I had the pleasure of going on three photo walks with Pieter during my recent stay in Hoi An. I chose 'Morning in the alleys', 'Sunrise with the Fishermen', and 'Sunset with the farmers'. It was fabulous and met & exceeded my expectations and appetite for street photography, portraits, buildings & landscapes, capturing a piece of Vietnam. Pieter is not only an excellent and creative photographer, but is able to open doors to people's homes and provide valuable context and information on Vietnamese culture and way of living. He easily tuned in to my level of photography and was able to provide valuable tips, both technical and creative. It is a very personalized experience and Pieter is working around the client's expectations and circumstances, individual itinerary, pickup etc. I wish Pieter all the best for his photography business and creative journey. Highly recommended!

I loved this experience! You get amazing tips and insights into both photography AND Vietnamese life. Pieter is incredibly gifted and and has a lovely and patient manner when imparting his knowledge. It was a great balance between technique, composition and mindset. I went in a little anxious about my skill level but it doesn't matter at all. He's great at reassuring you, suggesting new angles to take photos from and most importantly helping you to confidently interact with locals and capture moments. It was lovely walking through the village and farmland in golden hour and cruising down the Thu Bon River. Thanks Pieter for my most memorable Vietnam experience.

I spent 3 1/2 months traveling around SE Asia, and my photo tour with Pieter Janssen was one of the top 10 things I did! Excellent content and instruction. Anyone who is even an infrequent photographer, and especially avid photographers, would have a great time on this tour!! Highly recommend!!!

Pieter’s photo tours are informative, insightful and confidence inspiring. We had a great time, and even if you’re a new photographer or a seasoned one, you’ll come away feeling good about your time with Pieter. His tours are not the “here, take a photo of this” type walk, but instead a process to help you find new ways of seeing the scenes around you, combined with the technical and topical expertise to help you find your best shot. The Sunrise tour with Pieter was fantastic. I left feeling more confidently able to capture the dynamic street life in Vietnam. Pieter is also witty and easy to be around. The next time I’m in Hoi An I’ll be looking to try one of his other tours.

I did the night tour with Pieter. I was the only one who signed up that evening so it was one on one instruction which was great for me. The technical photography instructions was excellent and I learned much from Pieter. And that was not even the best part of the tour. The best part of the tour was him taking me around back alleys, showing me places most tourists wouldn't know to go. Sharing stories of his life experience with the Vietnamese people and culture. Showed me how to connect and build rapport with local people make it a mutually beneficial relationship. There are many photo tours everywhere in the world, but not everyone can give the kind of experiences and lessons Pieter gave. The next time I go to Hoi An I will definitely join him again for another tour.

Pieter is a very good teacher and you'll get imediately captured by his extensive knowledge of Photography, Hoi An and Vietnam. He explained us a very good set of Photography principles but also on how to behave as a photographer in Hoi An, and that makes a huge difference - ethics and know how were deeply appreciated. Pieter ensures that everyone on the group has his/hers prime time with one to one explanations. I believe that I improved a lot as a amateur photographer (there's some sample shots attached). Thank you Pieter, we look forward seeing you in our dear Porto.

I had an excellent time with Pieter. We went out on 3 outings together, and I can fully endorse his photo tours. Pieter is a wonderful guy, good company and I can see very committed in doing his absolute best to give you an enjoyable, informative and very memorable experience. He is a great observer looking at all the elements, fully understanding the nuances of light and shade and how to approach and frame the shot. He discusses photographic techniques and the different ways of looking at a scene. I have great memories, took some awesome images which I still need to process. I have enclosed one for the collection, his portrait model, a lovely detailed face and hair down to her knees. Thanks Pieter loved every moment and I do appreciate you taking the extra time with me. I could be back again!

We did the morning in the alleys tour with Pieter. He was incredibly informative both about using a camera or smart phone, & about the local area & people who live here. Everyone was very friendly & most were happy to have their photos taken. Pieter made sure we were comfortable during the tour making sure we had drinks. Highly recommended. Thank you Pieter, we will be looking at the website for further tips

I did the afternoon in the countryside with Pieter and was lucky enough to be the only person to sign up that day so I got a one-on-one session with him. He picked me up and we went to a nice quiet riverside cafe to sit and chat about my photography. I am a beginner so he gave me a good amount of instructions about the camera and general photography. We then went across the river and more into the countryside. I was interested in more people photography so Pieter tailored our afternoon that way. We met a lot of interesting locals and I got great photos thanks to his help. The afternoon was much more than I expected. After we finished photographing fieldworkers, I thought we were done. But we walked back around the town and spoke about lower light photography (as the sun was going down) and he gave some great tips. I learned so much in that afternoon that I will take with me as I continue to practice! I strongly recommend doing a tour with Pieter and would have loved to also do the alleyways tour with him. Next time, I hope!

