The Ship's Photographer Reviews
Updated Mar 4, 2022
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Found 20 of over 37 reviews
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- Current Employee, more than 3 years★★★★★
Pros
Global travel, meeting and living with new and fun people, an insight into the sales of photography
Cons
No cons really, just a strenuous thing if you can't commit to long contracts at sea
Continue reading - Former Employee, more than 3 years★★★★★
Pros
Great company culture. Jobs fantastic. Learnt so much
Cons
being away for long periods of time - can also b seen as a pro!
Thank you. We're always looking at how we can improve the company culture more and provide more learning support. You are right, it can be a long time away with tours of duty lasting between 6 and 8 months on average.
- Current Employee★★★★★
Pros
travel the world and earn money doing it
Cons
nothing amazing time travelling the world
The Ship's Photographer Response
Managing Director
Travel is definitely one of the highlights of working on a cruise ship. It's also hard work as duties are seven days a week, but there is a good balance meaning you can usually get off the ship in most ports.
- Current Employee, more than 1 year★★★★★
Pros
- Get to see the world, i was lucky enough to get on a world cruise and a South America cruise and the office are very fair in accommodating your needs. If you have a specific ship or itinerary then Nadine tries her best to get you were you want to be. - Have the most amazing experiences with everyday being different. - You don't need to be the best photographer to do this job as training is carried out on bored regularly. In my case the manager did regular training sessions which are quite laid back and interactive. - You get a fair salary with the added bonus of private shoots and commission and cruise target commission (the more effort you put in the more you make). You don't pay for accommodation or food on board so thats good. - You get most ports off to be able to explore ... depending on the manager (most photo managers in the company are very fair and nice though) - The people you meet on ships are friends for life, i've met so many amazing people in the cruise industry - The company listen to things you have to say, you do regular feedback on your managers and you are made to feel important in the company, rather than just a number. I've been to meetings at the office with shoreside managers and they ask all employees on what can be done to improve life onboard and the business in general.
Cons
- Some days can be long hours and it is hard work, you have to be prepared to work and i think some people forget its not a vacation (but thats just the nature of the cruise industry in general with other departments being worse off) - Ship life in general can be a little difficult, its not everyones cup of tea ... i however love it, can't wait to get back to work and love the ship life experience - The job can be quite sales orientated which a few other photographers complain about, quite long hours can be spent in the gallery trying to sell things/up sell which for me in fine as i don't mind the gallery time - Most of these comments are about ships in general rather than the company itself, also all ships are different with different rules and officers enforcing different rules.
- Current Employee, less than 1 year★★★★★
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
Continue readingThe Ship's Photographer Response
Managing Director
Thank you for the review. Yes, there are many great pros in working on a cruise ship. There is a big cultural melting pot where you live and work alongside people that you wouldn't have necessarily encountered in other lines of work. It's the diversity of nationalities, cultures and personalities that ensures life long friends are made from across the globe while working on board. It's true that sharing a small cabin with someone you've never met before can be a challenge for some people. However, there's not much time spent in the cabin as ship's are social environments with great facilities and when in port it's better to be out and about exploring and photographing the amazing destinations visited. I think we can all appreciate that even more during this period of lock down and restricted travel. One of the unique aspects of working on board is the Tour of Duty, where you live and work on board for six to eight months and then take all your weekends at once as a period of leave off the ship. This means our rotations planning has to be constantly looking at who will cover or replace the incumbent manager on board. Naturally this does lead to changes. We try and standardise as best we can but different managers will always have different personalities and ways of working. I'm concerned that your advice to management is about how to treat others and give respect. It's important to me that these two core attributes are something that goes without saying across the company. If you have any specific comments you would like to raise, please use the contact details in our open door policy to speak to either the HR manager or the appropriate line manager.
- Current Employee★★★★★
Fantastic opportunity for travel and to make a passion, your career
RecommendCEO ApprovalBusiness OutlookPros
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)
Continue readingThe Ship's Photographer Response
Managing Director
Thank you for the review. Thank you for pointing out about the sales and targets that are a key part of the job. We get to take a lot of photographs on board, but probably spend more time in the Photo Gallery selling the images or around the ship obtaining bookings for private photo shoots. With the information about joining a ship we know there is so much to take in. It's not just a new job, but also a completely new lifestyle in a completely different environment. It's difficult to illustrate just how different it is. There's certainly a lot of detail to pass on about everything that needs to be arranged as well. There are travel visas and documents, understanding what ship life is like and also explaining what the day to day is like with the job. We update our documentation every few years and go out to the teams on board to ask what they feel can be improved on so that we can in turn update our joining information.
