• Style mantra: light, bright, and beautiful. We are striving for a “happy on holiday” feeling to the photos.
• Use natural light only, no flash or fill lighting.
• Keep away from heavy shadows – avoid the “dramatic” look.
• Think slightly over-exposed rather than under.
• Have a good tonal range between white & black.
• Keep your editing fresh and natural; avoid heavy filters, excessive tonal swings (like overly pink or yellow or brown) or using a grey screen.
• Rim lighting and sun flare can work well in golden hour shoots if used infrequently and with consideration.

• Tell the story of the customer’s vacation with strongly specific backgrounds, such as iconic architecture or landscapes — not generic backgrounds like a green bush or plain cement wall.
• Include a good mix of mid- & wide-range shots.
• A few close-ups are fine, but keep them at a minimum.
• Look for colours, patterns & textures that are unique to your location.
• Make sure you are thinking vacation photography, not portrait photography. What’s the difference? Find out here.

• For Flytographer, “candid” means a more natural style, but images always have to be flattering to your subjects. This generally involves some directing and prompts by you to make this happen.
• Sad but true fact: you may have taken the most beautiful photo of your life, but if the customer thinks he or she does not look good in it, they will hate it. This is extra incentive to make sure they always look and feel great!
• Beware of harsh facial shadows or squinting into the sun. Look for open shade on bright days.
• Instill trust by “having their back”— putting them in flattering poses, making sure they are comfortable, telling them when bra straps are showing or zippers are down.
• Make the shoot fun and it will be reflected in the customer’s face. They will always remember those good feelings every time they look at their photos. The happier customers are and the better they think they look, the more likely they will agree to share. A win for everyone!

See our Direction Guide along with more posing tips in our How to Deliver a Great Gallery resource. Another fun resource that we share with customers is How to Look Amazing in Photos — there are lots of great ideas in here of what customers expect from a Flytographer shoot!

Please keep an eye out for the following:

1. Bra straps, sweat stains, and flyaway hair, oh my! It’s all in the details … please run your eyes over your customers’ clothing and faces before you start shooting and be sure there are not any issues, like the above, or lipstick on the teeth or peekaboo underwear or wedding rings on upside down – we’ve heard it all! And please do not submit images of any unintentionally closed eyes. We know it’s not always easy when you have a large group, but people are always upset with this, so check that all eyes are open before submitting.

2. Straighten your horizons. Please.

3. No vignettes or experimental effects. We get that prisms and rings of fire are fun, but unless you’ve specifically told your customer that you are using them, do not include these kinds of photos in the gallery. We’ve found most of our customers are not happy with it.

4. Only submit black-and-white images if you have also included the colour version. Customers always want the colour version, so please save us from having to ask you for it and then you having to go back to find it or edit it.

5. A good variety of vertical and horizontal images is ideal. We love to use verticals to show off your work with the marketing PDFs or magazines, IG, and Pinterest, but horizontals are great for the customer “sneak peek” postcard, landscapes, and photo books. As well, customers love to have that variety for their own printing and social media options. Mix it up!

1. On a Flytographer gig, you are shooting for Flytographer. This means that you don’t mention your own business or promote it in any way. We want to avoid brand confusion. Customers may ask you about it, but please direct conversation back to your work as a Flytographer.

2. Remove all watermarks and metadata from your images. Keep your Flytographer galleries clear of any personal branding.

3. Wait 30 days before you post any photos and only if the customer has given permission in their written feedback form. Note that verbal permission on the shoot or through a text to you doesn’t count – Flytographer is legally responsible for the customer’s privacy and therefore the permission must come through our official feedback form. Once a customer has agreed to let us share, you can publish the images 30 days after receiving the feedback form. Always be sure to mention “Shoot for Flytographer” in your caption and tag @Flytographer in your post. See more details about our Sharing Policies here.