Challenge Your Eye

I attended the Cyberpunk Streets tour on two nights with Lukasz as my guide. After stumbling across the YouTube channel during early days of lockdown in NY, I have been a fan and avid follower of both Lukasz’s work and the channel. It was a fantasy for years to be able to travel to Japan and to take one of the workshops, with the hope of taking even a single good photograph I could walk away and be happy with. The fantasy became reality, and my expectations were thoroughly exceeded.

Firstly, Lukasz is the exact same in person as he appears online – down to earth, easygoing, and with an incredible passion for photography and the city of Tokyo. Both tours of 3 hours absolutely flew by. He was so approachable and easy going, and it felt like going out shooting with a friend that happened to be much more familiar with the area. He guided me on some settings initially which was very helpful, and then we were off. I saw parts of the city I absolutely never would have found otherwise, and learned an immense amount about the city and culture as a whole, from someone who was from the west and has lived here for years.

Even though we spent in total 6 hours together, I could tell that we were barely scratching the surface of Lukasz’s knowledge of this city. He made some tweaks for our second tour based on what subjects I was more interested in during our first session, which was just incredible. There is nothing I would have wanted to be different on this tour and it was truly the experience of a lifetime. You will see the city in a way a tourist otherwise never would, along with the friendliest guide whose passion for the photography and the city is truly contagious. It was the highlight of my trip, and in addition to having an incredible time, I walked away with some of the best photos I have ever taken.

Street photography in Tokyo. I was picked up by Lee from my hotel in Ginza at 4pm. We had a good chat about street photography and made a rough plan of locations I wanted to visit. Lee is very accommodating and easy to get along with. We transited via train to various areas including Akihabara, Ueno, Ikebukuru and Shinjuku. Lee picked out some of his favourite locations and also was open to explore anything that caught my eye along the way. A great guide and very helpful with composition and camera tips. Time went quickly and we ended up after 10pm. I got the train back to Ginza with a lot of memories and a great experience. Highly recommended and I would book a course with Lee any time. Thanks for the being a great guide.

This was a fabulous day shared with Lukasz who took us to some amazing places whilst sharing his knowledge of street photography. It certainly provided the opportunity to capture some amazing images but more that that, It opened our eyes to the potential and possibilities of street photography. Lukasz was so generous with his time and helping us with navigating the railways! Thank you Lukasz, it was fabulous.

I just enjoyed my 7th photo tour with EYExplore. (it might’ve been my 8th). I’ve been using them since 2015. I love Japan and I especially love seeing the country through the creative eyes of EYExplore’s superb guides. I’ve worked with Axel, Lukasz, Charles and Paul (before he was a guide with EYExplore). They share their unique perspectives of one of my favorite countries in the world… Japan. Tokyo can be so overwhelming in one moment, then tranquil in the next and these guides will show you both, as well as, help you experience everything in between. From the towering architecture of Tokyo, to the neon lights of Shinjuku, the crossing in Shibuya, overcrowded train and subway stations, to the colorful characters that inhabit Tokyo streets, you can see it all with EYExplore. These guides will most definitely help you capture the most vibrant street photography you’ve ever done. I’ve hired photo guides all over the world – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Belgium, Portugal – and I consider EYExplore among the best.

I’ve booked three workshops with EYExplore in April 2019, Tokyo Vertigo, Tokyo Metropolis and Urban Geometry with Laurence. With Laurence, me and my girlfriend had a private workshop for about four hours and it was a great experience I can recommend to you. You will capture great stuff, I recommend to use the b/w mode with high contrast. The results are amazing and Laurence is a very nice guy with a lot of experience and he takes the time to explain all the necessary stuff for composition and camera settings. So if you would like to improve your urban street photography skills, then go for it and book this workshop. Worth every yen! Greets from Germany.

Great experience. I started with Temples of Tokyo, then did Tokyo Vertigo and Tokyo at Night. I liked them enough to book Osaka Cyberpunk, Tokyo Metropolis and Tokyo Rush the following week.

Lukasz, Charlie, and Axel were great instructors. They were able to break me out of an “all horizontal lines must be horizontal” mindset that has added another dimension to my photography. That’s just the beginning. The techniques and philosophical approaches I learned will last me a lifetime.

The results were fantastic. The light trail shots I ended up with from Tokyo Rush were incredible. A lot of the Temple shots, particularly at Yushima Seido, I never would have noticed if Lukasz’s sharp eye hadn’t caught on to them. Some of the Tokyo at Night techniques led to fantastic shots of the people, vehicles, and lights of Shinjuku.

I could go on and on but you get the picture. These guys are awesome. You will have a good time, you will end up with some of the coolest photos you have ever shot, and you will learn a lot regardless of your skill level. A+++ would buy again.

This review is long overdue, but needed to be said! My teenage daughter and I did an evening tour with Axel that was one of the highlights of our Tokyo trip. We learned a ton about the city, its art and architecture, and its people wandering through the metro and various neighbourhoods in the city. We didn’t see the typical tourist attractions but instead how the city flows and how to capture its splendor on film. Axel’s photography instructions, little exercises, and corrections were terrific, fun, and made our 2 hours with him fly by.

