How far would photographers travel for your photoshoot?

Featured image by Oscar Lumley, a top UK based automotive photographer.

So you’re looking for a photographer and know where the photoshoot will take place. You can look for local photographers in your area, but if you expand your search more photographers are available. But how far do photographers travel for shoots and should you only focus on your local area or also look further away?

We’ve written the following guide to help you understand photographers and travel. Hopefully this helps you when you book a professional photographer.

Most photographers travel for photoshoots

People tend to look for local photographers near them but the fact is that most photographers are happy to travel for photoshoots, especially good ones. This, of course, varies between photographers. Some photographers live in a large city and have plenty of local jobs. Others travel all over the country as the type of photography they do requires shooting on location. It really depends but we find that the majority of photographers are more happy to travel than clients assume.

Is your photoshoot worth traveling to?

It’s only natural that some photography jobs would be more attractive for photographers than others. This is mostly a factor of your budget for photography and how interesting the job is to photographers.

Small 1-2 hour jobs will usually be more relevant for local photographers that can get to your shoot location easily and quickly.

Half and full day photography bookings with larger budgets are likely to attract photographers from further locations, as the the travel costs can be absorbed in the higher payment. For example, a full day wedding photography package will often include up to 100 mile travel.

Some photographers travel all over the UK for photoshoot like portrait photographer Roy J Baron, who took the photo above.

Money is important but it isn’t the only factor. Some photography bookings are more attractive for photographers than others regardless of payment. This obviously depends on each photographer and what they find important. Generally speaking, there are several elements that make a photography booking more enticing.

• Working with known or respected brands and personalities. Everybody wants to have certain names in their portfolio and resume. If you need a photographer to work with a celeb or a large brand, there’s a good chance people would be happy to travel from afar for the opportunity.
• Photography for certain publications. Same as above, photographers appreciate being published by known magazines and this would entice photographers from further areas in the UK to travel.
• Working with other high level professionals. If your photoshoot involves great fashion styling, make up or a good shoot location this can attract strong photography talent.
• Working with lovely people. Do not underestimate the power of being a nice and appreciate person. We all prefer to work with people who like us and show appreciation for our work. Simple human decency is worth more than gold.

Can you pay for travel?

If you have a budget to pay for travel, this can really help get more interest in your booking. Paying for travel is very common and many photographer charge a per-mile cost above a certain distance. This is only fair as travel can be both time consuming and expensive. Paying for travel means that photographers get to keep their photography fee. Offering to reimburse travel also shows a certain willingness to the photographer, the process and the results and is a positive sign of working with a fair and understanding client. If you find a photographer that you like then it might be worth getting them even if they are further away to get the best photography.

How to find photographers in any UK location

Excuse us while we blow our own horn for a couple of lines. At Photographerforhire.co.uk, we’ve developed a type of search engine for photographers. You can easily find a photographer in any UK location.

You can also change the radius around your location of choice to show photographers around you or around any postcode or UK address.

By default, the filter would show photographers within a 20 mile radius around a given location. You can increase or decrease this to show more or less photographers. So if you can’t find a photographer you like, simply increase the radius to find photographers who are slightly further away. We’re sure you’ll find plenty of photographers that you’ll like.

Summary

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a photographer for a wedding, need food photography or are looking for a high level portrait and fashion photographer. Most photographers will be willing to travel as long as the payment justifies the time and costs and the work is exciting. Remember that most photographers are lovely people you can probably pick the phone to discuss in an honest and transparent way. Local or not, we hope you and your photographer have a great photoshoot.

About Photographerforhire.co.uk

We’re a marketplace for finding UK based photographers. A unique platform showcasing the work of some of the best photographers in the UK. You’ll find portrait photographers, family photographers, beauty photographers, food photographers, product photographers and just about any type of professional photography service you can imagine at a very high level.

Find photographers and book photoshoots.