The Phototour with Pieter was a wonderful experience for me. Not only because I learned so many things about camera settings. For me it was a journey through an Alley, a journey through social contact and maybe also a journey to me and how to see things. The way he explained technical setting as well as getting into contact with foreigners was in a very smooth and helpful way. He gave me a feeling of self-securance that had an amazing effect on me. It was definitely an experience I will never forget and I am very grateful that I had the possibility to become acquainted with Pieter.

I reached out to Pieter for a private photography tour. He was very knowledgeable, could capture photographs that only a good artist could and was great company. We did a combination of alleyways and landscapes. I learnt a lot from my session with him and feel more confident about my approach with using more advanced cameras. Lastly, he is a wonderful person and is sure to positively impact your day in more ways than one. Thanks Pieter!

Erg leerzame maar ook gezellige middag samen met Pieter. De uitleg is erg goed en gedoseerd. Op diverse vlakken vele bijgeleerd en ook mijn fototoestel wat beter leren kennen. Dingen die ik niet wist hoe te gebruiken zijn nu duidelijk geworden. En het verschil is al te merken in de foto's die ik nu neem na de cursus. Wat ook erg fijn is is dat ik nu meer lef heb om mensen te fotograferen, ook al vraag ik het soms nog of het mag. Maar ook veel andere dingen om op te letten zijn zeer waardevol dankzij Pieter. Een echte aanrader om met hem op pad te gaan, en het gaat niet alleen om de fotografie, ook zijn Vietnam ervaring is boeiend om aan te horen. Heel veel dank Pieter en wij wensen je het allerbeste toe, en wie weet tot een volgende keer. Groeten Hans en Hans.

I went with Pieter around the alleyways of Hoi An to do some street photography. I have about 18 months of experience of photography, mainly landscape, so street photography was largely knew to me. Pieter gave useful technical advice about getting the best out of the camera in different lighting situations. His advice about composition was just great. Above all, he gave me confidence to approach people and to take photographs in situations in which I would have been quite uncomfortable without his encouragement. Pieter is a warm, witty and friendly person who made the morning fun and educational. I can recommend his services without hesitation.

Instead of shutting you off to all of the sights of Old Town, Pieter teaches you the art of patience and choosing a great background to capture the iconic images of Hoi An. He gives great technical tips no matter your level of expertise; I'd call myself an upper intermediate and I learned quite a few things. I also came away from this with some of my favorite shots I've ever taken of Old Town after 7 trips here. make sure you have an idea about what type of photos you would like and he will point you in the right direction.

This was an amazing tour exploring the small streets of Hoi An. No matter what level of photography you are at, it is refreshing to get an insight into interacting with local Vietnamese people and taking photos. Pieter was a great guide and knows exactly what he's talking about. He showed us how far you can push the boundaries of street photography and even got us venturing into peoples' homes without feeling too invasive. This is a great tour and Pieter really made it special. If you love photography I would not miss this. Thanks for everything!

I strongly recommend this tour with Pieter and I was very fortunate to have a private walking tour just with him. First we sat down and he listened to my expectations, got an idea of my photography knowledge and looked some of my recent pictures. He then refreshed my basics and we were off to the countryside. He carefully chose 4 different setting: on a countryside street with some merchants, in a shipyard,on a rice field and at night. For each setting he would offer precious advice and technique refinements, based on my preferences, not his ones. We would take similar pictures and then confront them. Truly an enriching experience. Once you have a tour with him, you can access online some of his tips and suggestions.

This is a fantastic photo tour. Pieter helps people regardless of whether they are an intermediate photographer (like my husband) or a beginner (like myself). He helped with composition and he ensured we got up close and personal with some subjects. He even showed us some tricks for taking better photos with our phones. A great way to spend a morning in Hoi An!

