Cruise Ship Job? Life as a Cruise Ship Photographer (Here's What It's REALLY Like!) 😒 🛳
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- Опубликовано: 7 окт 2024
- I thought that this information may be a bit helpful to those who are currently looking at becoming a cruise ship photographer.
UPDATE
Please refrain from asking me in-depth questions about how to become a photographer, what you have to do to apply, how to get the job...etc...
Please take this video as-is. I wanted to let people know that the position isn't 'roses and puppies'. It's rather aggressive, long, hard work. That's it.
I don't have the time to respond to the same questions over and over. Feel free to contact a cruise-ship company directly. Speak with their Human Resources department...they will know more than me.
Sorry. Thanks in advance! :)
UPDATE
I, too, fell in love with the idea of cruising around the world via cruise ships and casually photographing the passenger as they enjoy their luxurious vacation.
Well - it's a whole lot different than I expected. Coming from someone who has 6-months experience; here is my summed up Job Description:
The hours were longer
The management was aggressive
The work wasn't simply 'photographing'
and many more
To be honest, the job title should have read "Cruise Ship Photo Salesman - Little Photography Skill Required"
Yeah, that's a bit harsh - but it's the truth.
About 15% of my overall job-role in my 6-month contract was actually taking photographs.
I made this video to make you aware of the position before committing many months of your life to this position - It's not meant to be negative - it's made to be straightforward and honest.
The pros:
Well obviously, there were pros; or I would have walked off the ship and flew myself back home. Traveling was amazing. Seriously. With the little time I had off - I was able to spent it exploring some amazing places in some amazing foreign countries. And for that reason alone is what kept me going. It was the only reason that brought me on to a cruise ship in the 1st place.
You simply have to weigh your options - if you, like me, are able to deal with the craziness in order to travel and see the world - then apply! :)
I hope this helps someone, somewhere.
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Very true, I think I blocked out some of the bad memories haha, Slave 7 days a week 5:30am till 12am every day with two hour breaks here and there to try and have a power nap, hardly a moment to see places the ship visits due to work load and emergency test drills, everyone on the ship hates you after two days as they have already been shot a few times by then, but it continues every day, and then you are stuck in a small room printing or pushing sales with aggravated customers that cant find their photos on the wall.. and then they complain its $30 a pic. Then you have to dress up as a pirate and be an actor while other photographers on your team do the shooting ..it only pays about $500 a week, and the food is so repetitive you cant wait to visit a county that has mcdonalds! This is an actor / retail job, you dont get to actually use your own photography skill, the creative side is quickly stamped out as all shots of all shooters have to match, so they will tell you what settings to use and you will be in deep water if you try anything that looks a little nicer. Be prepared to stand outside the ship in hot humid destinations in the direct sun for hours while tired customers walk on and off the ship - its up to you to make sure they stop smile and give you another photo. Now thats the job, on the positive note, your staff bar below deck after hours..if you are not too tired sells really cheap duty free beers for $2.50 and you can make really good life long friendships with team members, when lucky you may get 3 or 4 hours off at a destination and you can go and explore that place, go for a snorkel etc.. but its probably once or twice a week.
- Exactly!
Oh my god you just pretty much summed up my entire experience apart from the fact they let me go as my videos weren't up to their standards as to be honest most weeks I'd be working something like 95 hours on 10 hours sleep
- And they paid you almost nothing haha. Crazy job, for sure.
- yes, the jobs are very safe. Do not worry. Yes, you will be away from your boyfriend for long periods of time, this can create a loss of interest between two people. This kind of thing happens, it can destroy relationships. Be aware.
Some companies require that you have used a DSLR camera. If you haven't, these companies will not accept you. Maybe purchase a very cheap one, and practice. That way when they ask you questions, you will be a bit more confident...
ha ha Carnival,i know
I am so sick and tired of photographers being treated like crap. I wish people had a greater understanding of what photographers have to go through at times. I am so happy more photographers are speaking out about things like this.
Brother, your video is on point! I have been doing 2 contracts and a half a few years ago, and pretty much everything you said felt like my personal experience, even if I was on much smaller ships I guess (judging by the formal night working hours^^). But yep, working like a dog, being kind of bullied by both customers and management, absolutely zero creativity or skill required, I was asked to take photos the same way it's being taken for probably 20 years.
And the photos in the dinning, maaaaaaaaaan! On my 3rd contract I even applied to be a videographer, in the hope that I could avoid the formal nights and the dinning shi... shoots: nope. Even as a videographer, for the formal night I had to become a photographer and do it too. And the salary was pretty much inexistant (on my first ship, on a 5 months contract I have been paid 300 euros during 2 months because it was a ferry, and after Christmas Holidays so the ship was basically empty. 300 euros was the legal minimum they had to pay us, regardless of the sales).
Now I also have to admit that it allowed me to travel the world and see things I would have never had the chance to see otherwise, especially as a videographer. Because instead of gangway, the videographer goes on tour with the guests. And that's awesome, I can't deny! Plus, my last contract allowed me to meet my wife, so I will always be grateful for that!
But overall, to anyone looking to go work as a cruise ship photographer/videographer, please watch this video a second time, and really take your time to consider... 😅
- Well said 🙃
On the Royal Carribian ( my experience as a tourist), they took so many bad and badly developed photos, I bought non. To bad they don’t allow the Photagrafer to do a great photo. I’m very photogenic and was shocked about the managers response. I told him flat out to take those bad photos of me and destroy them. I did not want any of my friends seeing them. Had they just done one or two good ones.....I would have bought them. With our cellphones we took amazing photos. The mass waste of photo paper and ink is ridiculous. Let the Photagrafer’s shine and relax with the tourist and take time, then photoshop if needed. Then you will sell more photos. All those managers should be fired.
