3 days

About this activity

Your half- or full-day Washington DC photo safari begins in the morning with a 45-minute orientation. Learn essential tips for capturing the best possible qualities in a photo, including aesthetic principles like composition and lighting. Master your shutter speed , F-stop , white balance and ISO settings with the assistance of your expert instructor, who will also provide hands-on guidance on candid portraits, landscape and travel photography.. You will earn how to get off of the "Auto" setting to use ALL the features of your camera, a very valuable skill to have before your next vacation.

Whether you’re a novice or expert, these tips will help make great photos even better. Novices appreciate the guidance on camera use. Intermediate and advanced photographers will appreciate the instructor's know;edge of all the best photo op sites in DC, camera angles and times of day for shooting as well as historic information on the monuments themselves.

This is our most popular tour, highly rated with 5-star reviews and annual Certificates of Excellence on Trip Advisor

Half-day option: After your informative orientation, set out for the enchanting sights of Washington DC to test your new skills with your guide. Capture the morning light hitting the White House and Lafayette Park. Try snapping experimental angles of the the Albert Einstein Memorial, Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam Three Servicemen and the Korean war Veterans Memorials. Take some action shots of Union Station as it gets busy right before lunch time and learn how to have your camera make all the moving people in the station disappear.! After the half day photo workshop ends, continue with your new knowledge on your own photo safari.

Full-day option: This option includes the same morning session as above, but after lunch at Union Station (own expense), continue to even more sights to hone your new skills. Drive to the beautiful US Botanic Gardens to capture flowers and plants in a greenhouse, and photograph the adjoining US Capitol building in the afternoon sun. The tour then goes on to the colorful and architecturally diverse Adams-Morgan neighborhood, as you try your hand at abstract photography. Continue on to the magnificent Washington National Cathedral, sixth largest cathedral in the world and one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture anywhere in the US. Here, you will learn how to photograph stained-glass windows and church interiors and exteriors. The instructor will then drive you to the nearby Tenleytown Metro station On the Red Line.

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Included

Transportation between locations
Instruction materials on travel photography

Not included

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup ad drop off

Additional

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 3 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
There will be a 45-minute lunch break at Union Station (food and beverages are not included in price)
Tours depart in all weather conditions
There is a considerable amount of walking during this tour, and guests must be able to independently walk around the monuments and near the White House
Please include a contact phone number in the event the tour is canceled due to inclement weather Please include a contact phone number in the event the tour is canceled due to inclement weather
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level

Features

Cultural

90%

Tourism

85%

Original

55%

Adrenaline

25%

Reviews

4.7

9

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Ronald M

5 | 2019-07-03

Had a great time with David and his assistant Laura, as a novice photographer with a Nikon D5000 I learnt more about my camera in the morning I spent with them than I had in the previous years I've had the camera and had a fun time as well. Would recommend and would do the longer trip if I return to Washington.

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Diane R

5 | 2017-09-26

This tour took us to Lafayette Park, The Lincoln Memorial, Viet Nam Wall, Korean War Memorial, and Union Station. We discussed various options using our cameras, and got some great composition tips. A nice walk around on a nice day. David knows a lot and is a good teacher.

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NATALIA A

5 | 2016-09-21

This a great tour to learn all about your professional camera. He is very knowledgeable and teaches some of the tricks and angles to shoot your photos.

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Steve F

4 | 2016-08-28

I have owned my new camera for two years and I learnt more in 6 hours from David than I have in the last two years of experimenting with my camera. The instruction was insightful, knowledgeable and constructive. David guided me through the use of the camera and how to view taking photos in a new way. I will make sure to use his services again when I'm in DC.

J

James M

5 | 2015-10-09

We met David at the right time and place and started with an introduction to the principles of composition, planning your picture and camera technique. Delivered in a friendly and humorous manner David made us feel welcome and at ease. Going around the monuments David point out that using monochrome on the statues and getting in close really delivers those memorable pictures. Lunch at Union Station was a lesson in long exposure pictures plus knowing how to apply the white balance to interior pictures. Overall this was one of the best photographic tours that I have done as we had a local professional photographer delivering great tips and showing us parts of DC that we would not have known existed.

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Kathleen R

4 | 2012-05-30

Really enjoyed this one. It was nice to get instruction on how to improve my photographs. The only downside (a small one) was that we went to the same places I'd gone to on other tours I booked on this trip.

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