Texas study abroad group A&Mazed by our custom Sydney photo tour - Recently, I took a group of 24 Texas A&M University students to Australia for a study abroad trip. In looking for activities to maximize the time we had in Sydney, I came upon the "Picture Me Sydney" website and was immediately drawn to the hashtags and hotspots photo tour. I thought what better experience to give my group of college-aged influencers than a set of iconic Sydney shots that appear on Instagram feeds worldwide. Now, we were a LARGE group and the students on my trip varied quite a bit in both their technical ability and photo equipment, but Terry Rogan and the Picture Me Sydney staff set up one of the most memorable experiences of our trip - catering to both the novice and trained photographers in our group From the moment I contacted Terry, he was eager to offer suggestions of how to create the perfect day - responding within hours of my first email (which is VERY impressive considering there is a 16 hour time difference between Australia and Texas)! What was even more impressive is that he was willing and able to work with a vendor who had arranged other aspects of our journey to make sure we didn't duplicate scenic stops or waste a moment of our time. With timing in mind, EVERY ASPECT of our photo walking tour was purposefully constructed. Terry even went so far as to make lunch arrangements at a local pub so that we would have an easy place to meet, a full stomach, and a pint (or two) of courage before setting off on our journey. I was immensely impressed with his meticulous planning and hadn't even taken a single step on the journey yet. But oh what a journey it was. Our jaws dropped when we stepped up onto a secluded hill-side to take pictures of the Sydney Harbour Bridge with a view that took advantage of both the light and the vantage point. We knew we were in a "hot spot" because the only other people around were professional photographers!!! We would have NEVER found that on our own. With professional photography in mind, even though our group possessed everything from iPhone 5's to $500 DSLR cameras, EVERYONE on the tour got personalized instructions on how to take the best pictures using the equipment they had. Terry and Alex (his partner for the day) not only showed our students how to take pictures, they also helped students POSE for pictures as well - personally taking stunning shots of our students that caused them to momentarily gasp with glee before they snapchatted it to all their very jealous friends back home. We spent 5 hours hitting up iconic sights such as the Sydney Opera House, Botanical Gardens, and Luna Park, but my favorite time of the day was spent in "The Rocks" area as we navigated through alleyways and side streets and got photos of our group that are among my very favorite of the trip. During this time, Terry wasn't just a tour guide - he was engaged with the students and engaged them in conversation to learn more about their interests, their purpose for wanting to travel to Australia, and their experiences back in Texas. I enjoyed the conversation with him almost as much as the photography lesson! The tour concluded with a harbour cruise as the sun was just setting over the opera house and the bridge. Talk about a #hashtag moment there. It was surreal! But even though our tour had ended, Terry had one more surprise for our group. He had helped us make dinner reservations at a local restaurant for our last night in the city. Even though this required a 24-hour turnaround on his part of what must have been hundreds of images, as our group arrived at the table we all had customized place settings with pictures from our day. I was speechless at this grand gesture of gratitude No one has EVER on all of the study abroad trips I have led, gone above and beyond the way that Terry did. Students oohed and ahhed at the images and got a customized souvenir to take home with their memories of their time with "Picture Me Sydney" Terry and his company have my very highest of recommendations for structuring what was an unbelievable photography tour and life experience.