- We tried explaining this to managers, the their boss, and even their boss then they made a surprise visit on out ship. Top-corporate people. They wanted no part of our ideas. It was like talking to a wall! 😒
this doesn't surprise me.. in the end they rlly dont care about the people who run their business.. cuz that's technically what employees do .. run the business..so to speak
That's when they don't hire passionate individuals. You have to be passionate about a job to have the business run smoothly. And management also needs passionate and understanding individuals
- pretty much. Everybody basically hated their job. Many people were passionate about photography, but we were not allowed to shoot particular way. We had to follow their exact ridiculous protocols which led to photos that people were not interested in buying most of the time. 90% of the photos got thrown away at the end of the cruise.
I really appreciate your honesty... Your experience made me change my mind about application for that kind of job
- 😇
same here ... the idea of having to convince annoyed guests to buy overpriced images.. ugh not thank you .. i was on a cruise and i remember hating that too ..
Thank you for posting this video! Your experience and opinion are matching with mine. I've worked 6 months in a resort in Mexico and so many things you said are so true. I've promised myself I won't come back to this job ever but actually I need money so I was thinking about joining the cruise. You actually made live again the negative emotions I had by working in that photo company. As you I had some great moments, met cool people and had fun. In my case I had more space to express my creativity and a flexible manager who decided to eliminate restaurant shots cause we were making enough money with photobooks and other shots. As you said it's up to anyone's expectations: it might be a good or bad job - it depends the way you see it!
- For sure! Thanks for your input!
I have talked to some people who really liked it...but, I will say that most people hated it.
I definitely have a negative opinion about this, unfortunately.
Edges Of Earth In my case the positive moments were to live and explore the country when I had a day off, learning new language and making friends. None of the positive aspect in the job itself. After 6 months I was exhausted and didn't want to use a camera anymore. It was not professional photography and it was killing my passion for it...
- Totally. Their settings. Their poses. Their backdrops. Blah. I brought nothing to the table - not because I (we) were incapable - but because we weren't allowed.
Edges Of Earth Have a look at some of my photos I took, in Instagram @o.tarasphotography
I gave up 75k a year in America to work on cruiseships because I was tired of the rat race and working just to pay bills. I will say make sure you are well informed about the position in which you are applying. Cruiseship life depends on POSITION and its best to find one that fits your personality. 3 contracts in and I bring home 5k a month. Kool thing is it doesn't even feel like a job, I mean I do work everyday but in 3 four hour increments, shiplife was the best thing to happen to me and I'm American! Yeah you do have to deal with crappy management sometimes but chances are they will be leaving soon and you'll never see them again. I didnt mind though I just played on they're intelligence and managed to shut them down every chance I could😂😂😂 but I am a hard worker so to each their own!! If you don't like where you are just keep transferring until you find something that fits you.
- Great words of advice. Keep transferring. I was just discussing this exact topic with someone this evening. I wouldn't mind transferring to a different position that I had in mind on the ship. Income would be almost 10 times higher than that of a photographer. But, I am happy where I'm at, traveling around the world like a tumbleweed with little money. So far, I have no complaints. So, I have no interest in applying for a job, yet. But, it is always an option for the future that I can fall back onto.
What is it you did on a cruise ship?
@@Edgesofearth whats that other position you had in mind?
- It's been so long in can't remember. I never went back to ships..
Do you recommend someone to work as a youth staff on cruise ship??
You describe so goooood all the work as a photographer. I resigned I hated, the management and everything It's just a mess. The only thing that was keeping me alive was the idea of travel the world.
I’m going to take the photos with the workers now. Even if I don’t buy, it’ll help them.
God bless you for this so true and realistic story you told us.Greetings from Serbia.Respect man!!!
i couldn't not describe the job more accurate than this I was in carnival cruise for 3 months on 2012 and resign
We went on Carnival last year and were never harassed to take or to purchase pictures. I will say that now I will take more pics to help them make their quota- I am guilty of saying no to some of the photo ops on the gangway and ports.
- yeah, it is a crazy situation. To make the life of the photographer easier, simply say yes to the photo, but you do not have to buy it. Saying no to the photographer causes the most amount of drama, on both ends of the stick. But, is your choice, you can do whatever you want :-)
Edges Of Earth Carnival is now offering a package for pictures where you pay a flat rate upfront-prior to boarding- and are able to get all pictures that are printed and also a package for both the prints and the digital- this might help both ends for the photographers- as a passenger we can’t do much about the hours but are so appreciative for all who work on the ships for keeping our family safe, making sure the kids have fun and helping us document it so my husband and I can be in the moment with our kids rather than behind the camera💜💜
Do u recommend someone to work as a youth staff on cruise ship?
yeaah life as a carnivaL photographer is a female dog,but a lot of you guys are awesome and funny so that helps also.it's ok in the end,it builds character.(former Photo operative).take the photos folks,on some level it helps.enjoy the sunsets
We had all of our formal night photos taken with the white balance completely off, and were expected to buy them when they looked awful (well, we obviously could have not bought them). Eventually they did say that the camera that was used had a problem with its white balance, but they didn't have enough cameras to stop using it. I remember feeling for the photographer a bit (mostly because my mother is really painful in situations like this!), but I guess I really didn't understand everything that the photographer was going through. I'm glad I watched this before going on my next cruise!
- 🙏🙏🙏
That happens a lot. The company Is really cheap with hours/equipment/personal and the photographers get blamed for it
Awesome video. Was considering doing this. This is very informative!
here i am 2 minutes into the video thinking i was going to go and try it out and now reconsidering and laughing at how u are describing the learning curve. i could see where i would be in over my head 👏🏽😂 thankyou for your honest review…now on to the rest of the video
- 🤣🤣
oh and thank u for sharing....
i wanted to travel and make money but .. i don't think the stress and this type of photo work is for me.. i alrdy hate the whole fake side of the photo business .. ugh.. thanks for sharing tho.. this is EXACTLY what i was looking for.. the search continues..
great informational video! thanks
The description of your ship photographer job sounds like hell. I used to be a ships photographer in the 1980s, in the days when the photogs had to do darkroom processing. Was on Norwegian, Greek, British and Soviet Union ships. Most people wouldn’t believe it but the Soviet ships were by far the best. Usually the photographers got the best cabins available, and on the longer cruises such as round the world, we got big luxurious cabins on boat deck. The passengers mostly wanted our photos, because although they had their own film cameras, they didn’t know if their snaps were going to be successful. The passengers on Soviet ships were not Russian, but other westerners who chartered the ships through travel agencies. The commission based pay was usually good, and some cruises, especially the shorter ones, it was very good. Many of the ports were for a few days at a time, with plenty of down time for the photogs, both in port and onboard.
