Tuscany Photography Tours

Leo is an extremely talented photographer, very professional and generous. I participated in the Tuscany Spring Tour and had a wonderful time! He not only cares deeply about teaching his art, but also about providing his customers with an authentic Italian experience. He is careful in selecting a combination of locations that include famous sites, hidden gems and various types of environments that can provide different learnings. I was very surprised to find out that the tour also included some walks around different towns in Tuscany. During the tour, Leo provided thorough explanations to help us improve our photography skills, but first challenged us to think of the solution ourselves. His editing workshops were amazing, he showed us how he edited more than 8 of our own pictures, which was also recorded for our benefit. In general, I was shocked to learn how many tours he leads (many), because of the commitment he brings to each one of the participants. Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Leonardo is simply the best! Not only in improving my composition and shooting techniques, but in between shoots in continually teaching me the finer points of photo editing and processing. Leo is a highly motivated person, is ultra made hardworking and is fully hands-on, which is possible due to the small size of the groups he keeps. He knows the Dolomites area like the back of his hands and it would have been impossible for me to do this on my own. I highly recommend Leo and all members of my group swore we would return with Leo on another workshop before long! Bernard

Experience of a lifetime!

Leonardo is the best host imaginable for a photo tour - fun, friendly, kind, supportive, knowledgeable, and intensely capable. His ability to help tour members with their compositions, photo settings, and even post-processing is spot-on, yet at no point did he boast about his own work or look down on the tour members.

Even if you're more interested in going along for the ride than taking photos (perhaps accompanying a partner), you'll have a blast, with Leo arranging magnificent hotels, meals, and places from which to enjoy the majesty of this world, or even a bit of shopping. The all-inclusive formula also means that you can leave all the logistics of hotel check-ins and meal payments up to him (and his perfect Italian).

The route we took through the Dolomites was perfectly planned to start with a "Wow" and then build upon it each day. By the final location, we were absolutely awestruck. Leo was able to easily adjust plans based on inclement weather, and at no point did we feel shortchanged.

If you're considering booking one of his photo tours, stop thinking and just do it. :-)

I have just returned from a delightful week with Tuscany Photography Tours, led by Leonardo Papèra (Leo). A native Tuscan, Leo is an expert in the region, an accomplished photographer, a gifted teacher and a delight to have as a guide of the Tuscany region. We travelled to well known key
photography locations as well, lesser-known places for beautiful shots that provided us great learning opportunities as well as unusual beautiful
photos.

Leo quickly assessed each of our technical and composite skills and tailored his teachings and support to each of our individual needs. His full
attention was on his clients at each photo shoot. Unlike some tours I have experienced, he approached each of our photo sessions as a workshop and I have come away from the week with a significant advanced knowledge of
composition, how light plays in photography and an understanding of the need to 'see the story' before I take the shot.

Leo's goal was to ensure that each of us walked away better photographers. In addition to his own personal photography skills, Leo is a born teacher;
he is professionally critical in his feedback. As I continue my photography journey, I will carry with me, his encouraging words - 'you can do better'.

He has built relationships in the Tuscan community with local establishments which meant each day we dined in beautiful restaurants and ate delicious Tuscan food. Every meal with Leo meant joyful conversations, laughter and sometimes more lessons.

In addition to beautiful photography sessions in historic Tuscany, he spent time walking through how he produces the photographs in Lightroom and Photoshop. He freely shared his knowledge in pre and post photography and provided us tools to move forward on our own.

And last, with his easy style and sense of humour - the week was absolutely delightful. As I move forward in my own learning of photography, I will be following Leo and looking for future workshops with him.

Thank you, Leo!

Leo is the perfect choice for a photographic tour of Tuscany. He has detailed knowledge of the places to shoot, in which weather, and what time of day to optimize your time in Val D'Orcia. He combines that with charm and wit to keep you entertained during the waiting times, drives, and meals. He also selects fantastic local Agritourismo locations for your stay and local, often family-owned restaurants for your gastronomic delights while on tour with him. There is just no comparison!

Leo was a fantastic host and tour guide for our Dolomites photo tour! He knew not only where to go but also when best to be there, and varied locations and timing based on the weather. He arranged excellent accomodations and restaurants, and handled driving with aplomb. He was able to provide technical support for a variety of cameras, as well as on composition, exposure and Lightroom. I can't recommend him highly enough, and look forward to his next trip, hopefully to Iceland!

