The Founder’s Journey Holidaygrapher

This is where it all started:

Once on a life trip to visit the magnificent Himalayas of India’s hidden gem Ladakh, we wanted to have pictures of our vacation beautifully captured at these scenic locations —as this was our long-awaited and likely the first and last Motorcycle trip with all our friends. But fulfilling our wish did not seem easy because we had to struggle a lot to find a photographer.

Although we did manage to take pictures with our high-end smartphones and DSLR, it didn't do justice to the place. We clicked some funny selfies and asked strangers to take not-so-good pictures or mostly, one of us would be behind the frame, so missing in the picture. Eventually, we indeed up finding one photographer after all the struggle and the pictures turned out to be way far more amazing. All of us have them framed and displayed as the best travel souvenir.  

It might have been the end of our Ladakh trip but for me, it was the beginning of a new journey. Even after returning back to Australia, I kept thinking about the idea. At that time, I was working in the Financial crime department of the commonwealth bank of Australia. Even at the workplace, the idea of creating a platform where people travelling all across the globe can hire a local photographer for their travel destination kept on lingering in my mind. Like an Airbnb experience that let people find holiday homes, I wanted people to help meet a local photographer who besides capturing their memorable moments from the trip, can suggest places to visit, and cafes to hang out and would take you around at best spots to take pictures. 

Creating a platform to help people find local photographers anywhere, anytime kept on bubbling up in my head.

Honesty, neither I had a startup background nor an understanding of creating something of my own from scratch. I was waiting for this thought, idea, and platform, startup thing to fade away eventually but it didn't. My inner self kept saying to me- “You have a unique purpose. Discovering the answers to these questions will allow you to align yourself with that purpose and bring real magic into your life and if I don’t do this now, I’ll regret it 10 years later.” 

That’s where Holidaygrapher was born and at Holidaygrapher, we offered the service of connecting travellers with local professional photographers to eternalize their travel memories through beautiful pictures and show how truly beautiful those locations and moments were.

Starting this business just before the COVID-19 pandemic the world threw me into turbulent times. Even before an official launch, I felt that I had to shut down. Being a solo and a female founder in the space, I can't tell you how much blood, tears and sleepless nights I went through to solve a problem and work towards building a product that I believe in. Being a female founder, a woman of colour and a migrant, I know very well that the 'Business Journey’ is not an easy one but trust me, it is all worth it.

Target Market

You might be wondering who will buy this product and why would even someone hire a photographer.

• Yeah, you might be right but believe me, not every product or service is for everyone. There is always a niche audience, a segment of people who really wants that product to exist. I have so many couples telling me that- Wish we knew about something like this to capture our Proposal in New York, Bali, Paris, Greece, Italy and the list keeps going on. 
• Millennials today have more capacity to spend than the former generations and they want to spend it on experiences  and preserve them to share with their loved ones.
• It's still a largely untapped market within Tourism Sector.
• Also, there is a first mover advantage in countries like India with huge untapped markets. 

Eco and sustainable Tourism Practices- 

We are not only supporting local tourism businesses here but also creating jobs and freelancing opportunities for locals to earn extra money. We also ensure sustainable and ethical practices are followed to create a win-win situation for clients who hire a photographer as we call this service, ‘Affordable Luxury.’ 

Some Fun facts-

Experience Over Goods: The Millennial Shift in Spending

• When it comes to money, ‘experiences’ trump ‘things’: More than 3 in 4 millennials (78%) would choose to spend money on a desirable experience or event over buying something desirable, and 55% of millennials say they’re spending more on events and living experiences than ever before.

Women are emerging as decision-makers- 

• Do you know the percentage of the global wealth owned by women in 2000? It’s 15% and it’s expected that by 2030 it will rise up to 55%. 
• We all need to understand women-oriented megatrends. The spending power of women is increasing and tapping into economic growth. Thus, understanding women as customers will be essential to business and economic prosperity. Organizations need to have more women-oriented business models to target them as customers. Corporates need to focus more on women’s empowerment to help them reach the company board seats that can yield more revenue.

Traction- Global Tourism industry is $1.7 Trillion in 2022

• Tourism is a major contributor to the economy of many countries around the globe. Over the last couple of decades, modern communication, growth in wealth, and long periods of peace have led to the growth of the Travel & Tourism market. Additionally, since booking through digital channels and online platforms has become easier, there are generally fewer barriers when it comes to travelling around the world.
• The Global Tourism industry is the 1st ranked industry by market size and the 10th largest.
• Also with the growing presence of social media, it's important to address the rising demand for quality visual content for consumers. 

If you are interested to find out more about What Holidaygrapher is all about and our services, then click the link below.  

Let me start with just that — elaborating on what I said before, we let our clients :

• Hire a Local Photographer, Anytime, Anywhere
• Currently, we are operating in Australia, Bali, India and Maldives.
• We have 500+ photographers on board in 100+ locations
• Our photographers, as experts in travel photography, create a collection that brings out the best aspects of the location while keeping the client’s expectations in mind. Photographers in the Holidaygrapher network can quickly be booked for sessions after you have had a thorough look at their style and availability.
• Search your destination- Simply check out the available photographer’s profile and portfolio on the website and click on the “BOOK NOW” — Voila.
• You can hire from an hour to a full day or even customize as per your requirement. 

Interested in learning How does it work for clients and photographers? Read here 

Holidaygrapher- Think this like ‘Uber for Photography’ which connects travellers with amazing local photographers in any major tourist spot across Australia, Bali, Maldives and India to capture all your special occasions. We believe that no one knows a place better than locals!

May it be a Honeymoon, anniversary, birthday, proposal, pre-wedding, or family holiday, our photographers know how to make your special day a bit more special!⁠  

Clients-

• A local photographer captures professional high-quality photos and simultaneously suggests photo-friendly places to get hands-on with your well-researched itinerary. Also, as we all would agree, no one knows a place better than a local photographer.
• Book a photographer from an hour to a full day and even customize as per your need.

Photographers

• Holidaygrapher is establishing a close-knit global network of photographers.
• Photographers can earn some extra bucks while sharing their passion for photography with the world.
• It literally helps photographers in taking their passion to the next level.  All those looking to capture customized authentic, unforgettable experiences, can reach out to the photographers through our platform.
• Single user-friendly experience.
• Several extremely valuable features such as calendar management, bookings and payment systems, data analytics, invoices, payment security and an increased reach to a larger clientele. Leave the difficult bits to us and focus on what you do best, taking amazing photographs. Not only do you save time and money but also broaden the scope of your business: from functioning on a local scale to thinking globally.

Where are you heading in terms of business growth and expansion as a photographer?- Read here 

• Mission: Initially, we aimed at helping travellers to connect with local photographers to take great holiday photos. However, now, the horizon of our mission is broadening and allowing customers to book photographers anytime, anywhere on our platform.
• Partnering with Luxury Travel agents and curated Luxury escapes.
• Expansion in European counties mainly on tourist locations in Turkey, Greece, Italy, France and Mediterranean counties.
• Empowering the photographers’ community while providing consumers with affordable access to quality photos anywhere around the world.
• Keeping up with the technological advancement: the next feature we would like to add someday or whenever possible — is AI editing.
• Emerging as a global AI-driven photography platform. 

How can people get in touch with you?

• You can just go on the website www.holidaygrapher.com or email me at Usha@holidaygrapher.com
• We are looking for smart investment and I can't wait to build strategic connections in Tourism Industry. 
• While this is an early product-market fit, we know larger markets like India, European countries and Asia may require significant investment in resources to take the business to the next level.