Like any capital, Paris draws a diverse mix of sightseers. However, one thing almost all visitors have in common is their desire make full use of the time they have available to explore and discover as much of the city as possible.
Often, my services will be solicited by traveling clients - namely vacationers and business travellers - who have an extremely limited window of time available to do a photo shoot. They’ll request, say, up to 5 renowned attractions around the city and wish to cover them all within the space of an hour or two. By hiring private drivers or taking taxis this is of course possible and if you really have your heart set on a final photo album of the best of Paris, then I’m very happy to accompany you on this type of shoot. However…if it’s the quality of the photographs and the enjoyment of the experience that are most important to you; if you want to get the best out of hiring a professional photographer for a private photo shoot, then I recommend you forget the car, and take full advantage of everything a walking photo tour has to offer you…
6 ADVANTAGES OF A WALKING PHOTO TOUR
The following are the main reasons why walking photo shoots are the best way of being professionally photographed in Paris:
1) No Time Wasted in Transport
Whilst the amount of time spent in transport would vary depending on your chosen travel method, (e.g. taking a taxi as apposed to taking a bus) and the precise distance between your chosen locations, even traveling between just 2 Paris locations can require at least 20 minutes. Now imagine changing location 4-5 times during one shoot…that’s a lot of time that would be much better spent being photographed…
2) Time to Get Comfortable in Front of the Camera
Even for photo shoot veterans, the building of rapport between a photographer and their client requires an amount of warm up time. Constantly hopping from A-to-B-to-C etc the shoot will progress in fits and starts and will, therefore, never really allows you the sufficient time to feel relaxed and self-assured when being photographed.
3) Peace Of Mind
If you book a walking lifestyle shoot with Brett Walsh Photography, all of the organisation is left in the capable hands of the photographer; you simply arrive at your chosen location at your preferred time and and I’ll take care of the rest. If you hire a driver (or various drivers), it’s another thing you have to organise, with all the potential delays and cancellations etc that are so often entailed.
4) True Exploration
Technically, you can see the Notre-Dame Cathedral in 5 minutes from street level. But will you see it from the narrow cobbled quais as you pass under Pont au Double? Will you see it floating on the Seine, as you do from the beautiful Quai d’Orléans? To fully experience a location, you need to dedicate time to discovering it properly. Would you rather cover 1 location well (and develop real memories of being there) than barely scratch the surface of 5 ?
For those considering hiring a private driver, also worth nothing: aside from the significant time they’ll require to find a suitable parking spot, by the time a place has been found this will likely be a good distance from your desired location, meaning that you’ll be required, in any case, to walk somewhat.
5) Value For Money
I pride myself on offering the best value for money photography service in Paris. However, if you opt for the added cost of 4 Uber journeys (or, indeed, a private driver) the total cost of your photo shoot experience will significantly increase…
6) Intimacy and Quality
For families and (especially) for couples, like any other activity undertaken on your break, a photoshoot should also be an adventure you share. When you’re walking, they’ll be plenty of opportunity for me to hang back and capture candid photos of you from further away, giving you some privacy to simply enjoy being together in Paris; if you only spend a bit of time at each location, you will miss out on this.
IN SUMMARY
Walking outdoor photo shoots
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more time spent taking photos
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more poses, perspectives and moments captured
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more choice from which to select the very best images.
