WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT MY PARIS WEEKS & TOURS |
When I ask people what they thought of their Paris photo tour, they are often very generous, and sometimes don't realise that I enjoyed it as much as they say they did! Here are a few snippets from people who have done photo tours with me over the last few years - you can read even more on another testimonials page here:
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TestimonialsVirginia and James from Sydney, Australia:
What struck us most about the tour is that you take a very interesting and personal approach to photography; each photo taken should be unique to that person and not just a postcard snap.
Peter from Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia:
In particular I liked the chance to go to places that were not frequented by tourists and of more importance the chance to take images similar to my preferred style. Sab had done his “homework” prior to the lesson to understand my image genre.
Jane from Rhode Island, USA:
I also learned a lot about Paris from Sab…stories about people and places and how to respond to those people and places. I have not been in Paris for 35 years so it was a fascinating, and well-worthwhile 4 hour journey.
William & Jessica from Belfast, Northern Ireland:
Jessica is 12 and was very comfortable with the Instruction and Sab geared the experience to our needs exactly.
Lynne from Sydney, Australia:I had a great time on Wednesday morning. You were the perfect tour guide for me, I learned so much about my new camera plus making my shots more interesting - I am looking for photo opportunities wherever I go.
Elena from Visaginas, Lithuania:
It wasn’t a photography lesson – we didn’t get down to much theory. It wasn’t a tour for we only walked a couple of blocks. It was a journey into street photography, from the moment the thought is conceived in the photographer’s mind – to the actual result which made me suppress the wish to clap my hands with excitement.
Janice from Arlington, Texas, USA:
In a few words…I enjoyed the tour immensely!!! What initially caught my attention was the title of your website….. Paris Set Me Free. I’m sure there is a personal story behind the title you chose, but whether it is a declaration that this wonderful city of lights set you free to experience life at it’s fullest, or if it is meant to say that the magic of Paris is so powerful that you beg to be set free from it’s seduction, these four simple words instantly connected with me. So perhaps it was my delirium from lack of sleep, but I took a chance to ask if a “very last minute” tour could be possible. The experience was perfect and turned out to be more than what I was expecting.
Carolyne from Brisbane, Australia:
Sab was able to develop a tour to cater for my subject interest and photographic skill level. Sab has a great sense of humour, a thorough knowledge of Paris and can offer photographers of any level a tour to get the best photos of Paris! I look forward to my next trip to work with Sab!
Emilia & Hanybal from Sydney, Australia:
We absolutely loved it as it was something very different to the usual day tours that we have experienced before. We will definitely do it again covering a different area, next time we are in Paris.
Jennifer from Brisbane, Australia:
Loved the tour! After I learned to really 'look' at my surroundings I then learned how better to capture it in a way that adds interest to a photo. Lots of little tips made a BIG difference for me.
Most importantly I will now compose my photos more carefully before simply clicking away and hoping for the best. Would love to do another photo walk with you.
Karen from Brisbane, Australia:
Sab was fabulous, I had a brand new camera and he taught me how to get the most of my shots , utilising many of the features on my camera. I wanted to learn how to structure a shot to make it more interesting. He was very patient and gave constructive criticism. It was a great day and I didn’t want it to end. Had a fabulous day and would recommend this tour to all inspiring photographers, whatever your experience.
Ruthie from Wilmington, Delaware, USA:
I can't even begin to describe how much I learned from this tour. Not only did I get to see the Latin Quarter and Montmartre with an "insider" - our tour took us off the beaten path (which is what I wanted), but Sab told me interesting facts about the areas as we were walking around. I highly recommend this to everyone - it was the absolute highlight of my trip.
René & Lisa from Antwerp, Belgium:
Lisa and I want to thank you very much for the wonderful Saturday along the streets of Paris!
Our encounter was not only a complete (but very much welcome!) surprise for me, it led to hours of pleasure exchanging views and approaches, and discussing photography in general. I so far found only a few moments to discover your website - it's so rich that it will take me some time to enjoy all of it! So more fun for a couple of evenings…
Daniel from Newmarket, UK:
I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight hours I have had so far, although probably still not enough!
Aside from enabling me to understand the camera, Sab really gave me a great insight in how to "see" interesting subjects and shapes, and subsequently how to best enhance their value in a photographic context. I am very proud of the portraits I took and hope they will make great gifts to family members. Sab knew Paris really well, so we wasted very little time getting to the best locations to capture the heart of the city. I would certainly recommend Sab to others who wanted to expand their photographic experience.
Anne & Jonathan from Sydney, Australia:
Sab offered a different perspective to photography touring I've previous participated in. He provided context by briefly dabbling into both the history and social idiosyncrasies of the area prior to shooting. He focused on perspective and viewpoints without delving much into the technical aspects of the camera. Just what we preferred. Learnt new techniques and had a good time. A friendly and knowledgeable tour guide he made the event very enjoyable and memorable.
