Donn Ouye—Hilo, HI
"Dear Julie is not just a great photographer and tour guide, but a wonderful person. My son and I had only a few days in San Diego and the City Tour with Julie was the perfect way to combine my two passions, history and photography. The history at each stop was fascinating, but what made this tour special was Julie's expertise as a photographer. I learned more about "seeing" the photograph in our short 6 hours with her than I have in my 30 years of amateur photography. She would point out different spots and angles to take a good photo, we would both take a photo, and then we would compare our results. This experience was an eye-opener for me. I would definitely go on this tour with her again. For me, 5 stars aren't enough stars!!!"
J. Krawec—Calgary, Canada
"An Amazing Photographic Experience!!! Whether you are just looking for a great tour of San Diego and snapping off a few pictures, or a hobbyist photographer who wants to learn how to use their brand new DSLR in a great setting, or a professional photographer who wants to make the most of their time in San Diego, you will never go wrong spending a day with Julie Kremen of San Diego Photography Tours. On top of taking me to many amazing sites to take pictures, Julie knows an amazing amount about the history and architecture of San Diego. Julie's parting gift was a great sheet with 10 amazing tips for taking travel photos that anyone can make good use of no matter the camera or the level of the photographer's ability."
Bruce Kline—Tulsa, OK
"I’m the kind of person who likes to do my own thing when visiting another city; I don’t usually take tours. But, I was pleasantly surprised by this tour – it was not confining – actually it was intriguing to hear about little known historical information and discover the secret locations. It was somewhat free-flowing; not a rigid schedule like a lot of tours. It had a nice balance of photography and history. What is great about this is to get the background info on each shot. I especially liked it when Julie took example shots and showed us how she sees things and I liked the personal nature of her leading the tour, sharing her enthusiasm, knowledge, and interest in both the subject matter and in her participants. She conveyed beneficial information the entire time. The tour was interesting, informative and fun."
Faryl Z.—San Diego, CA
"One of my favorite days in San Diego! Our guide, Julie, was as knowledgeable about local history as she is of photography. Each stop was an opportunity to not only learn about its history, but also apply the simple tips & suggestions Julie shared. At the end of the day I had a collection of some pretty terrific shots (if I may say so myself!) Julie knows San Diego very well—taking us to places that, even after living here as long as I have, I never knew existed. I will definitely be taking Julie's tours again in the future. I can't wait to have out of town guests, so I have an excuse :)"
Andres Patrizi—Milan, Italy
"A very unusual, interesting and unexpected (in a good way) tour. Julie is very good at wakening up people’s interest to things and helping us to discover small corners of the town and other aspects we would not normally otherwise notice. "
Jill "Suzy Q" Attaway—Bloomington, Indiana "Fantastic tour and photography lesson! I booked a private tour and Julie completely exceeded my expectations! She is incredibly knowledgeable about photography and was able to translate technical details and camera settings into easy-to-understand language. I used settings on my camera I didn't even know I had, and can't wait to learn more on my own and experiment by taking more photos of my favorite subjects! Julie is also passionate about San Diego and shares her love of the city by taking her guests to the best sights, giving detailed and interesting facts about architecture, history, and many other subjects. Julie catered the tour to my interests to customize the subjects I like to photograph as well as the amount of time I had available for the tour. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her—she's a delight. I highly recommend this tour and Julie!!"
Reid Northrup—Peoria, IL
"Thank you for a very nice day today. Many of my shots turned out very well. All of the places you took us on our private tour were excellent and the cave was pretty unusual and very photogenic. I also appreciate the helpful tips and coaching you provided. I'll be here next Thursday as a vacation day too and I am planning on hitting some of your other suggestions as well. Thanks again!"
Louise Kelly—
Los Angeles, California
“Best Photography Tour—fantastic experience! Julie is really a true artist and in taking her tour she helps you to see things differently — it really opened my eyes. I tend to be oblivious thinking of many things in my head and not looking at the beauty of what is around me at times, but her tour was very enlightening in this regard. I loved learning how to notice and photograph the architectural details in the Gaslamp and see things with new eyes. The hands-on photography input was fantastic, she is very knowledgeable and engaging on the topics and fantastic with the photography tips — she has a real mastery of her craft. The narration was really delightful and the history was compelling. Overall the tour was excellent, entertaining, and insightful."