- Wow, cool. thanks for sharing!
You are so right!!! I hated that job, but I dont have regrets about did it. But I wouldnt come back there, i dont care the money, I felt so bad during my contract and I never encourage someone to do it. Now I miss my friends, but I never miss the job.
- Exactly.
Alina for how long period your contract was?
I got off a ship today, a week vacation, and I have this moment that will never leave my mind. A photographer asked so he can take a picture and I kindly denied because I was really tired and I was in heels and just wanted to go change as soon as possible and he looked so disappointed for a moment, I felt so bad :( he was really nice and kind tho. I hope he got the amount of pictures he was requested to get..
- 😇
thank you, I enjoyed your video, i spent 6 years like that, not missing all aspects you mentioned))
- Yah, it's a rough career-path. That's for certain :)
Brilliant video mate, it sounds like it was yesterday. :)
You forgot to say something, even regarding the travelling part of the job. Sometimes you get to new places but you're so tired that you would rather sleep an extra half an hour instead. Or you visit new places but you're so messed up that you can't really enjoy them. Well, that's it! :)
Thanks for the video, nice job!
- haha, pretty much. There were times I wanted to get off the boat and explore, but I remained in my bed because I was just too tired to move.
@@Edgesofearth true words, also early schedule to come up later on, and we missed the best port memories
Holland I worked 20 hours easy a day. You nailed it with the formal dinner. I hated taking people's photos while they are eating and getting yelled at by the superior. Will I do it again? Hell no as a photographer. Maybe front clerk or excursions. Parties are fun, dating life is fun
Thanks man it helped me. and good luck !!
Great vid and insights, thanks for sharing!
- Thanks, Natalie :) Absolutely!
Big Thanks Bro, you saved me from misery. I cancelled my application. The job sounds rough!
- It was rough. I support your decision. Best of luck in whatever journey you choose 😇
Oh good to know how it is. Am 18 and i always wanted to work as a photographer on cruise ship, and i wished one day i could even how it is. I really like to travel too. Maybe in the future i will come back to this video and comment about my experience (if it happen). :)
Hi i’m impressed of this video, im now on my 4th contract, 3 different companies, in photo department, now im senior as a new hire, there is frustrations as well when i joined as new hire senior. But overall making target, when not they pin point the new hires which do not bring numbers, so im deciding to quit in the end of my contract
- 🫣
I can clearly understand how it feels and what you go through...yes truly stressful job and Ressi is the worst..
it fells like my own words, i did so many things, like dress like a bear, dress like a pirate, dress like a viking, i did a lot of photos and thats not the worse, i think the worse was the restaurant, but i admit that to travel the world was worth it, but only for a few years.
Yajaira Salvador how was it?
I'm with you. The dining room is the worst in the world, you must go every night, people do not answer you, they just look bad, some tell you that they are not going to buy photos or some even yell at you. I worked 6 months as a photographer in carnival and it was the worst of my life, I will NEVER return.
I didn't even had time to visit the ports because i ended up so tired from the Ganway that I could only use the 3-hour break to sleep and regain energy.
- Pretty much. And that's just a piece of the story. There is soooo much more negativity than this lol.
Dining rooms were the worst. Sooo degrading! Yuck! I'm so glad I never went back!
What's up! Greatly appreciate your message. I happen to have great passion for photography but however a developed Hotelier (Restaurant Supervisor) in Dubai on the verge of joining NCL as either of the two...this video makes me wanna hide my camera and go on board as a restaurant supervisor - Haha!
- lol Yeah. I didn't really sugar-coat it. Choose wisely! 😇
Thanks for this!
So, if im not mistaken, would it be as a navy officer, sub officer, or... photographer. The only things missing would it be the red light to indicate night, the cotton balls as a 'shower', and the drills over and over. For the rest, all military conditions. Zero creativity, zero real photography. Just business. Sadly for the clients. Now i know whay they dont sell much. Managers are ztupid? or they are not aware that having employees without rest, and bad mood, is not good for business. Furthermore, i believe IMOrg and others maritime treaties are agencies from the UN and their Human Rights above all. Are we sure all this in the ships are legal?
any photographer ex-advocate in da house?
Anyway, when you see an officer you dont see a salesman, you see discipline and fear. I believe customers could see that too.
Supposedly photography is an art. But there seems to be a MISSION.
I hope someone do something about all this 'slavery' or 'military' conditions, for people that are artists or entertainers, who did not choose joining the Marines.
JHC!!! we are in 2019!!! not in the x cent!!!
I was a cruise ship photographer for 2 and a half years. Was hard work but got used to it. My profile pic is actually me dressed as a pirate outside the restaurant on celebrity cruises.
you are not photographer anymore ?
YA..IT MAKE SENSE...N THANKS FOR SHARING A GENUINE,THOUGHTFUL GUIDANCE..VERY HELPFUL....THE REAL PICTURE.....AND NOT DREAMY..DREAM..HEHEH
Thanks for the information!! i was going to apply to be one.... NO THANKS! LOL
I did 6 months with a Disney Cruise Lines contract as a photographer in 2016, it wasn't that bad for me the managers were though a bit up themselves every now and then and very strict when it was hectic, but most times they were super awesome! it must be because I'm Australian hahaha we're always awesome! but anyways it was an amazing experience .
- Good to hear! I have heard from a co-worker that Disney was more crazy than this cruise line, haha!
Hi can i ask about the pay and working hours.
I'm applying for this job at Disney Cruise currently, any advice? Was it really as bad as the other comments?
