We continue the series of interviews with photographers at Better Travel Photos who share their knowledge and passion for photography with our participants in both Paris and London. This time we are excited to introduce you to our photographer Elena Usacheva!

As a journalist and photographer, Elena traveled all the way from Yakutsk in Siberia, Russia, to pursue her dream and continue her studies in the City of Light. Her sunny and easy-going personality shines through the photos she takes: a portrait session with Elena is always romantic and fun. When guiding Photo Tours, she combines both her creative vision and technical instruction in the most inspiring way. Let's ask Elena a few questions, as she has many stories to tell...

Our activities at Better Travel Photos are not only about learning photography, getting more comfortable with your camera, and discovering new locations along the way, but also about people guiding the Photo tours. As photography instructors and guides, we do our best to teach you new photography skills and to make sure you enjoy this experience in our company. So if you are curious to know more about those people with cameras welcoming you in Paris and London, please meet one of our team members,  photographer Brian Jannsen!

It is always a little difficult to toot your own horn, but… We are happy to announce that earlier this year we received the 2014 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, which is the fourth year in a row we have received this honour. This award recognizes the efforts we make to ensure all of our participants have an exceptional photography experiences, whether it is during our photo tours, workshops or portrait sessions in Paris and now in London...

It is hard to believe that almost 6 years have gone by since I first set out on this adventure known as Better Paris Photos! I still remember writing the first registration in my agenda at the time and the thrill I felt in meeting new people and helping them have incredible photography experiences in Paris! Very quickly, I got extremely busy providing photo tours and portrait sessions. As word spread, I soon needed help. It was time to team up with other photographers, and Hermione McCosh was the first one to join me. We worked hard together, shared ideas and had loads of fun...

We recently wrapped up our May 2013 Photography Workshop in Paris, again with a wonderful group of people joining us. We asked Kathleen Richardson, a returning participant from our April 2011 women-only workshop, for her feedback on her experience. Kathleen sent the following note: "I have been to Paris many times in the past and have taken all the usual photos, trying to match the postcards as best I could. Two years ago was a special trip to Paris to celebrate my retirement after 40+ years in the business world, so I wanted to do something different...

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...