Sally Long—El Cajon, CA
"I loved your tips on setting up shots and hints on improving the composition; your camera instructions and picture suggestions were fantastic and my best photos were the ones you recommended. My very favorite part of the tour was seeing shots through your eyes. You have a good way of sprinkling the facts in along with a healthy dose of photography tips and the facts make the photos we are took mean more. You are very friendly and I expected you to be someone that knew the subject very well and you shined doing this. Today I became a better photographer! Thank you for an informative, unique and educational tour."
Lorraine Villere—Dallas, TX
"Julie is very knowledgeable and talented. We loved her contagious enthusiasm for both San Diego and for photography; and especially for initiating the participants into her way of seeing shots and how to stalk the great views of San Diego."
Shari Friedman—Tarzana, CA
“A fantastic photo tour! There are so many pluses to the tour I took, but, by far, the best one is that Julie, the owner, is actually leading the tour! How incredible to have a professional photographer “photo coach” share with you their vast background and expertise in order to help you and make sure you get (as she puts it) “non-vanilla” photos. She guides you by showing you how she sees a scene and what it looks like to shoot it as a generic snapshot (which is what I usually do), but then she shows you how to put some “zing” into the photo and make it really stand out. And, of course, for icing on the cake, if you are new to photography (like I am), she’ll make sure you get a properly exposed and well composed shot too. Her insight taught me so much. I know I am a better photographer now because of it, and I have a wonderful collection of photos of beautiful San Diego to share with my friends and family. I wish I could have Julie come along on all of my vacations!"
Paul Knowles—San Diego, CA
"As a local, you have boosted my knowledge and pride in my city and the facts we heard about were very interesting even to one who "knows" them. You were more than helpful; I appreciated your tips. Your focus —no pun intended—is unique here in the San Diego marketplace and you provided me with another view of our Downtown. You did a nice job putting together a well-organized walk which was informative, interesting and unique."
Mitch L.—Unicoi, TN
“When we signed up for our photography tour, we had no idea we were also going to get a history tour and a cultural tour too. Julie really knows her stuff! She's so knowledgeable about 'everything San Diego'. And, she is also a really great photographer, guide, and a wonderful teacher.
My wife and I are veteran photographers; we didn't go on the tour to learn how to take better pictures, we just wanted to be taken around all the beautiful spots in San Diego since we didn't want to figure that out on our own. Well, surprisingly, Julie taught us a few new photo techniques that even we didn't know!
We loved all of the places she took us to and we we got more than our money’s worth since our tour went overtime (Julie is so enthusiastic about taking you places that we all lost track of the time.) We would highly recommend her tours to anybody, even people who aren't that into photography and just want a sightseeing tour of San Diego."
Luca Bassis—Bergamo, Italy
"The tour was very rewarding. Julie is very energetic and she transmits excitement and positive energy."
Annie T. — Santee, CA
"I've lived in San Diego my entire life and didn't realize how much history San Diego actually has! Julie is a super great, friendly, professional tour guide (accredited and everything) and not only is this such a great informational tour of San Diego (I did the Gaslamp Tour), but she gives instruction on how to take better pictures, so all your pictures from your day turn out great! There is SO SO SO much information on San Diego that there is a lot squeezed into one tour, so you definitely get your money's worth! A couple of notes: You DON'T need a fancy professional camera to take this tour. I used my iPhone and someone else used their tablet, and their pictures turned out fabulous. Make sure you wear comfy walking shoes because you really get to see a great portion of the Gaslamp Quarter Downtown. I would recommend this tour to anyone wanting to get great information about San Diego and also get some great pictures!"
Kristin Y.—Meadowview, VA
"I recently went to San Diego, CA, for the first time. I wanted to go on a tour of San Diego beaches, so I booked a private tour for my friend and I with San Diego Photography Tours. Julie took us on a tour of the La Jolla area, focusing on the beach areas. My friend and I are basically novices at photography with our point and shoot cameras. Julie was patient with us and gave us excellent tips. We left the tour with great photos and a new appreciation and knowledge about how to take the best photo possible. Thank you Julie."