- A girl in my photo department said that she will never work at Disney again. The conditions were way worse.
Which is hard to imagine...something worse than this...
tnx. I'll work on the same company, photographer as well 😊. oh You've already finished. hah I think 6 month will be enough for me, keep shooting video, it's interesting 😉✌🏻️
- :P Will do!
Why I didn't listen to you before I first embark! 3 contracts already almost quitting.....Is not photography....is Chinese factory. Restaurant shots are the worst!!!!!! And after a while, once you go home is really hard to go back to your style....Drama and crazy hahaha like that part so true. Thanks for your video.
- Restaurants ARE the worst lol. Blah.
Thanks for your feedback! We are not the only ones with this opinion lol
I hated the gang way, HORRIBLE Sun. And the restaurant, go there and smell the food. Awful
Hi! I was about to have an interview with Norwegian in 2 days and now feel kind of confused. I can’t make more than $200 a month with filmmaking (usually less) here in Argentina, and that sounded like a lot of money (for future independent travels) and magical places all together, but don’t know what to decide now. Guess I’ll check it with my pillow these days. Thanks anyway for all the data, it’s not what we want to hear but surely it’s much more useful :)
- 😇😇😇
Hola Pilar.. me puedes pasar el contacto de la agencia de foto de Norwegian porfa? Gracias..
Am about to sign up with them and advise
- just listen to this video a second time, and even a third time. Once you are committed, there's no turning back. If you quit, you are responsible for your own plane ticket home. Good luck on your decision 🍀
Im with you man. I used to work in walmart's portrait studio. And i dont get to see the world there. I lasted 3 months 😅
- 😇
Thank you for your honest review.. I was looking forward to working as a cruise photographer but honestly i am l'il scared and nervous now.. My purpose of doing it was to travel but I don't know whether it is worth this!? Good things come with a price, i guess!!
- Yeah - it's not all balloons and puppies, that's for sure lol
So,now what's your plan to TRAVEL??
Thank you but with respect fuck that it takes the joy out of it
You will work 7 days in a row and then the manager will pressure you to make a sales and booking haha. Also you need to take STUPID picture on a restaurant. You can't explore the creavity things also because the manager give you standard STUPID FUKIN OLD POSE GUIDE. Cruise ship photograper was a nightmare jobs that i have ever had in my life 😂😂😂
- Yep.
It's a bummer you had such a bad experience.. I'm about to work on a cruise ship in a couple months but I'm in entertainment and I know people who've worked in my area and it's a lot more fun.. Good luck with whatever you do now..
- Yeah, I was kinda hoping for something a bit more...sane. lol.
For sure, different departments are sometimes a completely different world!
Thanks. I am sitting in Vietnam teaching English - a world of difference lol!
Entertainment guys have it a bit easier than the retail departments in a sense as they get to have a lot more hours off the ship. That's why other departments used to hate the entertainers. My ex was a singer, and whilst she got to chill out and go out exploring I was editing in my office
Thank so much for this, it was really great seeing this video, there is not many first hand information out there about this position! So I have a question for you if that's ok :) I am currently applying for a contract that would be for 8 months, and honestly the biggest incentive for this job when it comes to me is traveling, so how much would you say you got to see and experience? Since the job does entail such a hectic schedule and a heavy workload, how much time and how often would you say it's realistic to get out at the port and explore?
- yikes, tough question. Management has everything to do with the amount of time you can get off of the ship. Some management teams scheduled the team evenly, which reduced the amount of time that everybody could get off of this ship. A different management team, the people that I really dislike, but, I like their schedule better, what they did is forced us to work longer and more rigorous hours. We all took turns having extremely long and rigorous days. This allowed us to get off of the ship more and for longer amounts of time. However, even with this method, it wasn't anything to get excited about. The longest amount of time I have ever had off of a ship was 7 hours. The average seemed to be about 2 hours. And about 1 time per week I was able to get off of the ship. I hope that gives you some type of idea.
I really love experiencing culture, and I can honestly say with this job that it was virtually impossible to experience any amount of culture. Weigh your options carefully. :-)
I'm not sure what cruise ship you were on but I've been on 8 with two diff cruise lines and I've never been forced to buy any photos. I've never been forced or harassed to take any photos! I've had opportunities to take pics my way and if they were jacked up we were able to retake along with several other poses! I hate that your situation was rough!! Do you think that's how it is on all cruise lines or possibly certain cruise lines or even certain ships?? I've talked to many workers on ships just not many photographers
- Wow! That's encouraging to hear. I have even heard about different companies who had it 'worse off' than me! Crazy to think...seriously.
Other than traveling around the world, I can't find much of anything good to say about the position.
It's good to hear that there are ships how are passenger-experience oriented...and not simply up-front money-hungry.
Thanks for the input!
Hi, which is the company? Im about to get in Image group. 8 months contract, not 6 like Edges. :/ thnks for the info.
@@corykaplan. Hey,me too,where are you from?
Im seriously reconsidering taking it now.
@@marcosrecio4062 hola, claramente debes hablar español. soy de cordoba capital. ya hice todos los test y entrenamientos ahora tengo que hacer los estudios y el visado. los audios y experiencias que me llegaron por suerte fueron muy buenos y no tan catastroficos como parece haber en youtube. no entiendo como no hay nadie con una buena experiencia. los fotografos tienen buen laburo, y TODO absolutamente TODO depende de tu manager porque te puedo decir si la verdad tuve alta experiencia labure 7 hs por dia como maximo 14 (pq es depende de la schedule) y otro venga y te diga si mi manager no me dejo ni nun dia off. pero la experiencia dicen que es lo mas :)
@@corykaplan. hola! Soy de Rosario, yo tengo que ir al ORIS en diciembre.La verdad estuve viendo mucha gente que le encanto la experiencia, me parece que algunas cosas lo pintan muy fulero,pero de todos modos ya decidi que voy a mandarme,aunque sea por la paga y la experiencia laboral
well done Brock, so glad you did this video. and you should be proud of yourself for seeing the six months through. good for you :)
- Wow! Haven't heard from you in a while! :)
Yep - made it through!
