Booking a professional photographer to take a photoshoot on a family trip is a great idea because it captures high-quality, lasting memories of your time together in a beautiful setting without the stress of taking the photos yourself.

Here are five benefits of booking a professional photoshoot for a family trip:

Our family with littles have traveled quite a bit, and some of our favorite pictures are from the trips where we coordinated professional photoshoots. Here are a few of the methods that I used to find the photographers.

Flytographer is a service that connects travelers with professional local photographers in over 350 cities worldwide. You begin by selecting your destination, choosing a photographer whose style you like, and booking a shoot at a convenient time and location. During the session, your photographer captures candid and posed moments, and within five days, you receive a digital gallery of high-resolution, professionally edited photos to download, share, or print. 

If interested in booking a Flytographer photoshoot, visit https://www.flytographer.com/ and use my discount code: SHAINAREHMANN.

We used a photographer named Paola from Flytographer while visiting in Puglia, Italy with our 3 kids and both sets of parents. It was helpful especially in a big group to have a professional photographer efficiently arrange the photos of us. My dad actually was running late, and the photographer left and came back to us to make sure we got him included in a few photos – she went completely out of her way to make it work, and we were so grateful for the service.

GetYourGuide makes it easy to book family travel photoshoots by offering a curated selection of trusted professional photographers in popular destinations. The platform provides upfront pricing, detailed reviews, and flexible cancellation options, giving families confidence and convenience. With instant booking and secure payment, it simplifies planning and ensures memorable, high-quality vacation photos.

While visting Barcelona,Cairo, Paris, and living in Amsterdam, we used the company GetYourGuide Smiler. the photographers are usually amateur photographers that are trying to build their portfolio. Honestly, the photos can be a hit or a miss. Sometimes I love them and sometimes I don’t. But the price is so reasonable, and there are so many availabilities and options around dozens of cities, it feels so easy to book. I usually select this package when I simply want a few nice photos of us taken by a professional photographer, and am not completely invested in the editing and creativity of the photos.

If interested in booking this provider in dozens of cities, visit GetYourGuide Smiler Link.

When visiting Seville, we came across this photographer, Stephania, on GetYourGuide and LOVED her work. Visit her link here: Seville – Professional Photoshoot. She was excellent. Patient, helpful, she showed us pretty spots, and she was incredibly patient with our large family! I also liked her editing. Highly recommend her.

Airbnb Experiences offers a unique way to book family travel photoshoots by connecting you with local photographers who often combine the shoot with a cultural or scenic tour. You can browse authentic, highly rated experiences with transparent pricing and real customer reviews. This platform makes it easy to find creative, memorable photoshoot options that fit your family’s travel style and schedule.

We found this photographer off of AirB&B Experiences and were so happy with her. She was really kind and accommodating, and we loved so many of her pictures. I couldn’t find this specific photographer’s, Amel, contact information on AirBnb. Here is a link to similar style shoots.

We used a photographer off of AirBnB in Cairo. There were pros and cons. I was happy with the “guide” experience. It was a local photographer who picked us up from the hotel in Cairo, and drove us to Giza for our shoot. He communicated in Arabic with all the local camel, horse, and pyramid workers – making it easier for us to coordinate. He took the photos and drove us back to to our hotel. He edited and sent the pictures back within days, which we loved.

It was great, but the photographer himself was a younger guy, who was texting while driving until I asked him twice to stop, and he was not so used to young kids. The safety factor is my biggest hesitation with him, but I also know there are cultural differences, which any one there might have been okay texting while driving. If you choose to use this company, you can kindly request that they be mindful of safety.

Our photographer in Sicily, I found Chiara on AirBnB. She was fantastic. We had scheduled a shoot with her later on in the day, but she realized we had little kids and suggested doing it earlier in the day before the heat got to them. They were malfunctioning regardless, but she was so kind and accommodating and spent extra time and patience showing our family around and taking pictures. It was also great because I was pregnant with baby #3 at the time, and was able to leverage the family travel shoot as a maternity shoot.

