Photo Tour Participant Testimonials

We loved it. Even my husband, who didn't have a camera, enjoyed the tour. First of all, Sophie, you are very personable and patient with amateur photographers. I learned a lot about my camera. Now I can read the instruction booklet and understand what it is saying! Your hints on taking better photos were invaluable. The "move with your feet" plays over in my mind as I am lining up shots.

My husband and I had looked forward to this Photo Tour for months and we were not disappointed -- in fact, we considered our time with Sophie to be one of the top highlights of our vacation time. Sophie was warm, friendly, approachable, willing to answer questions (more than once) and share hints and techniques of how to take a better photo.

She did not rush us through the Tour. She taught not just by telling us but by asking questions and we had to think and answer. Though at first this was hard, by the end of the Tour it was very exciting.

We truly appreciated the historical stories and information she shared. We were so excited about the techniques we learned from Sophie that, when our time with her was over, we decided to spend the rest of the day continuing to walk around Paris and take what we refer to as "Sophie-inspired" photos.

We both highly recommend Sophie's Photo Tour as a must for anyone and everyone to visit Paris -- when for the first time or the tenth time. It doesn't matter what type of camera you have, you can learn from Sophie and this Photo Tour.

Excellent. It has transformed my street photography. I liked Sophie's teaching style of describing the photo objective then setting a challenge, giving coaching during the session and then feedback afterwards. Sophie excels in these skills. - Jim

Excellent in every respect, made me take street photography to another level, gave confidence to try things myself, opened my eyes to different subject matter. May probably return to try another aspect of my photography, have already highly recommended to others. - Andrew

Liked Sophie's easy style and ability to make me, as a novice photographer, understand photography concepts that I hadn't thought about before. Loved this tour, it was one of the highlights of my trip to Paris. The passages are beautiful. The tour was well organized and Sophie was a pleasure to work with.

Thank you for your honest critique of my work. I also appreciated you pointing out to me some of my bad shooting habits (e.g., setting the tripod up too early). It was good to have the feedback on the way I approach some of my photo ops.

Sophie gave the best photography advice in the easiest way anyone can understand it, she's just so generous in sharing her knowledge with me, and I believe it's the same way with anyone else too.

So inspiring! I'd been taking some basic classes prior to the tour, and not until I met her I could see clearly and understand the basic better. I saw more of Paris during the tour too, it's a bonus :) She made me feel at ease even to ask the stupidest question ever a beginner could give. Thanks for all the patience, Sophie! It was truly a great experience! Hope I can join you in the workshop next time!

Enriching, inspiring and motivating! Highly recommended! Something not to be missed. Make sure to reserve your schedule way ahead.

Sophie was patient and consistent in the instructions she was conveying with each critique. She was quite constructive in suggesting different techniques whilst making sure the photos taken had a message to pass across from the photographer to the viewer. I've learned to 'think and see' more before taking photos and would recommend this tour to any photographer visiting Paris.

It was exciting and humbling to have that much attention given by a high level photographer who had fantastic teaching skills. I appreciated the historical information shared throughout the tour and Sophie's ability to move us effortlessly through the city. And I very much enjoyed sitting at lunch talking and receiving her critiques of the photos I sent. I’m looking forward to putting the suggestions and considerations into practice.

The tour is one of my best vacation experiences. Sophie's approach to teaching is remarkable. She was approachable from the first moment we met, reassuring me that I was going to have a fun time and she was going to take on the rest, and she did. I appreciated receiving an overview onsite of the day’s events, having my practical knowledge assessed and then jumping into taking pictures. I knew at that point that I was going to have a wonderful experience.

I thought the exercises were engaging and challenging - they kept me on my toes. I appreciated that she gave me ongoing feedback and taught, taught, and taught again.

I liked Sophie's patience and ability to explain things in more than one way until she could 'see' evidence showing that I grasped the concept. I particularly liked the way she continued to press these points during the course of the day to make sure I REALLY understood the value of what she were teaching me. It was fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Paris who is interested in improving their photography. You can be assured of taking home some really good images.

Sophie perfectly blended a walking tour of Paris with solid advice on how to improve my photography skills.

