies,

I couldn't find this anywhere else on the forum so my apologies if it has been asked & answered before.

I am hoping to fly in my own photographer. A friend of a friend does a lot of weddings locally and is willing to give us quite a good deal in exchange for paying for his flight, accommodation, and a little bit extra. We will get a lot more for our money this way and I'm pretty sure this is the route I want to go.

Has anyone else flown in their own photographer? I believe I've seen a few other ladies do that here. If so, what kind of contract terms did you make sure to have? He's writing it up but I want to make sure I don't miss anything that should be included before I sign. For some reason I feel like having him fly there makes it a little bit more risky in some ways then booking a local photographer.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

AllieH · June 30, 2013

Hi Krista,

We did this for our wedding photography. She had us sign her standard contract, which included terms about payment (deposit + final), rights to photography, timing it'd be delivered, and what was included in the package (# of hours, album, # & size prints, albums, online slideshow, etc.). Because she was a friend, we didn't modify her contract to include travel, we kept it to an informal understanding between us.

I would first review their standard contract. If it's not included, I'd recommend adding in the travel clause - how many days at the resort you're paying for (e.g. you'll pay for 3 days, they can choose to stay longer at their own expense), and what that includes (gratuities?). I'd also add in that you will pay for the lowest available airfare, and any additional airfare costs (different flight times, luggage fees, direct vs. layover, upgrades, etc) would be the responsibility of the photographer. If you decide to include luggage fees, then you can move it around from not included to included - just base it on what you agree to pay.

Hope that helps!

Originally Posted by KWandCM

Hi Ladies,

I couldn't find this anywhere else on the forum so my apologies if it has been asked & answered before.

I am hoping to fly in my own photographer. A friend of a friend does a lot of weddings locally and is willing to give us quite a good deal in exchange for paying for his flight, accommodation, and a little bit extra. We will get a lot more for our money this way and I'm pretty sure this is the route I want to go.

Has anyone else flown in their own photographer? I believe I've seen a few other ladies do that here. If so, what kind of contract terms did you make sure to have? He's writing it up but I want to make sure I don't miss anything that should be included before I sign. For some reason I feel like having him fly there makes it a little bit more risky in some ways then booking a local photographer.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!