What a unique experience! Leo is not just a passionate and very skilled photographer, he is a patient teacher and fun and resourceful guide. Our Tuscany tour combined intense work on photography, breathtaking landscapes and immersing ourselves in the local way of living to create a lifetime experience. I really appreciated the small group, the exclusive locations, and highly professional booking process. Not to mention that my photography skills notably improved during the tour. The whole experience is rounded off by some super useful hands on instructions on photo editing. I definitely look forward to joining another of Leo's tours.

Leonardo far exceeded my expectations of a photography tour through Tuscany! I only had a limited time frame, as I was on the back end of my stay in Italy; however, Leonardo crafted the perfect itinerary for my available time. From meeting me at the train station in Firenze, to our final shooting and outing through the Tuscan countryside, it was a dream come true experience! Wanted to take advantage of the full essence of Tuscany, I opted for the upgraded level, which included all meals. Pro tip: opt for the upgrade! Breaking bread, while immersed in the Tuscan life, was almost as enjoyable as photographing the winding cypress trees and hills and valleys of Val d’Orcia!
Wholeheartedly endorse using Leonardo and Tuscany Photography Tours for your expedition through Italy!! John F Crifasi

Leo is a wonderful photo guide and instructor. His local knowledge is extensive and provides excellent opportunities for both classic and unexpected images of the Tuscan landscape. He is patient and good-humoured. I learned a great deal from his tuition and was delighted with great images that were often taken in less than optimal conditions. Our editing session was so helpful in this respect. Leo is 100% focused on the experience of his guests and that extends not just to the photographic elements but to accommodation, food and visits to towns when the light isn’t at its best for photography. Leo is flexible and very responsive to his guests’ needs and works very hard to ensure that your Tuscan experience is a memorable and premium one. He is well known in the area and clearly liked and respected so guests benefit from the welcome he receives.

I was so happy to be with Leo of Tuscany Photography in Tuscany. He led our group to visit all the beautiful places Shot in good timing and shared his professional experiences. Trust I will follow him in the next trip in Italy soon.

Leonardo’s Classic Tuscany tour was simply amazing! As promised, we visited all the best locations in the area, at the right times and in the best lighting conditions. We did city walks as well, to include the very scenic towns of Pienza and Montepulciano.

Leo is an extremely accomplished award winner photographer. Landscape photography is a new genre for me and I gained so much from his instructional teaching style that I saw my compositions and the overall quality of my images improve dramatically in just the first two days. Take his constructive criticisms and recommendations to heart and you’ll come away with images you will be proud to post, print, enter into contests and even sell.

Obviously, the food in Tuscany is amazing and Leo took us to all the best local restaurants. The food, the desserts, the wine…all outstanding.

Leonardo is friendly and easy going, but at the end of the day the group I was in booked with him to come away with great images. I know those are the types of images everyone on this tour produced. I wouldn’t hesitate going out into the field again with Leo. I highly recommend joining one of his tours.

Leo is an outstanding photo tour guide. He took our group to locations in the Dolomites that would have been impossible for us to find on our own, and made sure that we photographed these sites at perfect light, and from the best vantage points available. It's very clear that he spend a lot of time pre-scouting and assembling the best locations. He arranged all of our hotels and meals, which were absolutely first class. Leo is not only a top notch tour guide, but he's also very knowledgeable about all photo systems and editing programs.

Traveling with him was an absolute pleasure, and I highly recommend his services. I plan to go on more of his photo excursions in the future.

It’s an amazing workshop. Leo did excellent job for organizing from logistics, right spots for shooting and great meals arrangements. He is also a great landscape photographer and shared a lot knowledge, skills and experience of Tuscany photography. Best Wish for his future success!

My husband and I cannot speak highly enough of the wonderful experience we had, both photographically and personally, with Leonardo in Venice on his Classic Venice Tour. His extensive familiarity with Venice meant that not only did he take us to parts of the city that we would never have discovered otherwise (and where few other tourists lurked), but we were there at the right the right times of day to capture the ambience and atmosphere of this amazing city. We also benefitted from his deep photographic knowledge and generous advice on technique - he taught us things about our own cameras that we didn't know! On top of this, he was a personable and entertaining host and guide, adding to our overall experience. Leonardo dedicated all his time with us to ensuring our images were the best we could capture on the day.

