The Ship's Photographer Reviews

Pros

Learn everyday Meet new people Make new friends Travel Free accommodation Free meals What's not to love If you have a good team it makes life a whole lot better onboard. As long as you have a good team this jobs a dream. Because remember you will be working with these people like 10 hours a day and then after work if you want nat a social life.

Cons

Room sharing Can be long hours Management onboard can be confusing as they change frequently. Being away so long from home

Pros

Supportive team and great opportunities to develop portrait skills, especially with flash and studio equipment. While some of the work is slightly formulaic to meet guests expectations, you are encouraged to be as creative as you can in private shoots. Also, most days in port can be spent onshore which is a massive bonus.

Cons

The schedule doesn't allow for full days off but this doesn't really matter when you can spend most of so many days exploring new places. There is a lot of emphasis on selling and targets which I wasn't really prepared for (but in the tourist industry I'm not sure what I expected)

Pros

If you are looking for an opportunity to explore the world whilst enhancing you’re photography skills, then working for TSP is definitely a great option to go for. TSP is a way for you to experience and enhance your studio, event, and wedding photography. It gives you the chance to showcase your personal creativity around the ship by capturing guests at there best, either on a formal night or privately. Private shoots, also known as Spotlight, are a great way of gaining commission and guest relations. It will also enable you to expand your portfolio and gain a unique skill set within sales. Working on a cruise ship also opens up another training ground of safety and well-being. The ships company will train you in a variety of different topics, from crowd management in an emergency, to chemical training in the workplace. The teams and people you meet along the way are a great way for networking and connecting with people from all walks of life. TSP creates long lasting friendships that soon transform your workplace into a second home. From someone who was looking for a gap year getaway, to finding a dream career, I can honestly say that this experience has taught me so much about myself and has given me so much more insight into what I can do and achieve. Plus, you get to travel the world in style. In summary, this type of work may not suit everyone’s taste but I would recommend trying something new and exciting, to add to your original photography skill set.

Cons

This type of work may not suit everyone’s taste. Being a ships photographer means that you have to be flexible to change. It is a fast-paced environment with sometimes-irregular working hours. Although we have multiple breaks during the day, the work we do revolves around a continuous cycle or routine. Instead of weekends off or public holidays, we work on a clock-in- clock-out system but are granted most port time off. Ship life requires you to work for long periods of time away from your family and friends back on land, with contracts up to 6 months. However, the ship has various Internet packages that allow us access for staying in touch. You are required to be able to deal with all types of people, as you are surrounded by ever changing cliental, as well as dealing with members of your team who you share living quarters with everyday. Introverts may struggle initially in these types of environment but with the support network that your team hopefully provides you with, you will flourish under any circumstance and environment.

Pros

- Collaboration and Cooperation - Commitment and Professionalism - Team Work

Cons

No complains for the company

Pros

If you want to see the world, meet new people, learn lots about photography and invest time in getting to know yourself by living and working at sea then consider working for TSP. As a relative beginner to photography when I first started, I have dramatically increased my photography skills and had great experiences travelling to over 40 countries. As a young guy looking for something different, it's been the best experience of my life so far. Just be prepared to work hard and get over lots of luxuries you might be used to at home.

Cons

At the time of this review, TSP are contracted on Cunard and P and O. Due to the nature of concessionary businesses on board ships, it is my understanding that a part of their revenue goes to Carnival UK, so its worth noting you will never be paid as much as 'in house' job positions such as a member of the show company or a musician, as these crew members are (to my knowledge) employed directly by Carnival UK. So although you will socialise and have exactly the same rank and deck privileges, you'll find the hours you work are much longer and for less pay than most similar ranking crew members. That being said, TSP are constantly improving their commission scheme and bonuses so you can earn much more than the basic salary advertised if you put the work in. I find this makes up for the gap in wages, and there is a genuine intention by TSP to subsidise and retain staff as much as possible. As a result, I saved up over 4,000 euros in my first 5 month contract at sea and invested in a new camera and lens. This isn't common at all, as I was on a contract without many ports to spend money in and lots of sea days, but it shows it can be done. Besides the pay, which as I've said is constantly improving, it is no secret to TSP that most photographers find the hours stood in the gallery and going into restaurants to get soft focus headshots a real drag. It often, (at least outside of head office and the photo managers) seems an ineffective and time consuming way to attract revenue. It would be my only geniune gripe with this otherwise unique and rewarding job.

Pros

Amazing company to work for.. The stuff is really caring and show that they deeply do care about their employees. You get to travel the world with zero expenses(rent & food) to worry about, which is great in my opinion which is you get to save most of your money. You get to travel a lot of countries, get to meet a lot of diverse cultures. The pay may not be that exciting for 1st world countries but definitely cool for 3rd world countries and so on due to currency, but the company is improving to making new ways for photographers to earn more money which is by commissions.

Cons

I don't have any.

Pros

Work on P&O Cruise Ships. Work with photographer from all around the world. Save your money without any taxes. Have the opportunity to grow up and improve your photography skills. Visit many places that probably you will never be again, without a cruise ship.

Cons

Sometimes take a time to change the equipments, unhapy the company don't know the personality of every photographer they contract, and many of them don't take care of the equipments. So you can join a new contract with a very bad equipment and be so embarrassed in front of the guests are you shooting because the equipments are not working properly.

Pros

This job is perfect for me, I started straight from university and have been able to advance my knowledge in both photography, customer service and business all whilst travelling the world. The ships photographer have an informal and relaxed leadership style which makes any employee feel incredibly 'at home' with them. As a small company, everything they do is personable. They look after their employes and provide consistent (24/7) contact and support when required. They have taught me an incredible amount about leadership and it truly is a company that lead by example. They are a pleasure to work for and I hope to have many more happy years there.

Cons

As concessionaires, unfortunately the cruise line (cunard) can often overlook you. Some of their managment staff are under qualified in with their leadership skills. However, TSP have your back 100% and are a perfect example of a well lead organisation who encourage their on board teams and provide all the necessary support. The job is hard work as you would expect however it becomes a way of life and its genuinely inspiring to be surrounded by so many like minded, hard working people from all over the world. The pay may seem minimal, however there is plenty of opportunity to earn extra through their commission scheme, if you work hard it will be rewarded!