Selected Testimonials ~ 2008
Stephanie from Bristol, UK:
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:
“I
do feel bad not
getting back to you earlier to thank you as 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. And to top it
off we now have some terrific photos of Paris that we certainly
wouldn't have if not for your help!
The holiday seems like ages ago but it has whet our appetites
for more, we just need the economy to spring back!”
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.
I have visited often you homepage. It is nice, I like it. But I need a little bit more time to look at and to read everything.
It was very important for me to change our
experiences concerning photography. Once again: Thank you very
much for all.
I would
like to do the next photo tour with you in Beeskow !!!”
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.”
“He is full of playfulness and insight, novel perspectives and quirky charm.”
“Why is it that travel magazines, lavish with tips and sumptuous photographs leave us so empty? Because they are gauzy tributes to the faux magic and trying so hard to be sincere. Instead, traipse around with Sab for a couple of hours, hear about his life, go to a local bookstore, which is clearly a hangout for him, hear him chat with a friend, meet a dog and throw a ball, sneak into a courtyard surrounded by dance studios with a belly dancer learning to isolate her top from her bottom and hear him talk about his own dance class attempt that no doubt had him smiling with glee.”
“When you are either too nervous to hold the camera to your face because the lens gets in the way of the beauty or when you are swamped with the emotion of a war monument, Sab is a thoughtful guide – helping you make sense of what you witness.”
“And finally, thank you. Wish I could just ring you, say I’d meet you at the bookstore and head out for gunpowder tea then a romp through the modern art.
Teresa from Levittown (Long Island), New York, USA:
"As an amateur photographer who has been to Paris 3 times prior I wanted to see the less "famous" details of the city. Sab took me to just such places where I was able to capture my kind of images and incorporate his insightful suggestions. Because of that, my pictures have a new clarity of vision for me and hopefully the viewer."
"I also have to thank him for giving me tips on the usage of some of the bells and whistles of my camera that I had no prior experience with...using them now I am able to take better technical and artistic shots."
"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 day out made even better for just being the two of us – Sab pointed out ideas and angles that might have passed me by otherwise. The day was aided by great weather / sun / shadows which added to the outing and quality of the shots taken.
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."