Shutter Tours

Loved all the amenities of this tour. Terry was great!

So many tours, so little time… but we sure did pick right on this one!
We wanted to see a bit of «Fall in the NW». and we did! Mt. Rainier even popped out for us on the way to Snoqualmie Falls. We were met promptly at Pike’s Market by Terry, then led to our 12 seat, comfortable van. Terry is a wealth of information and enthusiastic about his city and what he does. When you think he repeats this stuff hundreds of times, but he sounded like a friend in my living room! The time flew by. We visited The Fremont Troll, Kerry Park, for incredible views back toward The Space Needle and The Ballard Locks. We had just enough time at each place. He also knows how to avoid the crazy Seattle traffic — we were not impacted at all!
Photo tips, refreshments, and a great tour — A good choice for an all round Seattle Introduction!

What a great way to see Seattle! As an amateur photographer I really enjoyed the tour locations, historical info, and photo lessons along the way! Tracy was a fantastic guide who was friendly and engaging the entire trip. I highly recommend this tour when you visit Seattle!

Hands down this is the best thing we experienced in Seattle from the moment we got on board. The view of the falls was absolutely amazing and our guide Terry gave insightful tips on how to photograph Seattle in all its beauty. Terry went above and beyond. We highly recommend this tour as it is relaxing and beautiful.

As a local, I still enjoy being a tourist in my own town, tagging along on tours when company visits from out of town. I recently took one with Shutter and Terry was our guide. We went to Snoqualmie Falls, Fremont, the Locks and Kerry Park. He even dropped us off at the Space Needle when we made that request.
It’s a small shuttle — there were about 12 of us – and Terry made the whole trip enjoyable. He has a really easy going manner and is full of great stories about the history of Seattle.
I’d recommend this for anyone who wants an easy going day at some of the area’s biggest tourist attractions in a comfortable, pleasant ride.

You can book an impersonal Gray Line tour of the city … or you can choose a better option and call Terry, the owner and operator of Shutter Tours.
Born and bred in Seattle — he’ll introduce himself by telling you he was born on Terry Avenue in town — Terry is full of information, history and anecdotes. If you ask a question and he doesn’t have the answer, no problem; he’ll find out.
An accomplished photographer — thus the name of his business — Terry will provide tips, making even cell phone photos look professional.
My group contracted Shutter Tours for two days. The first day we toured Seattle. The second day Terry guided us to the tulip farms outside of town. Pull up his website and see where he’s going (based of course, on seasonal availability.) No doubt you’ll have a good time.

Loved this tour!!!, Terry is an awesome guide, super knowledgeable and friendly. We took the Snoqualmie falls tour and after commenting that I was a fan of Twin Peaks he offered to take me to a few places were they filmed the show. He showed me where the twin peaks sign used to be, the bridge, and the café!!! I even got to go inside the café. He is a great guide and gives awesome photo tips also. Definitely recommend his tour!

Great tour! Terry, our guide, was incredibly knowledgeable of the history and neighborhoods of Seattle. The tour was small and intimate (only seven of us!). We were picked up at Pike Place Market, drove to Snoqualmie Falls, and then worked our way back through the city. Stops at Ballard Locks, Theo Chocolates, The Fremont Troll, and Kerry Park. The photography tips alone were worth the trip. Whether using a DSLR or smartphone, Terry (a professional photographer) was able to give advice for taking the perfect shot. A wonderful four hour tour!

Had a great time on the tour. Not only did they reschedule our tour when my wife booked the wrong weekend, but they returned my hat that I left on the van to my hotel. The customer service was fantastic and the pictures Terry takes are amazing! I would recommend this tour for anyone visiting Seattle.

My girlfriend and I were in Seattle for a couple of days for a get away. We researched online for a tour of the city and we stumbled upon this company. I’m so happy we booked this tour. On the day of the tour, Terry called about 15 minutes before our scheduled pick up time of 10am asking where we were. We immediately met him at the informational booth at pikes market. Terry was an amazing tour guide and was very through and friendly. The tour took us through pioneer square, snoqualmie falls, Fremont bridge troll, the locks and finally Kerry park. We were given lots of history and background of the city. There was no boring time in this tour. Terry was very professional. He even offered us bottled water and granola bars throughout the tour… just in case we were hungry or thirsty. Terry even gave us a little pointer on how to take great photos… since he was a photographer himself. The photos he showed us to take were amazing. And will definitely be framed! The tour lasted from 10am-​2pm. Went by pretty fast… we traveled around 90 miles throughout the whole tour. Guess what they say is true… time flies when you’re having fun. I’ll definitely recommend this tour to friends and family. And will glady do this tour again in the summer. thanks terry for the amazing tour. It was the cherry on top of our trip to Seattle.

This is a decent photo tour but if you have your own car you can do this «tour» on your own and it’ll be just as good. It’s not like a photo tour in a special place like New York City where your guide will help you find shots you wouldn’t get yourself. That said the guide for Shutter Tours is nice. I just don’t think this tour is very special or necessary.

What an amazing time! I booked this trip for me and my mother for a little getaway in Seattle and as a chance to actually see some sights without having to drive all over creation myself, and miss out on things! We did the Snoqualmie Falls tour and it was great. The falls are amazing and was the location of «Twin Peaks» in the opening credits.
We went all over Seattle and Terry, who is also the owner, I believe, was a great tour guide. He made sure everyone saw something of interest and was genuinely interested in how much fun you were having and answered any question you had. I had some great shots because of his encouragement and I’d love to go back and do the walking tour.
I highly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to see sides of Seattle they might not see on their own.