Now, I am off traveling the world in my down-time.
Hopefully some day we will cross paths again! :D
i understand you :)) been there
Thank you for the very informative video. I have to think again after this. So how about the salary range?
- every company is different. Starting could be between 900 to 1100 usd, usually.
@@Edgesofearth Thank you!
Your video is interesting. It is true on some parts! Now it depends on the company, the size of the ship (on smaller ships they work more), the manager (if he is acting manager he has to prove himself), the home port (NY, LA is really hard for photographers). On my first contract on a small ship on CCL was bad at the beginning, but it gets easier. You work 70h a week, mostly 10h a day with a lot of brakes (depending on the day). You create the product and you sell the product! It depends on the manager if you will have a good experience or a bad one! But leaving o a ship for 6-8 months means you will have a lot of training on safety, emergency drills, tests... I guess it depends on the country you live in, on yourself as a person... The experience will change you! But the money you get (not that much), you don't have to pay for rent or food (not even uniform on CCL)...
- Totally. There are many factors.
We were absolutely murdered at the home-port lol.
The management does have a massive impact on the experience as an employee. I had 4 months under a demon-manager. 2 months under 2 great human beings, but despite that - the job/expectations/working conditions was ludicrous (by my standards). The worst, in my opinion, was being heckled/rejected by the passengers and then being yelled at (sometimes at the top of their lungs) by management for not acquiring the desired amount of photos...virtually every day for 6 months.
i was ship photographer for 2 contract its like a slave factory ,what i hate the most is gangway photo in the morning begging guest to get there picture even if it rain you have to shoot till you get your account.you have to paid $400 for the uniforme which honestly cost like $100 you thing its a good job beacause you travel the world hahahaha in 2 week you start crying.
- I'm with ya. I nearly walked off the ship twice out of anger due to the lack of respect from management.
Our uniforms were free. If we needed to buy another one, each unit/piece was like $6 or something ridiculously low. $400? Nuts!
I am far from being a photographer, I always wanted to work on cruise ships and this was the only job that did not require experience. At the beginning it was difficult for me to work on a cruise ship. I work for celebrity cruise. the guest don't like to be photographed. they are very old and they have been doing cruises for years :) There is never a queue, or very few. I don't like to take pictures in the dining room on formal night . Target photos are very low , only 75 pics on formal night , am not joking lol. One day i took only 3 pics in the dining room lol , one couple and all of them refused. On formal night we finished around 22:30
I hate also to do booking for black&white portrait. Every months we get 1 or 2 off day to relax. We don't really have any pressure from the manager
- thanks for your information. Your target numbers sound so easy compared to my contract. We had to have a minimum of 400 photos every time we walked into a dining room. management was absolutely terrible! Yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs while veins were popping out of their neck and spit was flying out of their mouth, if we did not achieve their numbers.
almost nobody wanted their photo taken on the ship, or even when I walked off. We had to force them. It was so awkward and such a terrible business model. I wouldn't wish this job on anyone! 😬😬
Wow this sounds even worse then I imagined! I expected it to be somewhat uncomfortable and hard work from what I read in the job offers - but this is straight up slavery. I guess it really depends on the company you decide to go with. The ones here in Germany that I looked into didn't sound too bad. But who knows if the official "work experience statements" on their website can be trusted... Will def. have a better look into this over the next few months!
- Good luck 😇
Dang, sorry to hear how bad it is. I usually say no when the photographers ask to take a photo, because I know I am not going to buy it, but after watching this video, the next time I go on a cruise I will always let them take my photo just to help them with their quota and keep from getting yelled at. Still won't buy the photo tho. The prices they want are insane.
- 🤘🏼🤘🏼💪🏼🥲
Thank you very much. I was about to be hired by cruise ship but i have heard enough! Thank you for being honest i wish i could collaborate with you since i am videographer too. P.s. you look like better version of Alan Harper from 2 and a half man. No offense :) peace
thanks for sharing. Its not a job for me
Question: Do you have to bring your camera gear or does the company provide it? Thanks.
- Both. Every company is different. Be sure you do your research before you sign up! lol
Thank you for shared information!! ;) ;) ;)
- Absolutely. Hopefully it helps 😉
I'm about to start on my first contract as a photographer, but I served for almost 9 years in the Navy where our deployments were 7-12 months long. This seems like a vacation to be honest.
- you know has a lot to do with perspective. the most stressful part about this job was that's the passengers were angry to see us and did not want us to take a photo, and the management was extremely angry at us because we didn't take enough photos. Multiply that scenario buy 180 days.
I'm sure the Navy, you also have stress, but in a completely different way. You will soon find out how it Compares and :-) I wish you the best of luck!
thank you for honest information, I will be join this job soon 😊. How many months are you there?
- You bet!
It was a 6-Month contract, with the company I was with. It sounds like that is pretty standard for this position. Sometimes when you get on the ship, they may ask you to stay longer, or end your contract a couple of weeks sooner. It is completely up to you if you want to do this.
Best of luck! Get ready! :D
Me and my friend will join this job after 3 months ! We are waiting when agency buy for us the tickets to usa ! Damm sounds crazy :D
- Yeah, a bit crazy.
Hopefully you will enjoy it :) Focus on the good things!
Edges Of Earth Thanks bro i will try to... amm i have already pay agency 500€ to get this job :D
- I remember, I had to pay an 'agency' nothing, however, I needed a medical exam, dental exam/work, specific clothing (only a few items)...and total, I had about $1,000 US wrapped up in getting the job. This included odds and ends things like traveling back home to drop some stuff off.
It's an investment, that's for sure ;)
wow.. i was considering it but erm.. this is not the kind of photographer i wanna be.. and if the pay isn't great then .. screw that /...
bummer.. sucks...
Same
Hi bro its awesome to see your video.. love love it super genius! Are u still on the ship right now?
After watching many videos about cruise ships, I don't think I could go on a cruise knowing that I'm being catered to by modern day slaves.
