Tips for Arranging a Destination Photoshoot on a Budget

We are a family who does not want to make too big of a fuss about occasions because we believe in celebrating life’s moments anytime and as much as we can. We do not throw parties every year and normally only celebrate with family or intimate groups.

We wanted to remember Summer’s first birthday by having a shoot during her birthday beach trip. I did not have a specific budget in mind but I knew I wanted to keep the cost low.

Here are my tips for setting up a simple destination shoot:

Choose your location

This was the first thing that I did when I decided to have a birthday shoot for Summer. Because she loved the water, it was almost instantly decided that we will go to the beach and have a beach-themed shoot.

Every other preparation, research and communications will stem from this.

Hire local talents

There were two major essentials that I sourced locally – the photographer and the cake. Because I did not know the suppliers personally, I needed to make an extensive research on them and read the customer / client feedback.

In deciding on the supplier, I considered:
1. Customer feedback
2. Speed of their responses
3. Portfolio (which means an online presence as well)
4. Rate / price 

Search for your pegs and decide on the theme

There are a lot of different sources of this. After I had my pegs, I saved them and sent to the photographer and the baker.

Of course, these are just guides. We do not expect everything to be exactly how we imagine it to be, especially when working with people remote. It is always best to communicate what you want clearly but still keep an open mind and give allowance for possible errors and changes.

Make advanced arrangements

After booking our resort and deciding where I want to do the shoot, I immediately made arrangements for these:

1. Pickup of the cake. To save on cost of a separate car rental just for this, we did this upon arrival, before heading to the resort. We had informed the driver prior to our arrival and have given him the address so he can plan our route ahead.
2. Cake in freezer / chiller. I had a tall 1-layer cake custom made for the shoot. It was scheduled for pickup the day of our arrival to be used for the shoot the following morning. Because it would take up too much space, I called the hotel in advance if they will allow me to store it in their cooler for the night. I expected an additional storage cost but the resort did not charge me anymore.
3. Get permission for a photoshoot in your chosen location. Each resort or place has their own rules. We need to be aware of this and get the necessary permits or permission for our shoot. This is regardless of whether it is a professional or an intimate family shoot.

Style and pack your outfit and props

I tried my best to keep our props to a minimum by using the ones that can easily be packed away like inflatable, etc. It was also great to use the things that we normally bring to our trips like Summer’s favorite toys, my cover up that we used as a beach mat and many others. It did not only help save space in our luggage. It also captured the things that were special to Summer at that age.

I limited her outfit change to only one and packed the outfit and accessory set in each individual pack.

Take advantage of the scenery and the backdrop

In line with keeping the props to a minimum, we also took advantage of our stunning resort and its stunning white sand beach. It was just the perfect backdrop that hardly needed any help to stand out.

Schedule the shoot early in the morning

Summer has been a morning person since birth. We scheduled to begin our shoot at 8:00am, right after breakfast. I was glad we did.

Scheduling a shoot early in the morning ensures that the child will be more energetic and everybody will be comfortable throughout the shoot. Having a lot of time in the morning (on a sunny day) enables you to take advantage of the sunlight that will make your photos superb. An early start will give you the allowance that you need to move and explore the other spots in the area. If you’re on a budget, it will be more cost effective to take advantage of the sunlight instead of having to rent lighting for an evening shoot.

Plus, you’ll have the rest of the day to rest or do other activities. 

Bring a USB or a memory card for the copy of the raw files

Depending on your arrangement with the photographer, the edited photos are usually sent a couple of weeks after the shoot. However, since your interactions with the photographer have solely been online, it is still best to have a copy of the raw files to make sure that you’ll get something out of the shoot, whether or not you receive the edited files. In addition, you can edit the rest of the raw photos for future use.

Bring proof of your initial payment and prepare the remaining balance

This is to wrap up the shoot faster. If you chose a morning shoot, it would probably end by noontime or early afternoon. You are hungry, tired and hot. This is just an extra measure to make sure that everything will be settled quickly and everyone can rest the soonest possible time.

The memories and photos that can last a lifetime are definitely worth all the effort. Good luck!