- Former Employee, less than 1 year★★★★★
Pros
see the world meet great people
Cons
long days, starting at half 6 am until 1am zero pay, commission only, resulting in £120 for 2 weeks work
Continue readingThe Ship's Photographer Response
Managing Director
I'm concerned that this review has misinformation in it. We comply with and go above all ILO regulations for pay. There is a set monthly salary, plus the opportunity to earn commission on both group and individual sales. Everybody always has and will always get paid for their work. Two weeks of pay is well in excess of the amount quoted above. Staff welfare is our highest priority. We understand that everyone needs sufficient time off, in a business where work is seven days a week. We also make it clear in the interview and induction process that work is seven days a week, and this is the standard working routine on all cruise ships around the world. It's not for everyone, but we certainly don't hide it. A tour of duty is followed by a period of leave, where the accumulation of weekends is taken in one block of time. So typically a six to eight-month contract would be followed by six to eight weeks off. There is also a heavily regulated system onboard to ensure people are not working excessive hours, with internationally set periods of time off that have to be complied with over a rolling 24hr period. There are no set working routines, and as event and portrait photographers, our schedule is often determined by the schedules of other departments. As it is a complex working routine, working hours are monitored by the Photo Manager, Hotel Department Officer and the ship's Captain, to ensure full checks and balance are in place to pick up on any overtime. Any non-compliance is dealt with immediately on board the ship to ensure line managers are not accidentally setting too many hours of work for staff and then to immediately issue additional rest periods within the following 24h hours to make up for any excess hours worked. Full training is given upon joining, on how to highlight in advance if the maximum number of hours worked could be breached. In addition, all records are kept on file for inspection by authorities when port inspections are carried out. We take working hours seriously; the industry takes working hours seriously.
- Former Employee, more than 1 year★★★★★
Pros
You get to travel the world, on a 4-5 Star cruise ship. Being delivered to beautiful places around the world. You get to mix with a diverse range of people which helps build character and self awareness. If you enjoy landscape photography, portraits and weddings then its a great way to improve on your skills ,however port time will of course vary depending on the needs of the business. Food onboard if your on P&O is great - Cunard you have to eat in the mess (unless your a manager) in which case you get access to the wardroom and can get a better menu selection. Seeing the world opens up so many doors and makes you appreciate every opportunity. Great to see the other roles within the ships environment (could lead to a career in a different department) Electro, Chef, Bridge Officer, Hotel department, Entertainment, shops etc.. Giving presentations is often a party of the job which I was very nervous about at the time, but thinking back this played its part in helping to make me a better public speaker (tons of character building)
Cons
Costs involved for the US visa C1/D, equipment (flash), Suits and smart clothing. Diversity can sometimes work against you if you've got a very mixed team, cultures languages can clash and its important that people get on as you work so closely and for such long periods. I did find on one of my trips that the manager was incredibly stressed which meant that pressure was passed down to the togs. The office put a fair bit of pressure on managers when sales aren't going particularly well. The margin TSP get is low so don't expect to be paid a great deal. Cabins on Cunard were incredible small and cramped but enough that you don't want to be in there for longer than needed. If you have dietary requirements or are sensitive to certain foods its not always easy to get a great selection of food in a quick time frame.
Continue readingThe Ship's Photographer Response
Managing Director
Thank you for the detailed review. We've changed a couple of things since you have been on board to improve the Company. On P&O Cruises we supply all the uniform and there is now no requirement to purchase the flash or smart clothing. We work in a retail environment so there are targets that are set in conjunction with the cruise lines to grow the business. These targets are based on the investment and new initiatives we introduce each year to improve the products and services we offer on board. We've also introduced a different bonus system to help reward teams and individuals who do reach the various targets set. Our approach with the on board Managers is to support them in their work in order to meet and exceed the targets in place. This should not come across as pressure as the discussions are around the measuring of performance to see where successes are and to share that with team members.
- Current Employee, more than 1 year★★★★★
Amazing Experience Travelling the world meeting people and learning.
RecommendCEO ApprovalBusiness OutlookPros
Amazing people and places whilst working on cruise ships, increasing my knowledge and educating my soul. Simply the best.
Cons
Long Hours at times but to be totally honest we worked no more than I did before working on a ship, plus no traveling on a bus to work.
Continue reading - Former Employee★★★★★
Pros
*Get to travel the world *Meet amazing people and gain lifelong friendships *The job has some fun qualities... sometimes
Cons
*The job is extremely repetative and mundane *Work hours are ridiculous (this is made obvious by the need to clock in and out to avoid working over legal hours) *Not enough time off, no days off at all (you can work a 6 month contract with less than an accumalative 1 week off) *Salary is better than it was, but still quite low *Commision is unreachable, and in most cases is replaced by an extremely useless and condescending 'points' system *The crew facilites on ships varies greatly, you can be very lucky with some ships and others can be terrible
Continue readingThe Ship's Photographer Response
Managing Director
We've made a lot of improvements since you have written your review. We listen to feedback and have made the following improvements - The main part of the job role is to engage with guests and to undertake private photoshoots. These are all bespoke and ensuring everyone stays creative in their work. - We recognise that working hours can be long in some circumstances, so have been working with managers to ensure smart and flexible working hours are adapted across the board. Clocking in and out is an international seafarers regulation and will take place on every ship in the world. - We have improved the commission scheme so that both team and individual performance is recognised. A team bonus is awarded if cruise targets are met and independently of this commission can be earned by individuals regardless of whether cruise targets are met. We've done this because we do listen to feedback. We care about our teams and while it may appear that some changes take time to happen, we are constantly working on how to improve the Company for everyone.
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The Ship's Photographer has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5, based on over 37 reviews left anonymously by employees. 66% of employees would recommend working at The Ship's Photographer to a friend and 80% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.
66% of The Ship's Photographer employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated The Ship's Photographer 3.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.4 for culture and values and 4.1 for career opportunities.
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