How far will wedding photographers travel and how do travel fees work?
We're considering a destination wedding but wondering if we find the photographer we love, will they travel, and how do they charge for that?
Question Asked: 3/02/2023
Wedding Date: 9/08/2018
Most Helpful Response
(12) · Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, servicing all of South East Queensland.
Posted: 26/06/2026
Answered by: 11 Experts
Sort by:
Most photographers are happy to travel anywhere, as long as you cover the costs. I mean, why wouldn't they? Destination weddings look good in our portfolios, and they're a breath of fresh air compared with shooting the same bland function centres over and over.
Many photographers will want to extend the trip. If you're paying for their flight over to the destination anyway, they'll take a few days extra to make it a short holiday. (They won't charge you extra for the holiday, but they'll just want a few days before the return flight time.)
What we lose from our side by taking on the job is at least the day before and the day after, so there's an opportunity cost. But I think the odds are that the photographer will want to do it (and if they happen to get weddings booked on the day before or after, they'll ask someone else to cover for them).
What do people charge... Often, they don't charge for the travel time. But this will vary. I mean, it's definitely work for us, not a holiday (unless the photographer stays on for a few days). We're there to constantly look for photo opportunities, not to relax. We're there to work hard and sweat.
But photographers will almost definitely charge for accommodation and the cost of getting around (travel to and from the airport, and travel around on the wedding day itself -- hire car or Uber). And it's possible they'll charge for a meal or two, depending on how long you want them to be there. I mean, for a destination wedding, the odds are that you're going to ask them to cover the wedding day, but maybe also a party the night beforehand, and a recovery party the day after, so there's going to be a few meals there where you can't just ask the staff to do a "crew" meal for the photographer.
If you just want them to shoot the wedding day, I'd highly recommend you organise TWO nights of accommodation. You don't want them flying in on the day of the wedding itself, because flights get cancelled or delayed all the time; and usually it's not practical for them to fly OUT on the night of the wedding either.
Airline -- doesn't really matter, but some will be stricter with carry-on weight than others, and every photographer/videographer is going to be seriously pushing what they take in cabin luggage, because they'll have to take their batteries, and they'd likely want to take two camera bodies, a laptop, and a number of lenses if possible. For video jobs, I ask the client to pay for TWO pieces of checked in luggage, because it doesn't all fit in just one 23kg bag, but photography is different.
What level of accommodation... I tell couples that I don't care, and I'm fine with sleeping on the floor if I have to. Your mileage will vary between photographer! But I think photographers/videographers are more concerned with travel time to location than quality of accommodation. So, if you organise somewhere near, or somewhere central (if there's a number of locations), then that's much appreciated.
What else to say... Um... It's definitely worthwhile to consider local photo and video -- it's cheaper, they know the area well, they can fairly quickly source extra gear if something gets broken or left at home, and they bring more fancy gear to the wedding, without being restricted by baggage weight limits...
AS Wedding Photographers we travel all over the State of TAsmania and also we travel to Qld because we were once based there. We charge travel for Fuel is we travel in our State in TAsmania if its one hour outside our radius of where we live. For interstate we do charge for airfares due to the increase of travel.
(14) · Geelong, Macedon Ranges, Daylesford, Ballarat, Bendigo and Melbourne
Posted: 5/02/2023
Destination Weddings are epic and such a vibe. Costings depend on whether it is interstate or an international destination - as flights and accommodation (including some logistics at the ther end such as rental car will apply). But for those in Victoria wanting to secure a venue within VIC, depending on where it is most regional weddings for me I am flexible and depending on the package I may not include travel costs. I love a road trip wedding destination!
I'm based in St.Agnes, SA and I’d love to capture your best moments in your favourite spot.But it will incur a travelling cost based on the distance!
(6) · Sydney, Wollongong, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Katoomba, Newcastle, South Coast
Posted: 4/02/2023
it depends where the location is, and most photographers will charge flights, motel and car fuel.
https://www.nickweddingphotocinema.com.au/
Travel for a wedding is a lot of fun - a new location is always exciting and a chance to get away is awesome too. But there are travel costs and time out of the calendar to be part of a destination wedding.
Personally I charge for flights, accommodation (2 nights) and any local travel required (eg transfers, hire car).
Depends how far is the location. If only 1-3hours drive we only charge a fixed rate of $250. If further then that we only charge the clients what we have been charged.
(29) · Southern Highlands, Canberra, Wollongong & South Coast
Posted: 4/02/2023
We love a good road trip as much as a great love story!
As per the other responses - we cost up the flights / petrol, accommodation etc if it's significant travel. The costs are added to the quote after discussing with the couple.
If the wedding is up to 3 or 4 hours from where we're based in Canberra - we don't charge a travel fee!
Hi I've personally traveled all over the world so anywhere is possible and we work out a plan of how much extra that is depending on the logistics regarding petrol or plane flights.
it's easy to give an estimate as soon as I hear the plan.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Ask your own question and we'll have our experts answer it.
Ask a question
Short answer: yes, if you've found a photographer you genuinely connect with, almost all of us will travel to you. For us at She Said YES, we shoot right across South East Queensland as part of our normal coverage, and we happily travel interstate and overseas for destination weddings. The connection you have with your photographer matters far more than the postcode, so don't rule someone out just because they're not based at your destination.
On how the fees work, the honest version is that travel is almost always charged at cost on top of your package, not as a hidden markup. For us that usually means flights, accommodation for the nights either side of the day, and any local transfers or a hire car once we land. We'll price it all up transparently and show you the breakdown before you commit, so there are no surprises. Within our own region we're far more relaxed about it, and shorter drives around SEQ generally don't attract a separate travel fee at all.
A couple of things worth knowing from experience. Build in a buffer day so your photographer arrives the day before rather than flying in the morning of, because Australian domestic delays and weather can be brutal and you don't want your coverage riding on one tight connection. Also ask early about local knowledge: for an unfamiliar destination we'll scout light and locations ahead of time, which is the kind of prep that genuinely changes your photos.
One last thing to check whoever you book: ask where your final images and film are actually edited. Everything we shoot is edited in-house by our own team, never outsourced or sent offshore, so a destination wedding looks and feels exactly like the rest of our work. It's an easy question to ask and it tells you a lot about who you're really hiring.