I’ve been using our travel photos to jog my memory when writing about our last two trips and I’ve noticed there’s something missing from our New Zealand photos. Mostly, me! There’s few photos of all four of us but they’re not great. And as much as I enjoy being behind the camera, as the kids get older, I want them to remember I was there with them having fun.
This isn’t the first time it’s happened, which is why I wanted to ensure I had some lovely pictures of AJ and I when we did our special mother-daughter trip to New York. The trip was a big deal, not only because of the destination, but because of all that had been put in place to enable us to go.
About a year before I’d read about another travel family who had used a destination photographer to capture photos of their family in New York and decided to look into it. As I scrolled through the examples on the Wanderloud website, I saw beautiful moments captured of couples and families on holiday. They were real photos of real people. Some were posed but there were many candid, relaxed shots too. That was exactly what I was after.
I exchanged a few emails with the owners of Wanderloud as they were keen to know what we hoped for from the photos. What kind of shoot we wanted and a little about us. Wanderloud hire local photographers at your destination and give you a choice of who you’d like for the shoot. We looked through the photographers and although they all seemed lovely, we thought Melinda’s style would suit us. Brooklyn was decided on as the location and I was so excited to share it with AJ.
Before the photo shoot we received an email with tips regarding clothing, make up (keep it natural) and what to take on the day. Ultimately it was about being ourselves and comfortable. That suited us because I wanted the photos to look natural.
We had an agreed meeting point with Melinda and immediately felt at ease with her relaxed, calm personality. We walked towards the waterfront and chatted along the way. When something took Melinda’s eye we started taking photos.
I’m not going to lie, it didn’t immediately feel natural having someone we’d just met taking our photos. But, I’m always keen to embrace different experiences so it wasn’t long before AJ and I were having a fun time.
Image credit Melinda/Wanderloud
Being winter we were conscious we needed to add accents of colour to brighten our dark bulky jacket look. Dressing in layers also allowed us to have photos in different clothes as the day warmed up.
Image credit – Melinda/Wanderloud
When we travel and I want to be in the photo too, we usually rely on strangers. My tactic, if I want one with my DSLR camera, is to approach the person with the fanciest looking camera and hope that their eye for photography matches the size of their lens. Sadly that’s not usually the case. We’ve had heads chopped off, garbage bins included in the shot and photos with our eyes shut. I get it, people aren’t really as invested in a photo of complete strangers so they take it and run. That’s why it was so lovely to know Melinda really wanted to deliver quality photos which captured our time in New York.
Our photo shoot was only a couple of hours but what we have is a representation of our time in the city. I look at the photos and they remind me of the companionship, laughter and time spent together on a dream trip.
Image credit Melinda/Wanderloud
On the Wanderloud website the team say about their photo shoots, “It’s like hanging out with a friend who happens to take incredible photos.” I thought this was a bit of a stretch but now we’ve done one I can say it actually is! I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed wandering around the streets of Brooklyn with Melinda. We built up a natural rapport quickly and nothing felt ‘cookie-cutter’ about her approach. It honestly felt like we were with a friend discovering the streets together and happening upon good spots that she thought were worthy of a photo. This was what I loved the most about the morning.
Melinda’s knowledge about the best time of day to shoot was priceless. AJ and I returned to several of the locations later in the day and the crowds had arrived and it would have made it difficult to get the same type of photo. The light was also much better at the time Melinda suggested. Our shoot was timed perfectly.
Wanderloud has handpicked photographers in 60 plus destinations around the world.
It may seem extravagant to have a photographer on a holiday but if you think about it, we have special moments captured at weddings, school and on other special occasions. Some holidays deserve the same treatment and most people are more relaxed on holiday than any other time so the results are even better.
We had a preview of our shoot emailed to us within a day and the complete set within a few days. We were then free to download the phots and do whatever we like with them. I chose to have some photos taken of the two of us and some of just AJ so we have a nice mixture. Being 16 years old seems particularly special so I know I’ll treasure her pictures as much as the ones of both of us.
You can read more about the cost of the photo shoots and how it works on the Wanderloud website.
By booking a Wanderloud photographer you’ll be supporting an Australian couple and Ben and Benieke (the owners) are delightful, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy the experience as much as we did.
We were hosted for a portion of our photo shoot. We chose to upgrade to have a longer shoot and more images as I just knew from the outset this would be an extra special experience. Our review is reflective of an amazing morning and the beautiful photos we received. This is something we’d love to do as a family in the future.
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