Better Paris Photos (now Better Travel Photos) is thrilled to have been awarded the 2013 "Certificate of Excellence" from TripAdvisor for the third year in a row (as long as we have listed on TripAdvisor, in fact). Only the top-performing 10% of businesses listed on TripAdvisor qualify for this award, based on receiving consistently outstanding reviews. We thank all those who made this possible by submitting a review...

Are you stuck in a rut with your photography? One effective way to break out is to set yourself some self-assigments. Those small assignments are a very good way to get the camera out, try something new, think outside the box, and create images that would otherwise never see the light. They can be as long or as short as you wish and have time for. You can neatly keep some ideas in a note book on your desk, scribble a few on a napkin, make a list on your smart phone…

Hermione McCosh joined Better Travel Photos in 2011 and has since become one our most popular photographers. She provides photography instruction during our photo tours in Paris, and delivers portrait sessions. She is particularly passionate about photographing children. We asked Hermione a few questions to help us better understand what drives her as a photographer and inspires her as a person.

The legendary Mexican Suitcase with Robert Capa's Spanish civil war photos was considered lost for many years. It was passed on from hand to hand to preserve it over the years but it eventually disappeared. It was rediscovered in Mexico city only in 2007, and its contents are now being presented, until June 30, 2013, at the Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaisme in Paris.

Set in the residential neighbourhood of Montparnasse is a quiet little gallery called Musée Bourdelle. The original studio of sculpture Émile-Antoine Bourdelle’s has been kept nicely intact, and its history as a site of creativity makes it the perfect environment for "In the photographer's studio - Staged photography", an exhibit running until February 10, 2013. Displaying fifty-four images of photographers such as André Disdéri, Helmut Newton and Henri Cartier-Bresson along with detailed descriptions demonstrate the evolution of the tools of the photography trade...

The Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation is hosting the private photography collection of Howard Greenberg, from January 16 through April 21, 2013. This well put together ensemble is absolutely charming, with personality and heartfelt emotion displayed in every photograph. The collection includes photographs such as Funke’s “Spirales”, Lange’s "Migrant Mother", Alvarez Bravo’s “Los Agachados” and Wright’s “Lunch Atop a skyscraper”, among others. Don't miss this unique collection while it is in Paris...

Housed in a wonderfully modern building perched above the pedestrian streets of the Quai on the left bank of the Seine river, the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (BNF) is hosting an exhibit entitled "Photography in 100 Masterpieces" until February 17, 2013. The BNF's imposing grand external structure prepares you for the never-presented exhibit encountered on the inside. See the photography of Atget, Alvarez Bravo, Cartier-Bresson, Man Ray, Kertesz and Brandt alongside the works of lesser-known and even anonymous photographers...

Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902-2002) appears to be a man torn between two worlds, one practical and the other full of aesthetic pleasure. With a modest beginning, his unique story evolves into a tale of a man with tenacity and great creativity. Álvarez Bravo created a vaste and diverse body of photographic images, which documents the history of his country’s evolving social and cultural atmosphere. The Jeu de Paume is showing 150 of these images in the exhibit "A Photographer on the Watch", on until January 20, 2013...

As you plan your next photography outing, remember that even cameras have enemies - the kind that will make you mad or sick to your stomach seconds after they meet your camera. With a little precaution, you can keep them at bay and help your camera live a long and productive life...

From November 2012 through to 13 January 2013, the Maison Europeene de la Photographie in Paris is hosting - as part of the "Mois de la Photo 2012" - an exhibit entitled “Photography in France, 1950-20000”. From the romantic and idealized visions of France in the 50s, through to the more risky and commercial-oriented period of the 70s and 80s, and back to the more conservative 90s, this must-see exhibit shows just how photography evolved in the last half of the last century...

Following the old saying that "the best camera is the one that's with you", more and more people are using their camera-equipped smartphones to capture the moment. The development of these phones has been accompanied by an explosion of image-processing apps. Some of these are simply bad, while others can definitely be a fun way to enhance the final result. Here are five apps to consider...

Artistically-oriented Montmartre projects a small village atmosphere and ample photography opportunities. Dominating the Parisian skyline, the Sacré Coeur Basilica provides a panoramic view of the city. Steps away the place du Tertre, with its artists and restaurants, is a gateway to the hidden charms of the back streets of Montmartre. Discover cobblestone streets, romantic stairways, old windmills, the 'love wall' and much more in this classic Parisian quartier...