What to do when working with an International Photographer

*Note: This is my anonymous interview with a friend.

Here are some top things I wish I had known before working with an International Vendor. We hired a wedding photographer in another country, which is our experience.

Define the terms of the contract clearly – Especially the Currency

What happened to me was that I didn’t specify what currency we were paying in. It caused a bit of an argument when we wanted to pay USD as it would save us money vs paying in Euros. It caused tension in the relationship, and I wish I had nipped in the bud way earlier.

Get someone local if you can – or start studying the local culture deeply

Although we hired an international photographer, where we were shooting isn’t their home country. They just live close and could drive there. I thought they would have at least looked up the local culture and customs, but they didn’t. They directed us to do certain poses and actions that were not in line with the local custom and were offensive. This is a general good rule thumb to do when you are travelling.

Have your own vision

The photographer might have their own vision or storyboard. You can ask about their process, and understand how much you need to prepare. I wish we looked up places where we would like to take photos at, and what we wanted to do.

Look up the International Holidays

This should have been a non brainer but it totally slipped our mines. A lot of rentals were closed (Do this ahead of time if you can), and locations were too. Which was a bummer.

I hope these few tips helped! Have a wonderful week!