- 😔 Yeah, some positions are very rough. Other positions are - you are treated like royalty.
Task masters and slaves.
Great video, full of information. You are charismatic personable fellow. My question to you is, why would a photographer of your aptitude work on a cruise ship? But seriously, I've watched your video a few times. You are super passionate about what you do. It kinda seems like you sold your soul for just a few hours at a new destination... Is that really traveling? I am a financially poor musician myself. Though when I travel to a new country, I live there for 3 to 4 months. This is just about as long as your contract at sea. So I guess the only thing I have to say is (since the youtubes eventually led me to your video ;) Is that you should advocate the photography that you are passionate about. Not the follies of a cruise ship photographer. Let them make their own mistakes such as you have. I enjoyed your video, though it does sound like it should be left to the "point and click" want to be photographers that we both know are out there. All the best to you!
- Ahhh, indeed!
I just came from a 27-day vacation in Thailand and a 47 day vacation in Philippines. Now I am on a 6-month vacation in Vietnam. I have no plans to go back to the ship.
Initially, this was a 'test' to see if it was what I waned. It definitely is not. I am, however, glad that I did this. It WAS an experience...though most of it wasn't all that great.
As for now, I have ditched that life and simply started traveling the world. Check out some of my newer videos to get a feel for what I'm up to. SOOO many more videos coming. I need more time to edit them all.
Thanks for the kind message 😇
If you really love photography don't work on ships, trust me, is completely different from a professional career ,
Is a though department, demanding, , I will be finishing my first contract in a couple of weeks, but definitely I'm not happy with how photography is managed on these ships
Try to come to Montenegro and work for 12hours a day(true there is one day off) for 300eur a month where they treat you as garbage and yell at you all the time, oohh wait there is also 10% off your pay and the main and the most common reason is "because I seid so". And for the last I saved and you can not see the world because your whole income is just to pay bills and gas. Yhea I know is like Bear Gryls style of living. 7 days a week from 5:30am - 12:00am treating me as garbage for what 1200-1400$ a month? No thanks I dont need to see the world, that income is enough plesure for me...
- Sooooo crazy!!
I'm very curious of knowing what type of photography were you doing.. I got a job offer for doing portrait photoshoots with a lighting set up and white background, I'm now investigating more and thats how i got here. So i wanted to ask you if your job was also doing that? maybe they told me to me it was just the studio shoots (thay might be good) but if it's like beging people to get their portraits taken and then aldo get them to buy the prints I might think it a bit more haha.. Any comment will help. Awesome to hear your experience couse I thoght it was the best deal ever.
- On formal nights, no begging. Everyone wants their picture taken. Gangways, NOBODY wants it taken. We had to force them.
Then, we had to convince them to buy it.
50% studio
50% candid
I'll ask a lot more if they call me back hahah Thanks man.
oh great mate, im going to join cruise photography in October, i hope that i can face it lol,
well i have the same purposes as yours, traveling and using my young age as a shield on haahaha
nice infomation mate cheers
- LOL
Well, in 6 months, be sure to come back and post how everything went 😜 ⛴
lol i will Brock :3 Lemme face the reality first LOL
Hey what about this update? Hahaha it’s time!!!
Yes! Update! I´m going to join a ship as a photographer in April! I have afraid!!
@@Fruticosaify How did it go?
Im a photographer too. Being a cruise ship photographer is my dream. But im a lil bit afraid.
Kuri Mamau - there are some serious pros and cons. Choose Wisely :-)
Yeah. Thanks a lot.❤❤❤
I only made it 5 months, this was exactly my experience. I hated every second of the job, but I miss the people I worked with.
- 😞 Shame, really. If tweaked correctly, this would be an awesome job - and also, it could even be an awesome experience for the passengers - all while maintaining a profit margin!
I worked as a photog on ships about 5 years ago, it sounds much the same...... im much happier now in entertainment
- Forrr sureeee! 🤘🏼
Thanks for the cool and informative video. Have you or anyone here worked for Holland America Lines as a photographer and can tell what that experience is like? Any info appreciated.
- Not me..
Wow on face value it sounds great but this video is really insightful. It’s a shame managers the company etc are such cash grabbers👍🏻
I am in med school and am interested in taking a job with a cruise ship. Do doctors get berated too? I cannot imagine that doctors would get yelled at very much. I calculated the difference....and I would get paid only 33% of what a doc on land makes....So I could literally work 2 months and take a 4 month vacation and make the same thing. Please let me know. Thanks
- From what I seen, they are treated very nicely. They are highly respected and have a large rank on a ship. The only problem, that I heard, was when patients come into the office and they were told that they must pay for the expense. Normally, their insurance is no good on the ship. You are now an international waters, and your insurance policy doesn't usually apply. So, if you are sick, you must pay for the very expensive visit. So I am sure, the doctors and nurses hear all about the expensive doctor's visit. I really don't know much more than that, I never became friends with any of the medical staff...
Hi Sir,
I just applied (as in today) as photographer in a cruise.
after watching your video i was like (WTF Really?).
do you think most of the cruise like that?
Thanks a lot sir :)
- I KNOW most of the cruse is like that. All 6 months of it.
And if you mean cruse-lines (different companies), yes, I have heard horror stories from many other lines that were worse than what I was on. I can't imagine.
Prepare yourself lol. Hopefully you have awesome managers! 💪🏽
now i'm in doubt in pursuing it hehehe
- The choice is yours, obviously. Just don't expect it to be all balloons and puppies haha
I've been working as a cruise ship photog for just over 10 years and I just loved it. Hard work for 12 months before taking 2-3 weeks vacation. Often starting at 5am and finishing around 2:30am. Best job ever! But it is what you make of it!
- lol To each his own!
Definitely wasn't fun for me. I'm glad you enjoy! 💪🏽
Sounds like you were employed by the cruise line. We were onboard as a concession and were considered officer on most ships. That makes a big difference as well.
materialkid : no, I am not being sarcastisch at all. See it this way: you travel the world and get paid for it. Ok, you make long hours but I worked onboard as concessionnaire which is a different world from working directly for the cruise line.
