Photo by Venice Photographer Angelo FelettoIt's great having a good camera when you are out exploring but every now and again you might, like us have a special event or once-in-a-lifetime experiences planned during your trip. In such cases you might prefer having quality photographs taken that just wouldn't be the same if you'd used a selfie-stick!

You might ask yourself:

How do I find an affordable photographer in a country that I'm heading to but know no one in?

Here's my tips and recommendations to guide you:

1. Ask or check in forums like TripAdvisor. That's how I came across photographer Angelo Feletto from Michelangelo Venezia which I can highly recommend as an affordable and wonderful photographer in Venice.

2. Ask Travel Bloggers with good photos (like me!)

3. Ask local suppliers you might be engaging with for recommendations. My wedding planner for example was well connected to many photographers and had plenty of advice to offer.
4. Ask locals.

Tips on choosing the romantic photographer that's right for you:

1. Check that they are active in their social media channels.

2. Check for the following in their photos

Creative poses

Good lighting Photos by photographer Nathan Wyatt
Unique and sometimes hard angles (that you couldn't do yourself)
When we were having our photo session with Venice photographer Angelo, I was just amazed at how much running, ducking and diving he was doing to get photos of all sorts of angles I didn't even think of! His efforts really show in the variety of photos we received from him.
Photo by Venice photographer Angelo Feletto
3. Do they experiment with different styles that could compliment what you have in mind for your own photos?
Some photographers have a more surreal approach to their photography which relies on the use of software to enhance the colours and contrasts in the photos while others go for a crisper more natural look. Some photographers like Bora Bora Photographer Stephan Debelle Duplan does a bit of both.

Photos by Bora Bora photographer Stephan Debelle Duplan
4. Can they do underwater photography if needed?
Bora Bora photographer Stephan uses special equipment to get these great underwater photos.

5. Can you see in their photos that they make use of different lenses which indicates that they have a larger range of photography equipment to better suit your needs.
Bora Bora photographer Stephan has specialised equipment to achieve fish eye type landscape photos for example.
Photo by Bora Bora photographer Stephan Debelle Duplan

6. Do they think outside of the box?
We had a harpist at our wedding but I never would have had this romantic photo of us sitting next to her on our wedding day had it not been for Santorini photographer Nathan Wyatt's initiative!

Photo by Santorini photographer Nathan Wyatt7. Do they have affordable options to suit your budget?
Brisbane photographer Adrian Fisher offers packages of as little as $50 for a 30 minute photo session in a popular location.8. Do they offer payment plans or perhaps they don't expect a deposit when you book ahead of your trip.9. Do they have good reviews on their social media pages and when you Google them? 5 star reviews on Facebook is usually a good indication!10. Are they friendly and informative when you communicate with them? Ask them tips about the city you are visiting and see how they respond. Are they friendly and helpful or short and abrupt?
11. Check for consistency in the quality of their photos.Other things to consider:

1. If you want to have your photos taken at a resort, make sure the resort doesn't have their own photographer or doesn't have a problem with it if you have your own photographer coming over. Some resorts mark up the photographer's price to make a profit off of them.

2. Discuss your vision with your photographer as he might tell you that the location could be too overcrowded at the time of day you have in mind and might have a suggestion for a better time or similar location to get the same or similar results of the dreamy photos you desire.

3. Plan complimentary outfits for your photo shoot. It might just be that you don't realise that a dress that is the opposite colour of the environment of the location you wish to have photos taken at will make your photo pop (if that is what you're after).4. Is your dream to be photographed during a romantic activity that the photographer would also have to pay for in order to take photos of you? For example - let's say you want photos of you and your partner on a Jet-ski in the middle of the ocean - the photographer would then have to get on a boat or jet-ski himself to get those photos for you! Some photographers have connections with the activity providers and could through their relationships with them be able to organise that he takes part in the activity for free to get you those photos.

5. This is a hard one to find out before having a session with them - but some photographers aren't in a rush to get your photos done and some are very much "time-watchers" - for this reason I tend to go with a less busy/popular photographer instead.I hope you've enjoyed reading these tips as much as I've enjoyed sharing them with you! If you have any more tips or some of your own photographs from affordable photographers in the world to share, please share it with the Romantic Explorers community!

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