tuition....exploring....learning....conversation....fun....sharing...photography...
our mission is to connect you with unique out-of-the-way destinations and inspirational photographic experiences.
Photo Tours 2013
 |
NEW DESTINATION ! Kent and East Sussex Hastings, Rye, Whitstable, Canterbury, Brighton, Sissinghurst & the Weald... DATES: June 9th - June 19th, 2013 (10 nights). |
For a full description of our photo tour to Kent and East Sussex click here |
|
 |
Alsace and Champagne DATES: October 7th - 17th, 2013 (10 nights) |
For a full description of our photo tour to Alsace & Champagne click here |
June 2012 Photo Tour... France - The Best of the West
Last year in June we escaped all our problems and visited to End of the Earth in Western France, a tranquil and isolated region that seemed totally untouched and untroubled by the woes that are affecting the rest of the world. We visited the lovely fishing villages of Brittany - the piece of France that juts out into the Atlantic, and a region we first visited back in 1997, before the digital age! We also spent time in the Briere region just south of Brittany, famous for its wild life and thatched cottages, and we returned to our favorite island the Ile de Re, and then visited our old friend Philippe in the western Loire Valley. On our way back to Paris we explored the medieval "City of the Plantagenets" in Le Mans . Overall we had pretty good weather, with showers followed by sun, which gave us some wonderful skies with white puffy clouds. We enjoyed ourselves and the tranquil escape from the troubles of the world. To read details of the tour click here. To see Barbara's photo galleries from this tour click here. To see photos of tour participants enjoying themselves click here.
|
The Best of June 17 - 28, 2012 For full details of our 2012 photo tour "Thanks for a memorable trip. We saw more beautiful French locations in ten days than I have seen in all my previous visits to France. The sites were outstanding; it was even more enjoyable seeing them in the company of an interesting group of photographers..." |
COMPLETED! To see Barbara's photo gallery To see photos of group members during the tour |
|---|
 |
Photo Susette Willhite |
Welcome
2013 marks our 23rd year of leading photo tour to Europe's most beautiful (and off the beaten track) destinations, making us one of the longest running and most experienced photo tour organizers in the business.
WHAT WE DO: Since 1990 when we organized our first photography tour to France (Burgundy to be precise), Europa Photogenica Photo Tours (formerly known as France Photogenique) has been dedicated to providing carefully planned, high quality, small group photo tours to Europe's photogenic destinations. The tours are designed for photographers of all levels who wish to improve their photographic skills using Europe as their classroom, and for more advanced photographers who want to increase their stock of travel photos. The aim of our tours is to take you to places you would not ordinarily find by yourself and to provide you with unique photo opportunities. We do the scouting for you, saving you days of wasted time and money. The tours are about making photographs and improving those photos through on the spot tuition if you need it. We do not offer a long list of photography tours because we are, after all, professional photographers with work commitments to fill. However, as we really enjoy the group experience of shared photography, travel adventures and laughs we choose to organize a few original, highly researched and planned photo tours each year to be sure to offer the best photo tour experience possible. We aim to provide the highest standards of photo instruction when needed, out of the way locations with lots of varied and UNIQUE photo opportunities, comfortable accommodation, great food, small groups (between 3 and 12), destinations that change every year and above all LOTS OF FUN, all at affordable prices. We can't guarantee the weather but we can guarantee photo opportunities not available with any other tour group.
At Europa Photogenica Photo Tours we’ve had a long love affair with France, and her charms are as potent as ever. Every time we take a tour group to France we re-discover the magic – the landscapes, the medieval villages, the food, the wine, the great history and the matchless architecture. In the past we have also photographed the charms of England, Spain, Italy and Greece. Ever flexible we change with the times and have expanded and contracted along with the world economies. For the moment we are back with our first love, France, but as the British pound is now lower against the dollar we look more and more to tours of Great Britain, which has endless photo opportunities to offer. For 2013 we have a NEW tour to Kent and East Sussex on the schedule. For details of this tour click here.