Could anyone tell me what are the minimum earnings (what is the real salary) of a photographer on a cruise ship?
Hi I'm actually in the early stages of setting up my video/photo production business and I'm looking into cruise ships because my most recent client was an entertainer at a holiday park who wanted their show shooting and I loved it. Plus a couple years ago I went on a cruise job applying binge but my passport at the time was a month from expiration so obviously I heard nothing back. Apparently some cruise photographer contracts are on a self employed basis so going for 6-8 months wouldn't disrupt the finances of my business but I specialise as a videographer who works with creatives/entertainers. Did you find you ever got chance to do that kind of work while you were on board? If not did you ever happen to come across a videographer on a cruise ship - either contracted by a cruise agency or freelancing for a week or two?
- I worked with videographers every day. They had 3 main events to record.
1) Record passengers during events on the boat
2) Record passengers during offshore tours
3) Record weddings
There were shows that took place on the boat, but, because the performance is copywrited (a song or a specific dance) the videographers were never allowed to record it.
The company that I worked for had only employees, never 'self employed freelancers' or anything like that.
That's quite a strange reason for not being able to shoot a performance, whenever I've recorded shows in the past release forms cover things like that but then I guess finding time to track down all the relevant people in such a fast paced environment isn't easy :p
Ok going on a cruise, any tips? I hear a lot of horror stories and don't want to be "that passenger". Anything I can do to make their job easier?
- Haha, how kind!
Yep...the #1 way to help the photo dept. is to simply stop and smile when getting off the ship. Literally that's it. You don't even have to go to the formal night photo booths, if you don't want. Just smile at the gangways :)
Edges Of Earth Cool, that sounds easy. Kind of a shame that once they nail you for several thousand dollars they feel the need to push you for more
- The photo department is literally the TIP of the iceberg, sorry. There are ENDLESS amounts of 'upgrades' when you enter the ship. Each department has the same amount of pressure from the managers to make the budget.
On my regular cruise line, the photographers have never tried to sell me the photographs in the photo center. They do always pressure me to stop for a picture. I usually do stop. The real problem is when you're at a port and there are four photographers as you go through the building. They all want you to stop, but you've already stopped at one before. Sometimes two.
- Yep. I know this scenario alllll too well. When I can see the passengers are becoming frustrated, it's time to back off a bit.
Buuuuut, that type of mindset wasn't even up for consideration.
I hope you see though this and understand it's not the individual employees that you should be frustrated with, it's the company 😞
Well, it sounded good until I saw your video 😂
- 🤣
hello . thank you for your golden information but I would like to ask you a question plz is this for msc cruises only? or the same for all the cruises' ships like royal Caribbean I heared that it's better than msc and thank u in advance
Mannnn I'm only half way through the video and regretting I submitted application yesterday. This is not what I want to do. I'm already terrified the ship will sink. Maybe they wont contact me 😆. The pay would have to be good enough for me to change my mind.
- 🤪🤪
@@Edgesofearth They want an interview now😭. Full panic mode 🤣
Damn, I've just called for an interview as cruise ship photographer.
I hope the situation is better now. 😅
- 😬
Any updates?
What camera is used on the ship a photographer ?
- yikes. I don't remember. It was Nikon. But I can't remember the number. D1500? Something like that..
Supposed to work as a photo.I have as a begginer 700 or 800$ + % from commision.
Can you really make that extra money from that commision percentage??
- Different cruise itinerary (routes) yield different percentages. Different type of customers/cruisers. In 6 months, we hit commission 2 times (there are many separate cruises in a 6-months period). It was an extra $50 once, and like $100 the next time. Hardly anything. It was so difficult to make budget.
It wasn't like we were close, we were SO FAR OFF budget. The company set the standard so high it was ridiculous. They know that if they set it lower, they must pay their people more money. So, the company just advertises a commission payout plan, but what they don't tell you is that it's virtually impossible to hit it.
Photo possition was opened and I was like,omg I want that and to leave asap.Now I see that I screwed myself,but I already gave the money for recrut. process.And I have to pay for ticket by myself for another contract.
It sucks
I forgot..please ,if I am trying my best to spare some money there ,and really working on it,with this salary and that what you have seen there(I know it is relative)how much do you think I can save at the end(approximately)??my contract is 8 months.please give me ur oppinion
- Yikes!
Good question. It depends on the person.
I have watched people spend about 95% of their contract while on the ship. Seriously.
Personally, I walked away with about 95% of my income.. I only spent 5%.
The ship provided everything...food, water, uniforms..etc.. If I walked off the ship and wanted to buy something, it was out of my own pocket.
Hey there, great video, it's really helpful! I saw an ad today, which was posted 2 days ago and the description says: Psotion: Female Photographer Basic Monthly Salary: 750 USD + 2.5% of all net revenues. (I copy-pasted it). So my question is, how should I calculate this? Would that possibly be about 1000 USD per month?
Are you still a cruise ship photographer untill now?
- 🤮 Nope.
I posted a video back in Thailand about the day that I told them I will not return.
Soooo happy that I made that decision!
how much of work experience does a photographer need to get this job or what are the educational qualifications and requirements?
- Each company is different. They usually list this in their ad.
I have seen some that said 'the only qualifications is that you have used an SLR before'.
And I have seen some that require extensive knowledge lol
This the Problem cruises HR do not let the chance to the photographer to be free & take over of his work environment i've been accepted to work with MSC cruises ships & i am just waiting for my Contract & now i am just afraid to be just like a Machine & do something that i am not gonna feel comfortable in it 😢😢😢
- Yah...be prepared. I have heard that there were companies that were 'worse' than the one I was on. 😕
brel yassine so its been a year - how r things?
