Fantastic tour with James. My wife, son and I did a private Edinburgh tour and we had a wonderful time. James explained everything to us and how to properly take photos - my wife used her camera, I used my iPhone and James brought an extra camera for our son to use. He also was a great guide on the history of what we were photographing. We talk about this tour fondly and highly recommend it to anyone that wants to learn about photography and Edinburgh. I have a number of the photos taken on the tour on my digital frame at work and get comments on them all the time. read more

I took a custom photography tour with James Christie (The Scottish Photography Experience) in September 2019 on a trip to Scotland with my sister. We both had very little (arguably no) experience in photography. James was exceptionally knowledgeable and patient with us as he taught us even the most basic aspects of using our cameras. We crafted our custom tour itinerary after having been inspired to visit by watching the Outlander television series. We wanted to visit many of the destinations features on the series. Additionally, we wanted to include many gorgeous, scenic destinations including the Eilean Donan Castle and Glenfinnan Viaduct. James guided us through the Highlands, selecting charming accommodations at the Ballachulish Hotel. James is a great conversationalist and guide. Above all, however, James is an artist. Many of the sites that we selected for our tour were "fan favorites" that James had visited many times before. He shared his previous experience in scouting out these locations by taking us to different vantage points to capture photos that differ in a significant way from the pictures that we could have taken while on a bus tour. As we drove through the winding roads in the Highlands, James always kept an eye to the scenery and lighting conditions. While driving along and fully engrossed in conversation he could see the opportunities for amazing photos and would pull over to allow us to capture them. He could adapt to the changing scenery and changing weather conditions by setting up the shots using those factors as an advantage. He even showed us where there were certain items he had previously discovered that add an extra interest in a photo (a large rock, piece of driftwood, or colorful boat). James adapted to our requests while on the tour. We had established our itinerary in advance of the trip. On arrival, we discovered a love for the hairy Highland coos (cows). We shared that love with James and he adapted our tour to ensure that we captured as many coos as possible. Despite having been a professional photographer for decades, James never showed any annoyance when we whipped out the cell phones for a selfie! (I think his reaction seemed more like amusement at my sister's near-obsession with selfies.) My only regret throughout the whole experience was that we could not hire James to tour us around during our time in Edinburgh because he was booked on another custom tour over those days. At the start of our tour I was recounting they difficulty that I was having capturing the cityscape from Calton Hill at sunset lighting conditions and he identified in an instant what the problem was and advised me how to fix it. So, long story short, I have to go back now and you better believe I will be calling James when I do! read more

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I was on holiday in the U.K. and took the Outlander photography tour. It was the highlight of my trip. James is not only a fantastic photographer, he's witty and he took us places no other tour would and I learned so many fun and interesting facts. I would definitely love to go again and try one of his other tours around Edinburgh and such. If you get the chance to go, GO! You won't regret it!! Thank you James!! read more