Our review of Localgrapher and why we believe you should have them as your family vacation photographer.
Taking photos is one my favorite things while I travel and the thousands of photos on my phone reel (and Instagram feed!) are witness to that.
However, always being the one behind the camera comes with a downside: when I look back at our family vacation photos, I am hardly ever in any of them!
I used to think this wasn’t a big deal, why would I need to see me in photos, I was there with the kids and that’s what counts, right?
However, when I realized no family photos now meant no family photos to look at later in life, I decided to do something about it and this something was hiring a vacation photographer!
For our upcoming trip to Rome, I made arrangements with Localgrapher, my provider of choice, and booked a photoshoot with them.
The vacation photographer experience was all I had hoped for it to be, and more: this is our honest, full review or our experience with Localgrapher.
I hope you find it useful and it will convince you to make a booking with them. They are amazing!
Please note: on this occasion, we were guests of Localgrapher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this post are, as always, our own
Table of Contents
Localgrapher review: what is Localgrapher?
Localgrapher is a company offering vacation photography services in several destinations around the world.
Their concept is simple and genius at the same time.
While you are on holiday, instead of fighting with a selfie stick of stopping passers-by hoping they take a decent shot of you, you hire a professional and book a photoshoot with them, on location.
You can choose between different locations (even within the same city), photographers and styles and the result is professional photos of you and your family and also a fun experience!
The whole process is in your control: to help you decide if the experience with Localgrapher is for you, this is a full description of our day with them, practical info and tips.
What to expect on a Localgrapher photoshoot: our day with them
We booked our photoshoot with Localgrapher to take place during our last trip to Rome.
I was alone with the kids on this occasion, so I opted for the shortest photoshoot option they offered, the 30 minutes one.
I felt this was a good time for the kids to have fun with it without getting bored and also that it was unobtrusive enough to make it work with the rest of our schedule.
It worked perfectly.
On the day, we showed up at the agreed meeting point and met Luca, our photographer of choice.
After introductions and a quick chat about the type of photos we were hoping to get, we went to nearby locations Luca knew would work well in photos and started our day in front of the camera.
It was a blast!
Luca took a mix of candid shots and more staged ones, got the kids to jump, run and tickle me and kept the shoot at the perfect pace for all of us to feel comfortable and never get tired.
He chose three different locations for us, all in the same area, and constantly checked that we were doing ok and we liked the style of photos he was going for.
I really appreciated how thoughtful he was of us and the kids and how much control he gave us over our day.
It was the perfect balance between a professional who knows what works and a person who understands you are on holiday and there are your photos, so you are the one who needs to be happy!
After about a week, we got our photo gallery and the result spoke for itself: we are in love with our photos and I am sure you will agree they are precious memories for us!
How to book a session with Localgrapher
If you think this experience would be fun for you and your families, booking wit Localgrapher is easy.
All you need to do is:
- Go on their website
- Select your destination of choice
- Look at the portfolio of the photographers available
- Click on ‘request a shoot’
- Choose your dates and book!
In our case, we started the process by email and then communicated by WhatsApp on the day to make sure we were all on track.
Communication was seamless both with the main Localgrapher office and Luca.
How to choose the best vacation photographer
Localgrapher has many photographers around the world, sometimes more than one in the same destination, and you can choose whatever one you prefer
This is technically simple but may take a little bit of time, especially if you have camera- averse kids like I do!
This is what I looked for when choosing our vacation photographer:
What type of photos do they take?
There are very many ways to take vacation photos: candid, staged, in journalistic, story-telling style or more fashion, edgy and editorial.
There is no right or wrong choice here but there is what it more comfortable for you.
I highly recommend you spend a bit of time and familiarize yourself with the photos of each professional.
Identify those you like most and don’t be afraid to ask them to recreate a certain style if it caught your attention for all the right reasons.
What languages do they speak?
Localgrapher photographers often speak more than one language: English of course but also Italian for instance, the language of our photoshoot.
If you are not a native English speaker or if, like us, you have bilingual kids, having a photoshoot in your own language can make a difference as you relax more and the kids are more likely to follow directions.
Do they work with kids?
In our case, it was paramount to have someone who was happy to work with children and so I read carefully the description of each professional to find a good one.
On the Localgrapher website, each photographer says something about themselves so you can get a sense of who they are and if they are likely to be a good match for you.
How to choose the best location for your vacation photoshoot
After you choose your photographer, you also have the option of choosing a location for your photoshoot.
In this regard, you can have as much or as little control as you want.
Each photographer gives on their bio a shortlist of their favorite locations in each city and you can let them pick one or go with their suggestion.
In our case, I really wanted to have photos of the Colosseum and Luca had it among its favorite areas, so I knew the result would be good.
Actually, he was also able to show me some locations I had no idea photographed as well as they did: this is to say something considering I am a Rome blogger!
If you do not know the place you are going to, you can let the photographer decide or pick on the basis of their portfolio.
How to prepare for your Localgrapher shoot
There is no special preparation needed for a shoot with Localgrapher however, it is a good idea to put some thinking into your clothes and the look you want to achieve.
In our case, we had opted for a candid, family-exploring-a-city type of look and so we went with clothes that were comfortable and suitable for the rest of our day sightseeing.
Even with this in mind, we found that some things work better than others:
Opt for clothes that make you feel good about yourself.
Nothing is more awkward than being in front of the camera pulling at your clothes trying to cover up bits of you you hate.
Opt for clothes you know you feel comfortable with: dress up, down or even go fancy dress but make sure you are happy with how you feel on the day.
Opt for colors. Especially for the kids, a pop of color can add a lot to the photo, especially if you catch a day that is somewhat overcast, like the one we got.
Go for layers. If the weather allows, try to take shots with different layers: take some in short sleeves, some with a cardigan on, some without.
The variety will go a long way to make the photos more fun.
Try to coordinate family members. You don’t need to have you and the kids in perfectly coordinated shades. However, some consistency in colors and styles will go a long way to get nice shots.
Try to think of colors that go together or even just a style you can all embrace, fancy or relaxed as it may be!
Localgrapher review: final thoughts
Our experience with Localgrapher Vacation photographer was amazing and one I highly recommend to any family.
My only regret is that my husband wasn’t with us on that day but this will soon be rectified: we had such a blast with Localgrapher, I will most definitely book them again!
I hope you enjoyed this Localgrapher review and found it useful. I hope you make amazing family memories on your next family vacation!
