Muscovites, and tourists too, have long been accustomed to the fact that somewhere on the Ferris wheel, cable car or in a museum like the Moskvarium, a photographer will certainly take a photo of them, and then at the exit will offer to buy a small photo card for no less than five thousand rubles. By the way, there is always someone who wants to leave a photo as a souvenir. But until now, few people know that a new type of excursion has appeared in the city – photography walks. Travel agencies offer photography services during the trips of foreign guests, and Moscow residents are offered to take a phone or camera with them to travel along an unusual route.
There are about 500 excursions in Moscow every day. But photography trips are a new thing among them. Professional guides and photographers accompany the group to attractions, and excursionists are left with beautiful photos against the backdrop of mansions, ancient alleys and parks as souvenirs.
The easiest way to choose such routes is to use the digital travel service RUSSPASS. They are organized by trustworthy, i.e. certified, guides. For example, tour guide Tatyana Vinediktova offers to see “New Year's Moscow by car with a guide and photographer”. In four hours, she promised to travel almost the entire center, stopping to take beautiful photos at Sklifa Park on Sadovaya, the Radisson hotel with its exotic street animals and palm trees, as well as on Sparrow Hills to take photos against the backdrop of the legendary panorama. Such pleasure with professional photos costs 14 thousand rubles.
Another tour guide, Natalya Burkulakova, invites you to join “Brilliant Prechistenka. Photo walking tour”. There she will show the so-called fashionable mansions, rooms of the 17th century, photograph people in a cozy courtyard, where she will tell how the word “lazy people” appeared and will also remember Pushkin. Her almost two-hour walk cost 6 thousand rubles.
Architectural photography quest “Fantastic beasts on unclean ponds” is a very unusual activity that costs 9 thousand rubles. Tour guide Irina Kartashova introduces a real “sanctuary” of exotic animals in ancient castles, and invites tourists to look for chimeras and gargoyles, birds of prey and bats, salamanders and fire-maned lions. All participants will be rewarded with an exclusive photo set.
“I am a certified tour guide and professional photographer, philologist and Muscovite who passionately loves my city. I have long dreamed of combining my favorite professions – this is how photo tours with guides appeared,” admits Kartashova. “I created my own routes so that Muscovites and tourists can get acquainted with Moscow in a new way, look behind the historical facades and get vivid impressions.”
She wrote her first excursion pictures for children, but they were also requested by adults. Many companies choose her photography trips instead of a mundane corporate event in a restaurant, and families with children and school groups come more often to participate in architectural photography activities. Moreover, Moscow residents and tourists take photos not only with smartphones, but also with cameras and even film cameras.
“I think this is very valuable, because time passes quickly but the photos are still there,” the tour guide noted.
Meanwhile, Muscovites and tourists can arrange a photo session in historical costumes absolutely free of charge. At the Moscow Estates festival, you can take photos in the classic photo studio at the leading location in Kolomenskoye or in the photo studio on Manezhnaya Square until February 28. Actors and costume designers will help you choose outfits and accessories for a classic portrait in a vintage style.
The RUSSPASS service also includes independent walking routes with a smartphone or camera through picturesque locations in Moscow. You don't need to pay them. For example, along the route “History in photos: a photo walk through the green corners of Moscow” you can visit the Northern River Station, the Automobile Story Museum and the artists' village in Sokol, and along the route “Photo hunting at VDNH” – a green maze, Latvian square and a large field painting.