These guys are awesome. We had a great group and tour gave us an inside looki into Seattle. I would recommend these guys to anyone!

Great way to see Seattle. This is an excellent way for photographers to see a variety of Seattle hot spots and popular areas, such as the falls, Japanese gardens, amazing lookout areas, and more… The guides, Chandler and Terry, were knowledgeable and fun.
I own a photographer-​oriented business, MCP Actions (
), so I was not in need of basic photography lessons. But for the beginners in the group, they provided photography advice such as the rule of thirds, exposure triangle, and more.
Definitely consider Shutter Tours if you are visiting Seattle and want the best opportunities to capture the city. My husband, who is not a photographer, also exjoyed just seeing the sights and talking with the guides.

TOUR GUIDE FOR WALKING PHOTO TOUR WAS A NO SHOW!!!
I had booked the walking photo tour for July 15 many weeks ago. We arrived at the meeting point in plenty of time, and the gentleman at the information booth confirmed we were in the right place. As time passed, some of the leaders of other tours even tried phoning the regular tour guide on our behalf. The only phone numbers we had were an internet support number, and an office number that went to voicemail. What a waste of $ 41 and our time!

What a opportunity to be guided by a professional! I have a Nikon Digital SLR. They took the time to show me the capabilities of my camera and how to use it. We did the tour of Post Ally, downtown area, Pikes Market, and along the water front, but we were also given a historical tour as we walked. That really helps to set the stage of your shots. the event was very casual and fun. Well worth the money.

I had fun on the Shutter Tour with the small group we had, which included me, my wife, and a nice young lady. Our Tour guide/​instructor was Chandler. He was pretty laid back and made everyone feel comfortable right away. He encouraged us to take a lot of photos while offering us tips about how to frame a shot and how to use the settings on our cameras. It was great to be able to see the sights around Seattle such as the infamous gum wall, the hammering man, and the market with all it’s interesting characters. If you are a true professional photographer, this probably is not for you, but if you are a beginner or photography is just a hobby, then this might be a fun little tour for you to check out.

A recent (i.e 5 minutes prior to this review) talk thread post reminded me I’ve never reviewed this. .which was a huge MISTAKE on my part.
I went on a Shutter Tour with a group of Unilocalers, as led by the amazing Valentina.
What a fantastic and fun way to see Seattle as well as learn the most basic tips to increase the quality of any photos you take.
Using only my cell phone (in attendance were a variety of digital cameras, all the way up to some seriously amazing equipment), I was able to take fantastic pictures, and really impress some of the group with what I could make my phone do. Thanks all to Valentina’s tips.
The walk through Pike place and around the surrounding area provided an untold number of possible photo ops and a chance to really test our «eye» and see what we could do.
A really fun part of it was comparing our photos to each other and being able to see how a group of people could hear the same tip, and then interpret it through our lenses, and even when we all photographed the *exact same thing* our pictures turned out differently.
I would recommend this to anyone: whether a lifelong resident or a newly arrived tourist.
And the next time you have someone come into town and ask what’s a fun thing to do in Seattle… absolutely sign them up for one of these. They will see some great Seattle landmarks and the fantastic pictures they take will only enhance their memories of their trip to town.

I took a Shuttertours tour and found it’s fun to play tourist in Seattle! Shuttertours offers a fun sightseeing tour, and also a highly interactive photography lesson. Whether you’re a local or a tourist, this is a unique and worthwhile way to see the city in a new light.
On a bustling Saturday afternoon, we were treated to an abbreviated 1.5 hour tour that included the Post Alley gum wall, Harbor Steps, the Hammering Man (who’s on vacation right now), the rear and front of the Lusty Lady (really — both sides!), and Pike Place Market. The full 3-​hour tour also includes the waterfront and piers. Wear your walking shoes and make sure your camera batteries are charged!
Our guide was the informative and enthusiastic Ms. Valentina, who provided guidance on composition, and encouraged to get close, look for patterns, and tell stories with our photos. Along the way she explained a particular concept and then raised her own camera for a shot to show us examples. Her photo book also provided more examples and helped me see each concept more clearly. I see lines and curves where I never paid much attention to them previously. Who knew that Post Alley could be such an alluring subject?
More experienced photographers received tips on how to take their photos up a notch with perspective, depth of field and other concepts that were beyond my little Elph. Regardless of my skill level and equipment, I felt encouraged to try new things and see my shots with new eyes.
Pike Place is the perfect backdrop for endless photo opportunities, and I can understand how every tour is different — the light, the people, the graffiti, the smells. Grab your camera and go take a tour — you’ll «see» what I mean!

These folks have been in business just a little while and I went on one of the early tours. It’s a nice combination of sight-​seeing and education, as the guide gave us information both about the places we visited and suggestions on how best to capture what we were seeing. I’m a photographer, so I can tell you the coaching was right on the money, and several of the folks on the tour talked about how much better the pictures were they were taking.
The tour starts in pike place market, winds down through post alley to harbor steps, then up to SAM, benaroya hall, and the wamu building. Down from there to the waterfront (this is the less-​interesting part of the tour, but folks suggested it’d be a good time for a coffee break, and I think they’re likely to have taken that advice), and out onto the pier where they used to have the concerts under the stars. Up the elevator to the western edge of the market, then photos of the buskers and other things in the market itself. A nice 3 hour tour with good information, a great guide, and a nice variety of spaces to shoot.