WITH US YOU WILL: TRAVEL the beautiful back roads of Great Britain and France. LEARN the essentials of travel photography. ENJOY first-class food and accommodations. MEET like-minded travelers interested in photography and unique experiences. PHOTOGRAPH landscapes, seascapes, mountains, rivers, medieval villages, churches, cathedrals, outdoor markets,fishing villages, vineyards, flowers, window boxes, sunsets, cafes, people, chateaux, castles, famous landmarks and more.
WHAT WE DO NOT DO is plan tours that cover vast areas or involve long distances traveling in the van. We try to limit the time spent traveling as much as possible, so we tend to stay in the same hotel or B&B for several days, driving out each day to photograph the surrounding areas. We usually stay in a maximum of three places but occasionally we stretch that to four including the airport hotel the night before the departure day. Therefore we do not plan tours that go from one end of a country to another or that incorporate more than one country.
The last few years have been difficult for all of us and the future is still an unknown quantity. Everybody lost money and lost confidence for a while. So invest in pleasure, travel experiences and your own well-being, by creating good memories and great images that you’ll keep for a lifetime. Unlike stocks or shares, great photos do not lose their value, and give you happiness forever. In these times of financial uncertainty, a photo tour is a great investment!
****
June 9th - 19th, 2013... England - Kent and East Sussex - The Darling Buds of May in the Garden of England
For June 2013 we have a NEW tour on the schedule to the south eastern counties of Kent and East Sussex in England. Although only 40 minutes from London Kent is a rural region know as the Garden of England because of its fruit orchards, market gardens and hop fields. We will be on the hunt for images of quintessential Englishness... red phone boxes, flower filled gardens, thatched cottages, ancient pub facades, red mail boxes, fish and chip shops, cricket matches on the village green, stately homes, castles, old churches, abandoned fishing boats, the soaring ceilings and medieval stone effigies of Canterbury Cathedral, the famous gardens at Sissinghurst, the ultimate seaside town of Brighton, Morris Dancers, and the White Cliffs of Dover (what could be more English than that?), not to mention pub lunches, country house hotel accommodation, and perhaps the odd pub quiz in the evening. For full details of our 2013 photo tour to Kent and East Sussex click here.
****
October Tour 2013...France - Alsace and Champagne - From Wine to Bubbly
In October 2013 we will be re-visiting the eastern wine region of Alsace, a beautiful area of vines and Hansel and Gretal colored houses. We last toured there ten years ago (hard to believe) so it is time to go back there too. Fall will be a time of gold and red in the vines, and geraniums in the enumerable window boxes. Also on this tour is our first visit to the Champagne region where we will visit some of the grand Champagne houses, stay in a small champagne producer's bed and breakfast, and maybe learn how to "sabre" a bottle of champagne. For full details of our tour to Alsace and Champagne in Eastern France click here.
****
Photo Galleries from recent tours: for links to ALL our image galleries from ALL our tours click here. For our tour archives - images of tour groups in action, click here
The Best of Western France June 2012 |
Pilgrims' Way in Southwest France September 2010 |
The Beaujolais October 2009 |
Normandy, Brittany & Giverny June 2009 |
Paris Extension June 2009 |
Summer in Provence June 2008 |
Dordogne & the Lot Valley May 2007 |
Rhone Alps and the Beaujolais May 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| for Barbara's images of our tour to the Aubrac, Aveyron, Gascony & the Cathar Castles part one click here part two click here |
for Barbara's images from our tour to the Beaujolais and Jura Mountains |
for Barbara's images from our tour to Normandy click here | for Barbara's images from the Paris Extension tour click here |
for Barbara's images from our photo tour to Provence click here |
for Barbara's images from our photo tour to the Dordogne part one click here part two click here |
for Barbara's images from our photo tour to the Beaujolais and the Rhone Alps click here |
|
| for images of tour participants click here |
for images of the group in action click here |
for images of the group at work click here |
for images of the group working click here |
group images coming soon | for images of the group at work click here | for images of the group in action click here | for images of tour participants click here |
Comments on recent tours:
The scenery was fabulous with great photo opportunities everywhere. Our tour included places that were off the beaten path and away from tourists. I enjoyed the people that we met along the way. They added interest and flavor to the trip. You did an excellent job of preparing for and leading this trip. You found the most interesting places for us to photograph during our stay in Western France. If one location did not work out, you always had several alternate places for us to visit. Your preparation and attention to detail made this a successful tour. DW. Illinois. Western France 2012
Thank you again for a great photo trip. I really relaxed and enjoyed it! I think for me it was the best one yet. I loved the locations and B&B's. Great choices and many thanks! I am dreaming about doors, shutters, hollyhocks,etc! D.B. Naples, FL. Western France 2012
"Thanks for a memorable trip. We saw more beautiful French locations in ten days than I have seen in all my previous visits to France. The sites were outstanding; it was even more enjoyable seeing them in the company of an interesting group of photographers..." DW. Chicago - Western France, June 2012.