Francie Free—San Diego, CA
"The tour was unique, energetic and informative. I felt it was very personalized to me and what you do best is you engage participants in taking photos. What I liked about it is that it combined so many of my favorite things I love to do: walking tour/exercise, historical interests, best photographic sights of the city, architectural styles and info, sharing photographic tips."
Gina & Brian H. - St. Louis, MO
“My husband and I did this tour together with Julie and it was fantastic. We had previously been to San Diego so Julie suggested we hit some of the awesome spots around La Jolla. Julie took us to really cool and beautiful places and gave us some great photography tips. Great tour and would recommend to anyone from beginning photographer to an expert who needs help finding some of those off the beaten path locations."
George Harb—Prescott, AZ
"This tour was amazing and Julie is amazing! She showed us how to take the shots—what to do, the different angles, the apertures and shutter speeds to make the photos. I thought I knew a lot about San Diego, but there are some spots she took us to that I didn’t know about. The tour was informational and fun!"
M. Cargas —San Francisco, CA
"I have a new appreciation for La Jolla after taking an afternoon tour with Julie. She has a plan for both seeing the sights and developing your photo techniques. I was once adept at a film SLR, so I am an intermediate on my digital camera...and Julie helped me to raise the bar with loads of patience and helpful hints. I will add that the day was totally gray and cold, but my photos are wonderful. It made this visit (out of three previous trips) the best one yet."
Lance Chang—San Diego, CA
"I really liked your simple explanations of technical details and how you showed us perspectives we would never find on our own. Your photo tips were informative, your personality animated and the locations you brought us to as well as history you shared with us were memorable."
Tim G.—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
"If you have a few (or several) hours to spare and want to see a unique perspective of the San Diego and La Jolla areas, this is the way to do it. San Diego Photography Tours , AKA Julie Kremen, provides everything you need. Julie is not only an experienced professional photographer, but is also a certified San Diego tour guide. In terms of photography, she provides her general "10 quick tips", as well as specific guidance about framing a shot, depth of field and exposure. She will tailor her guidance to your skill level— novice to expert. You can shoot with anything from a cell phone or tablet to a professional DSLR and get a lot out of it. As an experienced amateur, I learned a lot of useful information and will keep in mind Tip #11 especially!
Depending on the type of tour you choose, you can decide where you want to go and what you want to photograph. Along the way, Julie provides interesting tidbits about San Diego and its history. She is enthusiastic, friendly and energetic and makes the tour fun. I am already thinking about another tour with San Diego Photography Tours next time I visit the area!."
Micheal Hrenko—Honolulu, HI
"We had an amazing time today on our tour. You're an angel, Julie! I'm so appreciative of your big heart, love for photography, and patience. I learned so much from you about photography, art, and life. Thank you for being a guide, and a friend! I'd do another tour with you again in a heartbeat! And thank you for sending those great shots you took of me and my boyfriend... We especially loved the one of us looking at each other with that scenic background! Again, it was such a treat to learn from you!"
Masami Jenkins—San Diego, CA
"I organized a multi-day reunion in San Diego for over 100 people from all over the world. We all went to the same high school in Japan. I knew of Julie and her photo tours and thought that it would be the perfect activity for some of the guests who are camera enthusiasts. Our group had some constraints, but she patiently worked around them and crafted a special private tour just for us. In addition to all of her great photo tips, helping us see things differently through our cameras, and her detailed and entertaining information about San Diego history, as added plus, she included all this interesting history of the former Japanese (as well as Asian) quarter downtown. She brought us to relevant buildings and told us stories about their past Asian inhabitants. She even brought us to a wonderful Chinese Dragon mural and took a great group photo of us (our school mascot was the Dragon), so this was such a perfect surprise for us. Thank you so much for your photo tour, Julie, and for enduring our crazy Dragon group! We had a fabulous time with you, and appreciate your efforts to make our sightseeing experience fun and memorable! You Rock! And the tour was awesome (even for some of us locals!)"
