Speed Philippines – July 2019

JULY 2019 113

HOW TO

SWEETESCAPE

SweetEscape is a favorite

travel shutterbug of several

Filipino celebrities. The team

was the creative mind behind

Anne Curtis and Erwan

Heussaff’s K-drama prenup

shoot in Korea, as well as

Heart Evangelista’s OOTD

showcase in Italy, Paris, and

Egypt. They continue to be the

go-to photographer of many

jet setters, with their services

being available in 557 cities

worldwide, including 27 in

the Philippines.

Rates range from $120 to

$500, depending on your

location. They will be the

one to choose your

photographer, so it’s best

that you book a schedule at

sweetescape.com or the

SweetEscape mobile app two

weeks in advance. You can

receive your photos in as early

as three days.

AIRBNB EXPERIENCES

If you’re a thrifty traveler,

Airbnb is the place to scout

a photographer. To hire one,

go to airbnb.com and click

the “Experiences” tab.

Scroll down to the location

you’re traveling to then

click the package that says

“Photo Tour.”

Many of these tours are

priced between $50 and $100

per person. You’ll get your

dollar’s worth with a handful

of Insta-worthy shots taken

by your chosen lensman plus,

hours-long city tour with your

photographer as your tour

guide. Entrance tickets to

tourist spots, land transfers,

and meals can also be part of

the package.

LOCALGRAPHER

When stills aren’t enough to

record the heart-stopping

moments of your trip, it’s

time to hit up Localgrapher.

Besides photo shoots,

Localgrapher offers

videography services in

691 destinations worldwide—

eight of them in the

Philippines. Booking is done

through localgrapher.com,

where you can also select

your own photographer.

The video package costs

$450 inclusive of 60-minute

filming and 60-second full

HD video. Photo packages,

meanwhile, are categorized

as Bronze ($250), Silver

($350), and Gold ($500),

varying in shoot duration

and quantity of photos.

E-copy of these pictures will

be sent to you four days after

the shoot, while videos have

a lead time of two weeks.

A FREELANCE

PHOTOGRAPHER FROM

YOUR NETWORK

Inquire among your friends

because the ticket to your

picturesque posts just might

be taxiing within your circle.

This was how budding

Instagram personality Yale

Pagulayan (@questsofyale)

discovered Owen Amantillo,

a renowned Pinoy

photographer in Banff,

Canada. She recalls, “I used

to work with his step-

daughter so I learned about

his work through her. He used

to take so many beautiful

photos of her around Banff.”

It was also this connection

that put Yale at ease despite

the freezing weather

during their mountainside

shoot. She was shivering

then with the temperature

at negative two degrees

Celsius. “Nevertheless,

our photographer was very

accommodating that it made

the [photoshoot] smooth.

He even lent me his gloves

because my hands were

already numb,” she shares.

“Overall, it was a fun and

memorable experience.”

Owen Amantillo’s services

as a freelance photographer

range from $300 to $1,200.

Yet for Yale, the adventure

and surreal photos gave

much bang for the buck.

She explains: “I would rate

[the results] 11 out of 10!

Not only did the mountains

look magnificent, but his

shots also made it seem like

we were professional models

posing casually in

[subzero] weather.”

Thanks to the rise of local travel

photographers today, capturing

memories of your travels—

and achieving your feed goals,

as a bonus—can now be done in

a jiffy. It may entail additional

costs, but the photos and

experience are rewarding.

sweetescape.com

Photo by Owen Amantillo for Yale Pagulayan