If you don’t post photos from your vacation to Instagram and Facebook, it’s like you didn’t even travel, right? And if selfies from amazing locations just don’t do the trick anymore, Sweet Escape may be the solution. This startup connects travelers with professional photographers at locations all over the globe, and it bets that people are ready to pay to raise their travel photos to a higher level.
Sweet Escape is based in Indonesia and works with over 2,000 photographers in more than 400 cities around the world. The principle is simple: while you are on a vacation, choose the city in which you’re staying and book a professional photo shoot in the area. Sweet Escape will connect you to a local photographer who will take about 200 photos during a 2-hour shoot. Within three business days, you’ll get to choose and download up to 40 high resolution and edited photos. As for the price – all this starts at $300 and it can get higher, depending on the location.
Other than photographing you and your travel mates, the photographer will also “point you towards the best spots in the city.” He or she will recommend the places you don’t want to miss or point you to the best places to have a coffee.
The majority of destinations Sweet Escape covers are in Asia, almost 200 of them. Europe and America don’t fall too far behind, while Australia and Africa are not that well covered (for now). Other than holiday snaps, Sweet Escape also lets you find a photographer for events such as weddings, honeymoons, proposals, anniversaries and so on.
Personally, I find it a bit… inconvenient to hire a professional photographer on a vacation. Doing a planned photo shoot while I’m trying to take a break from anything planned just doesn’t work for me. But hey, that’s just me. Apparently, the model works for Sweet Escape, and the company claims to have served 10,000 customers so far. After all, social media has changed the way people perceive vacations. “We were more private but social media has changed the way people share — now, if you don’t have a picture of the trip then it isn’t real,” Sweet Escape founder David Soong told Tech Crunch. “Photos are an investment,” he added.
Traveling has never been easier, more affordable and more accessible. Combined with the social media, we get tons of snapshots that all look the same. I believe that Sweet Escape is meant for those who want their Instagram account to differ from the cliché. And just like the company’s founder – I’m also sure that there are people ready to pay for it.
[via Tech Crunch]
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