Eva Soproni is a trained photojournalist from Budapest and a professional licensed tour guide of Rome. She is fluent in English, Italian and of course Hungarian.

In her opinion, skills and enthusiasm are the most fundamental elements that make a real difference in what you do. She believes that it is a teamwork of experts in their own fields that guarantees outstanding results and provides high quality service.”

She decided to create her own project: Cartoline (/kar.toˈli.ne/) photo-tours, which cooperates with professional photographer, Francesco Ragni.

"Our guests can totally dedicate themselves to their experience, which we ‘capture’ for them."

How did you come up with this unique idea to offer to your clients?

Eva Soproni:

I wanted to make a difference and offer it to our guests.

As a matter of fact, our photo-tours are definitely different from the other ones available on the market related to travel photography.

Our guests are not expected to improve their knowledge regarding picture taking or learn the best way to immortalize moments of their journey.

It is we who take care of it all. They can completely dedicate themselves to their experience which we capture for them. This way, they can thoroughly enjoy the atmosphere, the view, the curiosities.

I focus exclusively on my guests, showing them around, telling them about the history, involving them in a conversation, answering their questions, satisfying their requests, being their companion, being pleasant, accommodating and efficient at the same time.

Meanwhile, my photographer partner, using the best equipment and technology, pays attention to the details, the lights, the poses, a sudden expression of enthusiasm and fascination, a spontaneous smile, or even a romantic kiss. He has an ability to catch the right moment to be photographed, which otherwise might have vanished in a "twinkling of an eye."

The result of our collaboration is two-hundred percent quality and a little show...

"Collaboration of experts leads to an outstanding result, while making a little show."

Where did the idea come from?

Eva Soproni:

Some time ago, working for an agency that organizes private tours, I was walking a family around the area of the Colosseum. The wife kept asking me to take their pictures saying:

"You know, I do not like taking photographs at all, but I do want to have the memories. So, when we travel, I take pictures of my husband and kids. It is always a hassle, I get distracted from what I am seeing, I am never in the photo, but I am happy every time I do so I can recall the moment even years.”

I just started creating the project of the photo-tours, and this episode confirmed that it would be worthwhile to realize it, to make it real.

After over 15 years of working as a tour guide, also having an eye for picture taking, it made disappointed that sometimes people return home from their journey without good photos of their experience, many times being a unique experience in their lives.

I assume, if one decides to invest in a certain type of a journey, transportation and a private tour guide, it hardly makes any sense to me that the only thing that preserves the memory of it are selfies (not that they are bad) or snapshots taken by someone that happened to be around, such as a tour guide, but using a cell phone instead of a good professional camera.

This is especially true when my guests come to visit Rome, as one of the most romantic cities, for their honeymoon or to make a proposal of eternal love in the Eternal City.

Think about it. Nobody expects you to take your own wedding photographs. You use an expert, don’t you? Why should these special moments be different?

Why did you choose a professional photographer friend?

Eva Soproni:

We have known each other only for a couple of years, but we immediately "clicked", speaking about photography.

Our collaboration was meant to be done from the very beginning. I understood it seeing his innate enthusiasm and his professionalism, both regarding people skills and the final result.

His portfolio contains a vast range of services such as advertisements, corporate events, institutional ceremonies, weddings, anniversaries, concerts and portraits of celebrities. He also collaborated with different embassies, national and international organizations, influential private and business commissioners.

A little bit more than a year ago, at the end of a busy day, having a glass of wine and a chat, we started thinking and brainstorming about a new project, that would have involved both tourism and photography. So, we had a brilliant idea. Thus, this project was born.

Why name it Cartoline?

Eva Soproni:

We capture the experience of a vacation, a guided city-walk preserving images that can remind our guests a certain place, a famous monument, the atmosphere, their emotions… So, the memories of the most unforgettable moments can be shared with their friends, with their family, exactly as in postcards… in “Cartoline.”

Well actually, the name was invented by a friend of mine. Thank you, Valentina.

"Cartoline" is the perfect!

It is short, so easy to remember.

We have chosen an Italian word since our service is related to Rome. An Italian word automatically connects to Rome.

I certainly understand that Anglo-Saxon terms are commonly used especially for products or services directed to foreign clientele. But this time I am not interested in anything that is common. I am planning to offer something unique.

This word is somehow international in the end. Most main languages use some version of the expression "card", "carte","carta", "karte" to indicate "postcards”, so it is easy to recognize.

It sounds good even if it is pronounced with a different accent. Indeed, it is still absolutely understandable. It is clear what it means.

It is not necessarily needed to know immediately what it means. Once it is explained on our website in the introduction, it becomes clear and makes perfect sense.

Think about the biggest, world famous brands. Often people do not know where their names come from and have no idea what they mean for real. We sometimes pronounce or write them a wrong way, but we all perfectly know what they are related to.

What are your future plans?

Eva Soproni:

I officially started working on the project in a serious way on 25th March 2022. It was the birthday of a very good friend of mine and I had exactly one month until my birthday. So, I said to myself:" If I am able to create a website on my own, and make it ready and functioning by that day, it means that I have achieved the first main goal, so it will be worth to continue." I managed it.

I had to struggle through difficulties. But in the end, I could always count on my collaborator Francesco's help, who trusted me and believed in what I was doing. He dedicated time and energy into taking photographs to be published. I was also surrounded by friends and colleagues who in one way or another gave me a hand to move on and make the dream come true.

So, there was absolutely no reason to stop or turn around, but to go forward. And this is what I have been doing. Coming up with new ideas, new services, introducing this new enterprise to our future guests.

I am really happy. We have already had several requests, but I am not in a hurry. It needs time to build up an activity. I am considering next summer, 2023, to be our moment. We are doing our best to get there, getting ready to make it memorable.

I will let you know. I will send you a postcard!