How to get better vacation photos, no selfie stick required

If you find yourself vacationing in Budapest, Hungary, you could preserve travel memories by taking a few arm-length, low-quality cellphone selfies that will fail to capture the magic of your visit.

Or you could hire someone like Dana J. Ardell, a Budapestbased professional photographer who knows photo spots you’ll never find in a guidebook and who can deliver stunning pictures — with your whole travel party in the shots.

Ardell is a photographer with Flytographer , one of a growing number of online services that help travelers find and hire a photographer to take pictures of them during a vacation.

“People who believe memories are the best souvenir” are among those who will find value in photo services, said Flytographer founder and CEO Nicole Smith.

Still, the cost could run a few hundred dollars, so be smart about whom you hire. Here’s what to know about hiring a pro to take pictures on your next vacation or bucket-list trip.

Why hire a vacation photographer?

• Vacations usually involve a lot of planning, money and great moments. “The problem is, the photos don’t always match that marvelous time they’re having,” Smith said.

Smartphone cameras are decent, but they don’t provide the same caliber of pictures as a professional camera and lens. Plus, phone cameras aren’t usually operated by a skilled photographer who knows how to incorporate the best light and properly compose a shot and later edit the images.

If you plan to turn a vacation photo into a wall-worthy print, you’ll want something better than a cell phone snapshot. “Nobody’s going to blow up a blurry selfie with seven chins,” Smith said.

• Travel photos often involve two undesirable choices: a selfie stick or handing your camera to a stranger in hopes they take a decent shot of everybody.

It’s the reason Ardell hired vacation photographers for trips to Amsterdam and Glasgow, Scot-

THOMAS HARTWELL — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE A Russian models for a photographer as the sun sets over the Red Sea at Sharm el-Sheik in Egypt. Hiring a professional photographer to take photos of you on vacation will add another cost to your travel budget, but it could be worth it for better pictures.