You might come to love them, or resent them for the rest of your life. They can make your day unforgettable in the best sense, or in the worst. They can turn you into a goddess, or into your own passport photo. They can capture your happiest moments — or your most self-conscious ones.
We are talking about someone as important to a perfect holiday as your guide, your travel agent or your consultant: the photographer.
Resort destinations are full of them, and a search for “photographer in the Dominican Republic” returns an endless list. Are they all professionals? Hardly. The standard here ranges from sunset-in-the-palm-of-your-hand snapshots to first-rate photographers who shoot world-famous names. Price is not a reliable guide to quality either, which makes the choice genuinely difficult — so here is how to approach it.
Do you actually need one?
Worth asking first. In sunny weather — which is to say almost always — taking a good photo in the Dominican Republic is easy: point and press. The scenery does most of the work, so if you have a decent camera and a companion with an eye for a frame, you will probably come home with good pictures.
But if your expectations run higher than the average Instagram post, if you are travelling alone, if your companion cannot compose a shot, or simply wants to relax rather than run a photo session — that is where a photographer earns their fee:
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They know the quiet locations where there will be no one in the background, or close to it.
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A professional will spot your best angles, your better side and the poses that suit you, and build the shot around them.
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If you feel awkward in front of a camera and have no idea what to do with your hands or where to look, they will direct you.
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Good light + proper composition + professional equipment = a better photograph.
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And they will edit the results properly.
How to choose
Portfolio. Obvious, but look past the quality of the images to the style the photographer works in. Some specialise in family shoots, others in weddings, others in fashion and model work, and others focus on landscape with the people almost incidental.
Decide which style is closest to what you want and choose someone who works in it — it means they already know the right locations and angles, have ideas in reserve, and the shoot will run without surprises.
Experiments. If your shoot involves something the photographer has never done before — an unfamiliar style, an untested location, an event — look for someone more experienced instead. Do not take the risk. At best you will spend far more time and nerves than you planned; at worst you will end up with bad photographs.
Gender. Not a question of sexism, simply that some people feel more comfortable with a female photographer and others with a male one. There are plenty of both here, so you can pick whoever you will be at ease with.
Reviews. Ideally you will have a recommendation from someone you trust. If your choice rests on a portfolio alone, look for reviews somewhere other than the photographer’s own page. One recurring scam is padding a portfolio with the work of more accomplished colleagues. Do a little research and see what is said elsewhere.
What photographers themselves advise
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If you know your way around camera equipment, ask what they shoot on. A true master will produce something wonderful on a point-and-shoot, but the body and the glass do affect the result.
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Book your shoot around the middle of your holiday — late enough to have a tan, early enough not to have burned.
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Be very careful in the sun for a couple of days beforehand. If you burn, it will show in every frame.
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Turn up in a good mood: a genuine smile, in the eyes as well as on the lips, is worth a hundred points.
One last thing — we work with excellent, thoroughly vetted photographers we can recommend with a clear conscience for a shoot of any complexity. You can read more about photo sessions here, and for portfolios just message us on whichever app suits you.