Hey guys being with MSc for almost 3 years now well I can see that what's in the video is 100000% right but Believe me it's like addiction you gonna love it ... well after all this period I am taking a break from MSC and I will join RYC for a bit and see how it is .. The work environment is good but i can see only that they are 1000 people who are in good positions and they dont even know how to do their jobs like managers 🧐🧐 you gonna get to experience a lot of things jealousy. Depression . Laziness. Meet cool people .. meet bad unbelievable people. I am glad I did this .. o had as well the chance to do seasons " British .Norway .Brazil. Italian 100% . China . South Africa. German .Mixed . " and when I say this it's like you having 3000 to 7000 passengers from those countries for a period of time all the same .
- Wow, you came back to this video! amazing! thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions
Funny enough I just applied to Norwegian (first I applied to Royal but they denied me which sucks so Im trying out another one) as a photographer (I’ve been self taught for years) and I’m looking into videos to see if it’s worth it, thank you.
- Good luck 🙃
No I don't want this job. Thanks for sharing. Ohhh horrible
In a couple of months i will embark as a photographer for 8 months. Im doing it mostly for the pay and experience, since the pay in my country is basically worthless.I work as a photographer in nightclubs before,so im used to this thing of convicing people to take pics and stuff like that. Does it compare in anything?
- Maybe. Most people on the cruise ship didn't want their photo taken, but, we had to convince them to take a photo anyway...or face punish from the management..
@@Edgesofearth well,that was kinda my job lol, it definitely helps having experience I guess
- Sign up and do it!! :)
@@Edgesofearth I will,thanks!
@@Edgesofearth look at me, 3 contracts later. I gotta say, a lot of what you say is true, and a lot of other things i experience them differently. Im defintely gratefull that i got to do so many things that i woulnd't have otherwise, but many times it was very hard and it's not something for everybody, that's for sure (say goodbye to your relationships on land, sleeping or wanting to slap someone in the face for being rude) im done with it now, but if i ever comeback, i don't think it will be as a photographer
Does anyone have an experience working as a cruise ship photographer on Cruise carnival ? How is the working conditions there and how long is the working time. Is it same like other cruise ships? Please answer my question . It will help me because I have recently given my interview and currently thinking about what to do after seeing few youtube videos that bashed at this job for the management and treatment of the photographers.
- the carnival company owns almost every cruise ship company in the sea. They are all basically the same. If you are looking for something that is drastically different than carnival, Google which companies they do not own. For example, Disney is not owned by carnival. But I have heard horror stories from working on disney. 🤷🏼♂️
@@Edgesofearth did you mean that working on carnival would be same as the way you described your experience?
- Exactly.
The other photographers that I talked to while working on my cruise line had also worked for carnival or even other companies that were owned by carnival. They all described the same type of thing.
One person worked on Disney cruises and said that it was even worse 🙈
@@Edgesofearth okay sir thank you for the reply🙏
hey thank you soo muchfor your honest review, i just wanted to know if i can do cruise photographer job as a profession for living?
- Of course. There are many people who have did this for many years...climbed the ranks...and now earn a healthy living. But, they must deal with a lot of stress...
Do you get to suggest concepts and ideas to the management to improve the quality of the photos or so they just shut the door? Is it mainly quantity over quality or do you get to explain yourself sometimes?
- 😂 This makes be laugh a little. Sorry.
It was ALLLWAYS quantity over quality. However, they would always demand better quality...but, quantity was the #1 goal.
Giving suggestions was equivalent to talking to a wall. Literally. It was absolutely pointless. This wasn't management, per se...it was corporate. Making a change to ANY super small piece of this giant protocol that they had would take an act of god. I would equate it to trying to climb over the Great Wall of China while 100 guards are shooting arrows at you and all all you have is your fingertips to climb...not even rope. Good luck.
This was my experience, however, there may be other companies that openly welcome it.
Edges Of Earth Oh, I see. I'm trying to gather info as much as I can because I'm planning to work on a ship. Well, this video gave me doubts but to be able to travel the world is a really good thing.
Edges Of Earth Thank you for this video though. It's really informative.
- You bet. Good luck! 💪🏽
Hello, Brock! Could you please tell me what company was that. I am planning on working on a ship.
- I don't want to pick on one company. They are all very similar. I worked with many people who all worked on other ships. They all told me that each ship is basically the same.
There are other ships, such as disney, that photographers must pay for their own room and board, pay for their equipment, pay for their uniforms, and other stuff.. but they do get paid more. But the end result is you have to invest a lot of money to start working on these ships.
Keep in mind that carnival owns almost every cruise ship company. The same format on almost every ship. It doesn't matter which one you choose... It's all owned by the same company and do the same things 🤷🏼♂️
Thanks for the video, I'm from Brazil and I'm applying to this job on a cruise company... now I'm a bit more nervous about really taking the job, but I guess I'm glad to hear these opinions beforehand.
I have a question though, and I don't feel like asking the employer lol:
Is is possible to get fired before the end of the contract? What happens if you don't fulfill their expectations? I mean... would they drop you on the next stop and you take a plane home? hahahah
Thanks!
- Hello,
Yeah, it's always good to hear beforehand. Just be aware.
Yes, very possible. The #1 factor is your sales performance. If you can't sell, you will be released. When your sales are low, they always try to find small things that you are doing 'wrong' to support their decision to let you go.
If your sales are great, many of these small things that you are doing 'wrong' are overlooked. They can focus on who they want, when they want - and it all stems from your financial performance.
If you are fired (from the company that I was from), they pay to send you back home at the next port.
If you quit, you must cough up the money for the plane ticket to get you home.
Other companies are different, I'm sure. Our company paid little, but, they covered all uniform and transportation costs. Other companies pay substantially more, but, they required that you coordinate your transportation and pay for it, as well as uniforms. So, eh...pick and choose.
I hope this helps...
How much do you have to sell each photograph for to the customers ?
- $20 each, or $200 for all. (if i remember correctly)
Go back as a manager,you westerns countrys crew are good at those positions.
- Ehh, sooo much stress is involved with this position, as well. Just in a slightly different way.
Plus, you must be a regular photographer for about five 6-month contracts. No thank you! 😳