My daughter’s photography skills are pretty good already, and Axel was able to give her higher-level instructions while helping me with the basics. We both left better photographers! I recommend this photography tour to everyone I know traveling to Tokyo without hesitation.

If you’re just getting started in the world of photography, this is a fantastic experience! You’ll get to spend time with someone who clearly knows what they are doing and will give you helpful tips on how to improve your photography with hands on examples as you go. Highly recommended!

I have traveled several times to Japan, usually taking photographs alone. My Husband found Eyexplore online and signed me up for a daytime tour and an evening tour on the same day. Lukasz was the photography guide. The tours were fun and Lukasz really is not only a knowledgeable photographer, but also as a teacher. Lukasz was able to give guidance and suggestions for all levels of photographers in the group. I am an advanced amateur and found all of Lukasz’s suggestions advancing my abilities and my vision.

One big draw is the Instructor guides have discovered hidden gems and are willing to share them. This is so you have a unique and challenging experience seeing Japan in a new and different way. On my last visit to Japan, I took a solo tour with Lukasz and I brought back fabulous photographs.

I highly recommend you take a tour with EYExplore no matter what level of a photographer you might be. You go to places you can only imagine. You will ride public transport and do quite a bit of walking. Wear comfy shoes, and limit your camera bag to make yourself more mobile. And if it says rain, do bring an umbrella. You will have a wonderful experience.

Three days in Tokyo. Where to start? A photo workshop seemed like a good idea. A quick search turned up Eye Explore offering photography adventures in Tokyo. Which to choose? Tokyo Metropolis or Streets of Tokyo? The former seemed closer to my kind of photography, the latter would push me a little more. The calendar made the decision for me: Streets of Tokyo.

The website set out the goals:
Expand your idea of what makes a great street photograph
Get confident at photographing people in public
Have fun while interacting with people on the streets
Practice making candid photos of urban denizens

We met by Harajuka station. There were four of us: Axel and Lukasz from Eye Explore, me and one other participant. One of the features of the Eye Explore approach that drew my attention initially was the small group size — a maximum of four people plus guide. This was better yet.

Harajuku, a train ride, Shibuya. Two and a half hours from 5pm to 7.30pm in beautiful weather. Two hundred photographs — a handful worth keeping. Axel and Lukasz were excellent guides taking us through very different nighbourhoods and great locations within those neighbourhoods. And excellent mentors — ready with advice, suggestions, tips, encouragement without ever being too intrusive or overly prescriptive.

The most entertaining part of the evening was spent at the famous Shibuya crossing. Here, guided by Axel and Lukasz we repeatedly walked part way into the road, knelt down in the crossing and photographed the oncoming pedestrians with the bright lights of Shibuya as a backdrop.

Even though the four of us were kneeling down in the middle of the crossing on one of the busiest junctions in the world, with a press of people coming from behind and in front of us, no one objected. No one trampled us, no one pushed us aside, no one shouted at us, no one even gave us a dirty look. Best of all, as we knelt in the middle of the crossing taking photographs, a police officer ambled by in front of us and gave us not a second glance. I dare you to try this in London, New York or Paris.

Recommended.

My husband, son and I experienced this Tokyo Metropolis Photo Adventure on Nov 3, 2017 with leader Stephane. Stephane and the adventure could not have been better. We had 3 levels of photography interest in our group and Stephane met all of our needs. I was basically happy with just walking and pulling out my cell phone for a shot every once in a while, my son had a much better camera with his cell phone and tried every experiment Stephane suggested using Reflection and/or Negative Space.

My husband had 2 cameras along and was changing back and forth. We all got some interesting shots. We were lucky enough to be in Tokyo on a Holiday so streets were filled with people and added more interest to shots. Stephane took us to buildings that we never would have thought of, if going alone. Of course we hit the Ginza area and loved it. Tour probably covered 3 miles in walking with some stairs but well worth the experience. Would definitely do a repeat.

We did 2 tours Tokyo by night and Kyoto photo tour as well. Both tours were private and Lukasz and Axel were really nice and very patient with us. Neither my husband or I know much about photography and we both feel as though we learned so much. The guides were really informative and very interesting people who have great photography skills. These were fun workshops and I think anyone from novice to expert would enjoy them. The amount of time is perfect and the spots are just fantastic. Please do not hesitate to book these tours trust me you will like it! I can’t wait to try out my new photography skills! Both tours were different and the pictures I took are great, not only that I feel like I could take better pictures anywhere now. Thanks guys you are true professionals and really fun and interesting to be around.

I did 3 consecutive photo tours with EYExplore with the goal of improving my street and night photography. Lucas was great with showing use of new camera settings, tips on composition and was really attentive – with good local knowledge. Thanks for helping me get some great shots guys!

If you’re not a professional photographer, the best way to get some really good photos of Tokyo is to spend time with Stéphane and Lucas, as I did. You’ll get the people and the places that will make your photos memorable and unique, and you’ll learn (or re-learn) a few tips to use after your workshops have ended. Whether your first time in Tokyo or even if you live here, you’ll get some great photos and enjoy the experience.