Zvonimir from Zagreb, Croatia:
I very much enjoyed our photo tour in Latin Quarter. Sab made it possible for me to see beyond classical 'tourist' attractions as I wanted a bit different photo experience of Paris. He also shared many technical points in order to improve my overall photo skills.
Stephanie from Bristol, UK: [the entire testimonial, as it relates to a photographic week in Paris!]
When I first contacted Sab I had a plan to spend a week in Paris wandering round, experiencing the beauty of Paris, and taking some great photos with my new camera which I didn’t really know how to use. However, as soon as I got in contact, the week became something very special.
Having seen Sab’s inspirational website, I contacted him about a custom made photography tour/course. He put together a fantastic ‘package’ of individual lessons for me, scheduled over the week. Sab had planned the schedule really carefully, based around the areas that I had said I was interested in. I met with Sab each day, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the evening for night photography, sometimes for the whole day, and sometimes just for a few hours. Around the lessons I was able to explore Paris and take photos on my own, and Sab always gave me great suggestions for places to go, and also suggestions for areas to focus on. We then reviewed what I had done at our lesson the following day.
From the moment I met up with Sab, on a rainy Sunday morning at St Michel Fountain, he made photography exciting and fun. I was pretty much a beginner to photography, and was scared of being creative with the camera. Sab has an energetic and fun approach to teaching. As we wandered around the city, Sab had endless creative ideas of how to get great shots. Very quickly he helped me to find the shots myself.
I took hundreds of wonderful shots with Sab, but he helped me to create a digital Paris Album, and to select the best shots to keep in it. He also spent a lot of time helping me to master the basics in digital editing, which has improved my final images dramatically. Since I’ve been home, my family and friends have been amazed at the photos in my album. Before I left, I had never taken anything that I was happy to show people, and after my week with Sab I have an album of shots that I am really proud of.
When I planned my trip to Paris, I had hoped that I would return a better photographer, and I certainly have. However, what I hadn’t expected, was that I’d have such an enjoyable week in Sab’s company. Sab is a very talented artist with an infectious passion for Paris. I felt very lucky to be sharing in his inspiration in the city that he loves.
Thank you so much Sab for a wonderful week!
Sue & Gordon from Australia:
Both Gordon and I had a great time with you on your Latin Quarter Curios tour. We found it a fantastic introduction, not only to taking much better photos, and seeing things we may not normally notice, but also to Paris itself. You helped us to feel more confident using our cameras while showing us the beauty of Paris.
Dirk from Beeskow, Germany:
The tour with you was absolutely great. I think we had a lot of fun together. I could take home a lot of suggestions and experiences. You have shown me nice, quiet places in Paris outside the touristical mainstream.
Maureen from Wexford, Pennsylvania, USA:
Sab is a traveler, a writer, a poet, a painter, a photographer, a man with several lives and loving his current one deep in the state of helping others capture images of what he loves – the Paris scene. Indeed, he made the scene and reinvented it for us.
Teresa from Levittown (Long Island), New York, USA:
The tour was a perfect balance of photographic "event", history lesson, comfortable stroll with a new friend, and seeing photography and Paris with new eyes. Thank you Sab, for the highlight of my trip!"
David from Edinburgh, Scotland, UK:
Great knowledge of the areas walked – (Montmartre). I returned the next afternoon and took more but with the benefit of the previous day. Highly recommended.
Frank from Philadelphia, USA:
Its amazing how quickly Sab could find an interesting angle or subject to take pictures of where I would have never even noticed it. I was so glad I found his tour when I was booking my Paris trip.
Jason from Phoenix, Arizona, USA:
Unbelievable! A single day that I will never forget! Highly, highly recommended! Next tip - Do this first BEFORE your vacation begins. I went to many other towns in Italy after my experience with Sab. I would have never taken the kind of photos I did if I had not had the lessons. In fact, there were many places (churches) that didn't allow photos. Yet I was still looking at things as a photographer. It was commented many times by my group that I pointed out things that they just passed right up. One person began to consistently ask me, 'what do you see here?'.
Joanna from Toronto, Canada:
Just took a peek through some of your blogs and am reminded of what a fabulous photographer you are! Thanks for posting so many great & inspirational pictures online... it's so great to be able to see the work you're doing! I recognized 2 photos on the blog that I think you took on our tour in Montmartre (kind of cool!) Anyway... just stopped by to say hello & encourage you in your art and your work - amazing!
Marsha from New York, USA:
Sab, the tour was an inspiring learning experience with guidance not only on wonderful 'things' to take photos of, but different ways to approach a particular photo to make it different from a 'front on' shot. (Also, help with my camera and terminology.) As we discussed, perhaps art can't be taught, but it can be unleashed! I'm looking forward to having another session.
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* I run a variety of Paris and photography-themed sites and blogs, review Paris books of all sorts, interview interesting Paris people, write an illustrated Paris Chronicle every day, run a meet-up group for Paris lovers, and even contribute to the city's street art, so feel free to browse some of the links below and in the right-hand column to find out more about what I get up to out there...