The combination of detailed photographic advice coupled with the ability to customise the choice of locations for the tour made it a truely memorable day out. I'd highly recommend it.

Sophie's tour gave me the best of both worlds: a tour of both well-known and secret spots in Paris, and an introduction to the tools on my camera and photography techniques in general. Overall, Sophie's tour was fantastic and I would recommend it to both first-time visitors in Paris and life-long residents. She uses the beauty and uniqueness of Paris to teach her passion, photography.

I saw an area of Paris that I had never seen before but at the same time I learnt more about my camera and its capabilities in a few hours than I have in the last 18 months! I have now immediately bought all sorts of new bits and bobs for my camera so I dont know if that is a good thing or a bad thing!!

A photo tour with Sophie was a fantastic way to spend half a day in Paris. The perfect mix of photo lesson from a dedicated professional with a glimpse into parts of Paris that many tourists would not think to visit. I would especially recommend a tour for those in Paris alone or with a few hours spare on a business trip.

Sophie encouraged us to explore our surroundings to find and take great pictures. Her technical advice was excellent!! We learned so much about the camera and the various settings available. It took some of the "fear" away of switching to the manual setting. Sophie never made me feel ignorant or unskilled. She was easy to talk to and very knowledgeable and made the day very enjoyable. It was the highlight of my time in Paris!!

I learned so much in one day! I loved the one-on-one attention and ability to tailor our day to my needs and interests. I was very impressed with the communication pre-tour, attention to detail, and the pre-tour instruction booklet. During the tour, Sophie's enthusiasm throughout the day was terrific. She went above and beyond in assisting me in so many ways (camera functions, exposure, composition, point of view, ideas for additional shots after the tour - you name it!). I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this tour and how much I learned. I hope to return to Paris one day so I can do another tour!

Because I booked a private tour I liked that I got 100% of Sophie's attention. I received quick feedback from the photos that I took and instantly knew how to improve them with Sophie’s help. We visited all of the places that I wanted to see in Paris and Sophie helped me find the best vantage point from where to take my photos. When the 2 days were over I had a strong understanding on how to take a really good photo and during the rest of my vacation in Paris I was constantly going back to what Sophie taught me so that I could take the best possible photo. When I got home and I looked at the photos on my computer I was thrilled by the number of great photos that I took. I could see a definite improvement in the composition and the exposure of my photos versus other vacations that I have taken over the past few years.

If someone is hesitant about whether to spend the time or the money to have Sophie teach them about photography and take them around the city of Paris I would strongly urge them to take the chance because they won’t be disappointed. I know that I wasn’t. I already knew the basics about how to take a photo and Sophie helped me to strengthen my knowledge so that I could take an average photo and make it a great photo. I saw a definite improvement in my pictures and I am grateful for what she has taught me.

This is my second photo tour with Sophie and I really loved the location of the tour. A local market, at place d'Aligre in the 12th arrondissement, and then Faubourg St Antoine, known for its many old traditional wood furniture artisans, really provided great photo opportunities. Combining the right subjects with Sophie's expertise, guidance, and charm really made for a wonderful day and some great photos.

The Photo Tour is a wonderful way to see parts of Paris that an average tourist would never think to explore or even knew existed. And to have an experienced photographer guide you along the way to see what you are looking at just really makes for a fabulous experience.

I liked all the practical technical information given as well as excellent ideas and guidance on composition, advice on how to take time to take the photos. I saw immediate improvement in my photography during the first couple of hours and enjoyed taking photographs with a fresh approach. It was an excellent tour both for me and for my husband who enjoyed the tour as much as me. We enjoyed the information given regarding the places on the tour as well as the photography aspect of it. Can't wait to do it again!

Sophie has an excellent perspective on photography techniques and aesthetics, and combines that with excellent "tour guide" skills. We covered a lot of ground in a very efficient way, and I saw many aspects of Paris that I would never have found on my own. Her photography advice was very good, relevant and helpful.

Since it was a private tour, I got to work on specific issues. It also was a different way to experience Paris. Paris is to be experienced. I brought home some great pictures and a learning experience. I see it as a start of a real learning process that I want to continue. It was a great alternative to traditional vacation activities.