For more tips on traveling while pregnant, visit my post here.

Using Google to find family travel photographers offers flexibility to explore a wide range of local professionals tailored to your destination and style. You can compare portfolios, read independent reviews, and often contact photographers directly for personalized packages. This approach gives you more control over pricing, availability, and the specific look you want for your vacation memories.

During our trip to Paris, we found a photographer on Google named Anastasia. She was excellent! She was patient, efficient, and I really loved her photo editing. The link to her website is here: https://abramova-guendel.com/.

We took a multigenerational trip to Croatia, and I wanted to get a photoshoot of all four of our parents and the grand kids. I found Dubravko Lenert’s website on Google. He was also patient, reasonably priced, and I was happy with the photos he captured of our large family! Here is a link to this website: www.duphoto.com.

After some searches for efficient and affordable photographers in London and NYC, I found the company Snappr on Google. Similar to larger companies like Flytographer, it aligns a photographer with the needs of the client. I plugged in the details of where and when I wanted the shoot, and a photographer was assigned to meet us at that time and place. I was really happy with how our pictures turned out in London in particular, as they were our “moving away from London” photoshoot.

Our NYC Photos were great, and considering we had a larger group and a newborn baby, it was more logisitcally difficult – but we still ended up with some nice family shots. For expensive cities with expensive photography options, this was an affordable option.

Using Instagram hashtags lets you discover family travel photographers by browsing real, recent work tagged by location (e.g., #ParisPhotographer or #FamilyPhotoshootRome). It’s a visual and direct way to evaluate a photographer’s style, consistency, and engagement with clients. You can often connect with photographers instantly through DMs, making the booking process personal and flexible.

We used Instagram hashtags on the platform to find our photographer in Positano, @amalfitana_photographer. His website is here: https://www.amalfitanaphotographer.com/.  We joked that he was able to manage taking photos well of our different group dynamics. One sister had a husband and two babies, two and under. The other was on a romantic honeymoon with her husband. We loved all the photos.

We found this photographer, the_beauty_of_petra, by using #petra on Instagram. This was incredibly helpful to us as we navigated a huge historical site with two young children. The photographer helped us arrange our horses, camels, and escorted us throughout the whole experience, including reaching the best photo sites and viewpoints. His website is here: https://www.instagram.com/the_beauty_of_petra/?hl=en.

Asking friends for referrals helps you find trusted family travel photographers with proven results and personal recommendations. You gain insight into their experience, professionalism, and the quality of their work beyond online reviews. This word-of-mouth approach often leads to more reliable, comfortable photo sessions and sometimes even special rates or priority bookings.

We used Kubbe Istanbul, based near Galata Tower, with great views of the city.  They have different packages for the the type of photos you can have done, including professional photoshoots or simply an assistant to help take photos and video s of you with your phone. We have a fair amount of professional photos, so I picked the second alternative. I was happy with it, but in retrospect, perhaps we should have just splurged on the professional photos and editing.

In Amsterdam, through friends I met Isa, who does photography around Amsterdam. She took amazing photos for us during tulip season in the Netherlands, as well as Amsterdam city photos for us before we moved from the country. Her instagram link is here.

Using on-site photographers at hotels offers convenience, as sessions can be arranged directly through the concierge without the need to research or travel far. These photographers are familiar with the best spots around the property and are experienced in working with families and vacation schedules. It also adds peace of mind, as the service is typically vetted and coordinated by the hotel for quality and reliability.

When we were visiting Tenerife, we encountered a photographer in the hotel that persuaded us to get a few photos done – clearly I don’t need much persuasion. I was so happy with the pictures, I ended up purchasing extra. The good thing about these hotel photographers, is that they have vetted them.

Is one adult in your group more interested in booking the photoshoot than the other parent? This is common. I wrote an article on ideas for conversations for adults to have before they take on their family travel adventure. Visit my post on ‘Co-Parenting Strategies During Family Travel’ here!