Tuscany Photography Workshop
June 20-26, 2010
Villages and Landscapes (7 days)
Start and finish in Florence
If you need a change in your life, a chance to re-evaluate, this is the place for it. You’ll be inspired by the rich history, the warm palette of Tuscany, and uplifted by the company of photographers who share your passion. Come for a Personal Renaissance... a creative rebirth.
Workshop Cost
$2650 per person (Non-photographer partner $300 off)
Includes tuition, 6 nights accommodation, 2 meals each day and all transportation from Florence. (Airfare not included) Based on double occupancy. Add $300 for a private, single room.
$500/person reservation fee (refundable for 21 days) holds your spot and the best rooms are assigned to the first reservations.
Our Travel Itinerary
Meet at the Florence Airport and travel by roomy coach with our driver of 9 years, Gabriele. We’ll visit famous San Gimignano on our way to our farmhouse headquarters, where we’ll stay 6 nights. Each day we’ll travel short distances to visit villages, monasteries, and markets, always on the hunt for those wonderful Tuscan landscape overlooks. One day we’ll spend in pristine Siena to experience city life, others we’ll photograph in the tiniest villages you’ve never heard of. Add to that charming Buonconvento and Montepulciano, and you’ve leave with a rich collection of images and a truly memorable week.
Extend your Travel
Travel with us afterward to the Italian Riviera (optional extension) for 3 days in a great 4 star hotel right on the water. Swim in the Mediterranean, taste amazing seafood and pesto, visit an ancient monastery reachable only by boat.
Then on to Valle d’Aosta on the Swiss border for a completely different Italian experience! See this all-new workshop we’ve putting together for 2010. Free transportation between workshops will be provided and a discount for multiple workshops.
Where We Stay in Tuscany
We stay at a hilltop farm/village on a large property owned by the Bishop of Arrezzo in the 15th century. Private rooms and baths are newly restored. They offer a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, a restaurant, horse riding and mountain bikes. Just a few km from charming Buonconvento, and complete with gorgeous views in all directions.
The Photographic Workshop
Drake Busath (who lived in Northern Italy in the late 1970’s and visits each year) will lead discussions on landscape and fine art images each day, with informal critique of your previous day’s work. If you’re shooting digital, bring a laptop to work on your images as we discuss Photoshop tips and advanced workflow helps.
Luigi Barbano, a commercial photographer for 20 years in Italy, offers an Italian perspective and instruction for workshop members. Drake’s staff includes a Guest Instructor/Assistant for basic photographers, to help master fundamental camera techniques. Classroom time will be limited to 2 hours per day, with the remainder of the day photographing in the field.
Partners Welcome
Partners are welcome to join us for all travel and meals. There will be ample time to shop, sit in cafés and wander the narrow streets typical of Tuscany. During class time, partners can take advantage of the amenities at the farm, including pools, spa, mountain bikes, horse rides and miles of hilly roads to walk or jog. Or they can simply rest and enjoy the scenery. We’ll be treated to true Tuscan dinners prepared from food grown at the farm, by our host chef Massimo.
Send Me Updates for 2010 Workshops
Workshop Goals
We believe in doing less “work” with the camera having more fun. Our goal is to help you break free from ordinary, overly-serious images, and instead to create self-expressive images that say more about you as an artist and less about the place. Each day we try to offer inspiration and technical helps and then take you to the best places at the right times, to create your lifetime-best images.
Content
Each day we’ll gather for on-screen review and critique the previous day’s photography. A little scary, but fun. Short lectures fill out the class time, which is limited to 2 hours a day because of our ambitious travel schedule.
Technical discussions will include: Fast and accurate methods for proper exposure in a wide variety of situations. Mastering and de-mystifying the features on your digital SLR camera,. Also dynamic techniques for subject blur, camera motion and selective focus compositions. (Drake believes focus is a bit over-rated).
We’ll talk a lot about lighting and design issues, composition, balance, scale and dimension. Also content or the absence of it, and how to create images that have a powerful effect on viewers.
Separate instruction will be scheduled for beginners, allowing serious amateurs and professionals to advance at their own speed. Instructors will available during our travel for one-on-one help with camera mechanics and aesthetic discussions.
Group Size is 10-15 photographers , plus partners. We generally have a mix of professionals and amateurs and we love the diversity that provides. There’s always someone new and interesting to talk to, and you don’t feel too “married” to a small group.