I enjoyed the informal approach and it was a very nice experience.

The tour was truly amazing. I greatly appreciated Sophie's flexibility and felt that the tour was centered around my needs and interests even though they kept changing as the tour was progressing. Sophie's great personality and sense of humor make her a wonderful instructor.

The photo tour exceeded my expectations and I enjoyed how patient you were with all of my questions. I like the time we spent in the cafe to review photos. It was very helpful and it gave me a chance to ask questions. It also helped me shoot during our tour because I was more aware of my composition. Thank you for such a great day and I'll definitely pass your information along to friends.

It was a great experience, very helpful for me as an enthusiastic amateur. I liked most the one-on-one advice in real time on photos as I shot them, as well as the critique of some of my other work. I see how much more I have to learn now, but I feel less intimidated thanks to Sophie.

We loved seeing parts of Paris the usual tourist might miss. Learning by doing is the key. We learned more in the time we spent than in my past photography classes. Of course, the subject matter was fantastic!! I would highly recommend Sophie and the tour. It is almost all I talk about when sharing my Paris experience. I look at all of my pictures with a keener eye and have a much more confident approach to my photography.

We liked the tips on using our camera and critique of our photos. It is amazing how some simple changes can make such a difference in the final photos. We also appreciated the information on The City Of Paris. The tour was great and a highlight of our visit.

The tour was very helpful, informative and fun. Sophie is a delight and a great instructor - not only in photography, but also informative about French people and the city of Paris.

I liked that I not only learned about photography techniques, but Sophie also told stories about places that we went for shooting. This made the whole tour even more fun and interesting.

Sophie arrived at the Arc de Triomphe with a great plan for the tour. For the next several hours, she offered practical guidance with patience and a sense of humor, and occasionally insisted that more could be done with the shot. By nightfall, I knew more about my camera, the principles of photography and Sophie's philosophy about finding and taking great pictures. I left Paris with a few of the best pictures I had ever taken. Thanks again.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 day photo tour visiting a variety of different and contrasting areas within Paris and learning new skills and a new way of seeing things. My photos have improved ten fold since the trip due to sound advice and encouragement. I most certainly have a new found confidence when taking and composing a photo.

I very much enjoyed a half day photo-tour with Sophie. The route enabled me to photograph a diverse array of people and locations in the company of a motivating and charming guide and instructor. Without Sophie’s encouragement I would have been much more reluctant to point my camera at people! I appreciated Sophie’s critique of some of my previous photographs and I found her style of instruction to be very well suited to my needs. Much valued features of the tour were Sophie’s expert guidance in helping me to both see and to anticipate photographic opportunities. I still remember several of the key aspects of photographic style that we rehearsed during the morning.

I really liked my photo tour in Paris with Sophie. I appreciated she was at my disposal and enjoyed her professionalism.

I was completely satisfied with the half day Photo Tour. Sophie was a wonderful instructor. I never felt the intimidation of being an amateur in the company of a professional photographer. It felt more like walking the streets of Paris taking photos with a mentor. I really feel the combination of Sophie's technical expertise, creative eye, and charming personality made my tour one of the great Paris memories I will take with me.

I thought the advice on what composes a good photograph was the best. Also, the emphasis on moving to get the best picture possible. Looking at a subject from different angles. I also really liked the critique of my pictures and how to make them better (cropping, getting closer, etc..). I think the tour is just a great idea overall.

Excellent way to visit interesting sites that most tourists do not see while having fun keeping long lasting memories on paper (or bytes now that we have transitioned to digital media), and learning interesting facts from a local guide. I plan to repeat the experience during future trips.

Sophie's photography tour of Paris was both informative and entertaining. She shared her photographic wizardry not only with the most photographed landmarks of Paris, but also with some of the more unique areas "off the beaten track". Giving the visiting photographer a glimpse into life in Paris that one would not discover easily on their own. I came away with some new perspectives on urban photography, and some great shots of Paris.

Arigato, Merci, Thank you for the great photo lessons and the tour. We had fun! (Omoshiro katta!)