This was a great photographic trip, and I'll have lots to keep me through the cold winter months. The highlight for me was the Farm, a place where I'd love to spend a month writing a novel if only I could write ... KDB. Quebec, Canada - Western France, June 2012
"A great experience... full of personal meaning. Thank you for all your efforts to make it so. I got to see an area long on my "to do" list..... W.C. Canada - Pilgrims' Way and Cathar Extension, Fall 2010.
"The trip is with me almost every day as I pour over my production... this has to be absolutely the best tour I've been on with you. You found great spots and we all seemed to get along as a group. Maybe it's because not having warm clothes made me Suffer For My Art, but I have a warm feeling remembering the shooting and the conversations, and I have lots of photographs to work on."... K.B. Quebec City, Canada. - Pilgrims' Way and Cathar Extension, Fall 2010.
Thanks for creating such a human ambiance throughout. Indeed I owe you an even bigger thank you for providing such a capital experience of photography. You are very good at what you do. Though I often travel alone for my photography, I could never have had such an intense experience as I had with this tour. Your extensive research and experience made all the difference. So too your non-judgmental way of helping me correct my mistakes and learn to seek perfection rather than 'good enough'. I could go on, but just be assured that I am so very grateful for this extraordinary tour."...W.C. Canada. - Beaujolais and Jura, Fall 2009
"The trip was the best of the six trips with you (since 1997 in Bretagne). As Bill was mentioning, we seemed to be quite compatible and very interested in the kind of shooting opportunities you were offering us. Thanks for everything."... J.B. Quebec City, Canada - Beaujolais and Jura, Fall 2009
I was having such a good time I wanted it to last forever....I doff my hat to you Barbara. You selected great sites in the best light. You have a fine sense of pacing, good energy to stay on top of things and inspire confidence. And you share knowledge and experience unobtrusively. These are all indicators of an expert adult educator. You effectively create the opportunity and atmosphere for a great experience to happen. W.C. Canada - Beaujolais and the Jura Mountains, October 2009.
"I decided to use the Normandy and Paris shots for the new photos for my 2010 exhibitions and sales. It was a terrifically productive trip and I believe the best so far."... T.S. Kalamazoo, MI - Normandy, The D-Day Beaches and Monet's Garden, June 2009.
This is my 8th tour in 11 years. That's an unqualified endorsement.... M.W. Normandy, the D-Day Beaches and Monet's Garden, June 2009
"Barbara you made the trip spectacular! Your attention to detail, research and planning of so many great experiences provided us with fun, great pictures and forever memories... We would not have wanted to miss a single location. B & B, Los Angeles, Normandy, The D-Day Beaches and Monet's Gardens. June 2009
Everything was wonderful from the planning, the accommodations, the locations and the illustrated itinerary when we returned home. DG. Summer in Provence, June 2008
"The biggest delight of the tour was meeting you and your knowledge of the region..." R.S. MI - Rhone alps, Beaujolais and Lyon, May 2007
Barbara - you did such an exceptional job on the tour notes and photos. I have to say I enjoyed everything about the tour. I look forward to doing another tour as soon as I can. Dordogne and Lot Valley, 2007. J.C. CA.
I thought the group worked well together and you are very organized and patient and don't get frazzled when things aren't perfect - like the weather! Dordogne and Lot Valley 2007. J.C. CA
"You put together another fantastic tour. Many of my successful images come from your tours. I am pleased with the great photographic opportunities you provided for us."... M.W.Santa Cruz, CA - Loire Valley, 2005.
***
All photo galleries: for client and tour leaders' image galleries from our previous tours click on the links or pictures below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
Doom and Gloom? Or Lemonade?