We thoroughly enjoyed our morning alley way tour with Pieter. The tour is informative in many ways, obviously about photography but also about local life in Hoi An. I am a complete novice and used my iPhone, Pieter explained ways to improve my photos which made my shots so much better. My partner enjoys photography and knows a little but he too learned so much using his Nikon DSLR. Pieter really makes you stop and look for great photo opportunities instead of walking past, he also explains ways to really capture the feeling of local life that we always missed before and lastly he gave us the confidence to photograph local people in the correct way and the shots are amazing. Taking photos of locals is something we would never have done before but so worth it. The locals are all so friendly and don’t mind at all. In summary we are so glad we did this tour, our photo’s will be much improved and will capture the essence of Vietnam and other countries we visit in the future.

For our family of four with two teenage daughters this was one of the best things we’ve done in Vietnam so far. Peter is a terrific photography instructor with a wealth of local knowledge and we got to see and photograph some amazing people and sights, as well as vastly improve our SLR and even iPhone photos in just a few hours! Outstanding.

I spent a morning in the back alleys of Hoi An with Pieter two days ago. Being experienced with photography, but still pretty new to street photography, I got a lot of good tips. I learned about how to approach strangers in the streets (my Achilles heal in this genre of photography ), I got to see streets in Hoi An that I never would have found on my own, and I even learned about Vietnamese culture (which, of course, also is important when you want to tell stories with your photos). If you book this tour, and I cannot recommend it enough, you will learn about photography from an experienced photographer who also knows Hoi An and Vietnam very well. It doesn’t matter if your new to photography or experienced. You will have some great hours in Hoi An, and four hours after you meet over a coffee, you will probably be a better photographer than you were the day before. So thanks to Pieter for a great morning in Vietnam!

So happy I did this half day ‘morning photo tour’ with photographer Pieter Janssen. There was time to listen and learn about the technical aspects eg shutter speed and aperture settings, which Pieter made interesting and so simple to understand. We discussed what makes a good photo and how to sharpen our observations about composition and what the light is doing. Then we took photos and practiced what we’d learnt. The highlights for me were being able to move slowly and wait for the photo to ‘come to you’; learning some tips about how to approach strangers to take their photo; and the relaxed style of Pieter in the way he guided and supported our learning, making for such a wonderful experience. Thanks Pieter, I feel much more confident in getting the best out of my small camera now rather than relying on the auto settings!

A photo walk with photographer and teacher Pieter and 3 other students around some back street in Hoi An.
We met at a cafe away from the madness of downtown where we introduced ourselves and Pieter began to impart all sorts of useful information about camera settings ... which settings to use in different scenarios. The advantages and disadvantages of aperture priority, shutter speed priority, ISO, exposure, manual exposure, automatic.
We then began our mindful walk about some quiet back alleys stopping frequently for photo opportunities and to discuss the many different ways to compose a photo.
Pieter was informative, helpful and patient throughout. He also demonstrated a variety of compositions for subjects encountered.
It was a wonderful way to spend a morning and useful for beginners and more advanced photographers.


I was searching for a photo tour in Hoi An and found Pieter. He is an experienced photographer and knows the alleys of Hoi An and the people living there. He takes time to explain camera settings and explains the advantage of using different settings. I liked to hear about the way he works and trying new things. After that you will wander around in the alleys of Hoi An and meet the local people. Make great shots and chat about photography and daily life. He helps you with getting the best shot. He takes time to help you, show you around and answer any question you have. So if you are searching for a nice, interesting photo tour that has a personal approach... Go with Pieter!

Unbelievable walking tour. Pieter was fabulous, so knowledgeable and helpful. Highly recommend this tour, I learnt more in half a day with Pieter than a 20 hour course I did at home. Loved walking the streets in Hoi An and seeing some wonderful sights and meeting some unique locals. Certainly my highlight of Hoi An, thanks Pieter.

I did this as a 'splurge' on my budget backpacking trip, and it was worth every penny! Pieter responded to lots of questions by email extremely quickly and was very helpful. His explanations before the walk were super helpful. I have been trying to teach myself to shoot in manual for a long time by reading books and blogs. Working with Pieter for one group walk I was able to ask my questions as they came up and finally had my 'aha' moment. I haven't gone back to shooting in auto since. I had wanted to do this kind of tour for a long time but in all the other cities I visited the cost was two or three times more. This is a great value for money- do it!

Really enjoyed the morning with Pieter. First up he took the time to explain our camera settings in a way easily understood and clearly outlined how to take a shot not using the “AUTO” setting...he made a difficult technical explanation easy to understand for everyone. Then during the walk we explored many aspects of photography but especially photo composition of people and provided opportunities for us to take such shots. It was very interesting and enjoyable. We highly recommend Pieter’s course.