Shooting wedding photos on a foreign location is fascinating. The out of the ordinary scenes and locations can really make the creative juices ebb and flow. However, whenever you are photographing outside your country of residence, you have to take care of ALL the legal issues connected with photographing on a foreign land.
If you are a new destination wedding photographer, here are a few things you will require to address while planning such a foreign assignment.
Passport and Visa
It is obvious that you need to carry a valid passport that is definitely not close to expiry. Visa applications can take really long time depending upon the destination. You will have to apply for a business visa. Hence, make sure you have sufficient time to get your visa ready. For other passport and visa requirements, contact your embassy in the destination country.
License/Work Permit
Some destination wedding resorts require that the outside vendor carry a license for the services he or she is providing. For more information, clarify with the resort your clients have chosen and also with the tourist information center at the destination.
Some destinations, such as Mexico require that you obtain a work permit as a freelance photographer (even if only for a few weeks). The best place to clarify such doubts is to call the local embassy of that country (For example, calling up Mexican embassy situated in the USA for more details).
Insurance
These days it is always better to be equipped with cover-all travel insurance. While travelling, a photographer will have to carry equipments that cost thousands of dollars. Unless you insure them against damage and theft, you cannot be at peace. Make sure your insurance agent covers the theft, loss or damage on a foreign land as well. Thus, you need to look for travel insurance, which not only covers medical problems, but also extends the insurance to personal belongings.
Usually a small fee is involved in all of these. You might want to include all the legal fees in the final bill that you present your clients. Inform your clients before hand on what additional charges you will include apart from the photography charge.
Once you have taken care of these legal issues, everything else is just easy. You might still have to consider whether or not to take assistants with you. If yes, then all the above is applicable for them too. You must make sure to ask your clients regarding your travel, transportation and stay arrangements. If there are chances that you might have to fend for yourself with regard to transport or travel, you might have to look for budget transport options.
A destination wedding photographer needs to be prepared in every way to make the experience memorable for the clients and an incredible work experience for oneself.
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