Three of us spent a day with Leo who provided a crash course in Cinque Terre photography. It was an interesting dichotomy of sorts being that the three of us has just completed a different week-long photography workshop covering other parts of Italy. Based on shared feedback among our small group, we feel the instruction we received from Leo over a single day was far superior to that we experienced over the previous week. Leo was very attentive to our needs and tailored his teaching to our level of photography expertise. He was very patient and did not mind repeating concepts to be sure we had a good understanding. He was determined to make sure we made the most of the time we had with him, but he in no way pushed us to the point of exhaustion. Two specific photography techniques I learned from Leo that day were bracketing and the use of filters. I highly recommend Tuscany Photography Tours to photographers of any skill level. You will learn something new from Leo!

We are two wildlife photographers that, while in Italy, decided to give landscape photography a try. Luckily we found Tuscany Photography Tours and were able to spend 3 great days with Leonardo. We learned so much, captured some wonderful scenes, and had great conversations about photography, food, wine, and life in Italy and beyond. If you are interested in landscape photography, I would recommend a trip with Leonardo!

My wife and I just returned from a two week private tour to the Alps (France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria) with Leo. My wife and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on this trip. This was the second tour we booked with Leo. The first trip was a three week tour with another couple where we covered Italy (Dolomites, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast, and Capri). In summary, the experience couldn't have been better. Leo handles everything from the time we land in our destination city to the airport departures.

Now for some details...

Logistics: Leo chose the lodging based on our specifications of 3-4 star hotels or best available. All the selections were great, and several exceeded our expectations. The vehicles we traveled in were comfortable and appropriately sized for our group. Leo handles the porterage of your bags and will even assist in carrying some camera gear (tripod) on the hikes. Upon our request, Leo balanced the photo activity with leisure activities so the girls (wives) could do some sightseeing and shopping.

Photography: Leo has a great eye for composition and offers great suggestions on how to improve your composition with small adjustments to maximize leading lines and subject isolation. Leo recommends appropriate lens selection before leaving the vehicle so you dont have to lug your entire kit with you (unless you want to). He researches the timing and location of the sunrise/sunset to get you in the best places to capture the light. [I tried to post photos but for some insane reason Google kept rejecting them. Their loss, and yours too.]

Be prepared for early morning start and late night returns; especially if it's summer. Also, realize Leo is a young guy and physically fit. My wife and I are 65 and not as fit as Leo. When Leo says it's an easy five minute walk on flat trails, you might want to multiply by 2x if you're a senior citizen and 3x if you're at high altitude. But, don't worry, Leo won't leave you behind and might even carry your camera gear if you're having difficulty.

Personality: Leo is friendly, customer experience focused, and honest. You will enjoy Leo, not only as a photographer and tour guide but also as a friend.

Meals: Leo was born and raised in Tuscany. He knows the best of Tuscan food and will see to you enjoying it also... three times a day. If you prefer some diversity in cuisine, give him a heads up before you travel so he can research some appropriate restaurants in the area. It may not be his first place to eat, but he will make sure you find the eats you like. We introduced him to Indian and Thai cuisine on our Alpine trip. He says he won't be craving it in the future, but I think he will be looking for Tandoori chicken and garlic naan.

... and for the not so good...

If too many people read this review and book him solid, he might not be available for my next trip.

My friend and I did a week tour with Leo at the Dolomites and Tuscany. We had such a blast and with Leo being a local, we covered many great spots and some unknown spots for photography. Leo was friendly, easy going and a good teacher. We highly recommend a trip with Leo!

Leo was an excellent guide. I don’t say that lightly as not all photography experts are great guides with good interpersonal skills, but he definitely meets both requirements.

Coming from such a long way away, it was important I found a guide who was prepared to take me to more adventurous and remote locations in the Dolomites rather than just doing the typical shots everyone does, and once Leo understood what I was after, he carefully planned on location at the right time. I think he would be one of the best photography guides running tours in the Dolomites.

Being a fairly independently minded photographer he was able to read this correctly and didn’t try to over coach me but offered helpful advice when it was sought. Leading up to the trip, I asked many questions and he was patient and helpful each and every time and went above and beyond to organise an outstanding experience for me. I don’t regret going with him at all and hope we can travel together again as we had a lot of laughs along the way. Thanks mate! It was a pleasure. Thank you for some life long memories.

Leo is very knowledgeable, capable, and smart. He is an excellent photographer and teacher. He is good company as well. Leo is an excellent driver and he never took one wrong turn in a week.