The economy continues to improve, then it doesn't, then it moves forward, then it is slowing down... then we have revolutions and catastrophes that threaten to stall the recovery for everyone. This is not going to be easy is it? The good news is that the dollar is still much stronger against the euro and the pound than it was this time last year. This is great for all of us who have put on hold our travel plans while waiting for the world to be a happier place. The fall in the value of both currencies against the dollar makes trips to Europe much more affordable for the cash strapped American tourist.
The future outlook for the euro is that it will remain weaker against the dollar for the foreseeable future so tours to France will work out much less expensive too. Currently the euro is trading at around 1.32 (the million dollar rate, which you or I never get). This is better than the rate of 1.60 it was in summer 2011. The British pound is currently trading at 1.55. Contrast this to the 2.2 rate it reached a couple of years ago. This means that travel to Europe is much less expensive this year and most probably next year also. All the more reason to book your tour now so that I can watch for the most favorable rates and keep your dollar price as low as possible.
At Europa Photogenica we, like everyone else, have had to deal with Mad Cow disease, 9/11, and the London bombings of July 2006 all of which took place just before we were due to depart for a tour. But when the going gets tough the tough go traveling. None of the participants of any of those tours backed out, with the exception of one gentleman whose flight connections were too numerous and too short to allow for the extra security measures put in place after 9/11. Nature continues to provide interesting challenges to travelers... two years ago it was the Icelandic volcano with the unpronounceable name of Eyjafjallajokull that regularly disrupted travel to and from Western Europe. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easy does it?
With extra security precautions, extensive examinations of our luggage and shoes, and luggage limitations etc, air travel has become an uncomfortable experience. However, we grit our teeth and put up with it because the rewards of getting somewhere exotic and different are many, and the experiences we enjoy while being in a different country create lasting memories. We seem to be able to adjust to whatever the airlines or nature throw in our path. It's admirable. My thoughts are that flying has always been dangerous and tedious. During the sixties, seventies and eighties (and beyond) it was the technology that couldn't guarantee the plane would stay up (as well as several terrorist high-jackings). Now it is mainly terrorism that threatens us. It remains true, however that statistically you stand more chance of being killed in a car accident on the way to the airport than being involved in a terrorist incident. I don't enjoy flying but I take my chances. It is the inconvenience of not being able to fly with hand-luggage containing camera equipment, laptops etc. that may one day seriously threaten the whole concept of photo tours abroad...
Travel while you can I say...you never know what will happen in the future to prevent world travel all together.
Barbara van Zanten-Stolarski
***
Our tour archives - group photos from past tours
When I started organizing photo tours twenty one years ago, personal computers were not around. We typed everything on a typewriter and made photocopies. We thought we were lucky when Kinko's came along. The Internet had not been invented yet, everyone used film and I spent hours intoxicating myself in a dark room trying to create perfect prints. When I started taking photographs in college I had a Praktika Nova 1B manual SLR camera and each frame had to be wound on manually. It is hard to believe that we have come so far with the technology in such a short time. Now we are geeking it up as if we had learned it in kindergarten. The Internet is our oyster and film is "SO last Millennium"...(at least for some people. I still shoot film for my more "arty" work).
Well, history may be well and truly in the past, but for alumni of France Photogenique and Europa Photogenica photography tours who want to wax nostalgic, or for those of you who are interested in seeing what we have been doing for the past twelve years (I think that is far enough in the past for our archives...), I have created an Archives page, where I have put up some group pictures from past tours. The photo collections are by no means complete. I have lots of photos from more recent tours but for some tours I have no group pictures, and I still have to look through several more shoe boxes full of photos to find others.
I will add more pictures as I find them, and if any of you alumni out there have any pictures of any tours that you want to share please send them in. You can e-mail them if you like, just format them to 300 pixels across the top edge and send them as a high res JPEG. To visit our Archives page click here.
***
The last word... "On the road you meet people you'd never meet at home — people who highlight different cultures. I meet a greater variety of interesting people in two months in Europe than I encounter in an entire year in America. " Rick Steves.
***
Buy my posters here: AllPosters.com Affordable web design by: BvZ Photo-Graphic
