Back when I was still teaching, I remember being so envious of people that traveled for work. Even if it was quick weekends away. The idea of traveling and working sounded so cool- but I knew, being a teacher, that would never be a reality for me.
Fast forward to starting my business, I started seeing other photographers traveling to capture couples, families, and weddings all around the world. And I realized finally, this was something I could do!
Before I dive in, let’s not overcomplicate things. Let’s first define what a destination/travel photographer is: someone who documents and/or photographs in a location that is different than their place of residence.
How I Got Started Traveling
I’ve had so many people ask how I’ve landed gigs out of the state and now, out of the country. I’ve been asked how they found me, how’d I find them, all the questions. So let me take you back to 2022, when I first began my journey as a destination photographer.
First and foremost, in order to begin marketing myself as a destination photographer, I actually had to BE a destination photographer. I needed to build my resume in that specific area. I had to have experience doing it. I needed to be able to SAY I was one.
And what makes for a traveling, destination photographer? Let’s be plain and simple here, someone who travels and takes photos of subjects while they’re there. That’s it. That’s all I had to do.
Getting paid for the session does not equate to you being a destination photographer. That is nowhere in the definition. Two things: Travel. Photography.
I signed up for my first photography retreat in November of 2022, in Joshua Tree, California. I knew I would get an abundance of photos to use in my portfolio. But I also knew, I would build connections with other photographers around the states, and gain insight and experience on traveling as a photographer.
Building the Momentum
From there, I began using those images for marketing. I would use them on socials and geotag the location. I would talk about traveling to and for them. I would use them consistently. And I kept the momentum from it going.
All of 2023, I set up more destination sessions for myself. Most of them, unpaid. I traveled to Texas and held a model call. I reached out to couples on social media asking them to model in a photoshoot for me. I set up 5 sessions during my travels there. I did the same in San Diego that year- I arranged 2 different sessions with models. That year, I also traveled to Florida, Indiana, and Wisconsin for weddings, and then New York, and back to Florida that following January for another photography retreat for additional content.
The wedding in Florida was for my Aunt and the weddings in the surrounding states were clients that had booked with me. These still count! And I utilized the heck out of those to showcase me going outside of Illinois. I used all of 2023 to travel, market, and build my portfolio as a destination photographer.
In Comes 2024…
Again, I used images from those sessions to share on my socials and website. I made myself appear to be consistently traveling by re-sharing older content to my stories and posts. I solely focused on marketing images from other places versus showcasing images from Illinois. And then in 2024, I had secured some of my first official destination weddings for 2024 and 2025. I had booked weddings in Pennsylvania, Cancun (twice!), the Dominican Republic, Indiana (twice!), Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Writing them all out sounds insanely chaotic, but so freaking exciting at the same time. Getting myself to this point required work and intentionality. But that’s part of the game with marketing.
Tips For Aspiring Destination Photographers
- Set yourself up with travel opportunities! Book cheap flights out to different places. Connect with couples in the area. Ask them to model for free. OR book paid models in the area. Either works!
- CREATE THE CONTENT! I cannot begin to tell you how much content means to your portfolio and resume. This photo for example, was taken in Florida. Do you know where I marketed this photo for? Mexico.
- Post what you are wanting to attract. I post about me traveling ALL THE TIME! I pull from archives. I post videos of me boarding planes that I boarded 2 years ago. I post pictures of me on the beach 6 months ago. I want to attract the destination clientele (and ultimately, want to partner with travel and destination companies, but that’s a story for a different day!). But in order to attract that, I have to share that. And overshare that!
- Make connections with photographers in other areas. Building these connections is a great way to, and great excuse, to bring yourself to other places. Make photographer friends! Visit said friends! Work with those friends! HAVE FUN!
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