Course Description

In Search of the Personal: Jeff’s Course Description

Workshop Full! – Plans in process for 2010!

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How do photographers develop a personal style? When – and how – can a photographer begin to establish a direction in his or her work? Perhaps most importantly, what makes a photograph become a “personal” statement?

We will work though a variety of strategies to help us tap into that creative part of our photographic selves. Through lots of image making, a blend of formal and field instruction and plenty of time for discussion and critique, we will work to uncover themes and lines of vision that may not have been previously evident to you.

And we’ll do it in Tuscany!

There are few places on earth like Tuscany. Its landscape is the landscape painted by the great artists of the Renaissance. Its architecture is known for its sense of proportion, beauty and attention to minute detail. Its people are distinctive, friendly and resilient. Its food presents simple flavors with extraordinary precision and grace. Its light is soft, enveloping and revealing. This experience will allow you to experience Tuscany’s remarkable culture, people, landscape and hill towns and work towards a personal photographic response to the Tuscan sense of place. I will push you to go beyond the picturesque and help you discover your own response to the texture, rhythm and spirit of Tuscany.

We will divide our photographic time between rural and urban locations and everything in between. There will be big towns that hustle and bustle and villages so small that fewer than two dozen people reside there and time has stood still. We’ll photograph churches set in remote landscapes and cathedrals perched on the highest point of the hilltop towns. Twisting roads lined with cypress, endless fields dotted with the colors of spring wildflowers and gems of architecture will spread out before our cameras. You will meet – and photograph – Tuscan artisans who make wine, cheese and olive oil. You will learn about Tuscan art, culture and history. Some mornings, we’ll be up early to catch morning light; some evenings, dinner will wait while we catch the last rays of the sun. Our driver will get us to the right places at the right time for the right light.

Because we will work with digital photographic equipment, we’ll be counting on its rapid feedback and we will be able to critique our images individually and via digital projection as a group. I will work with you as you edit your downloaded images to help you find your own personal sense of the places we’ll explore. Because the group will be shooting together and editing together, you will learn a lot from your fellow students as well.

I have limited this experience to a maximum of 12 photographers in order to ensure the best level of personal instructional attention. This is an intermediate-level photographic experience; you should have at least three years experience making photographs, have a basic understanding of photographic processes and technology and should be comfortable using a digital SLR camera in manual mode. Non-photographer companions are welcome and warmly invited to attend. We have planned several experiences specifically for them, many times in conjunction with the photographers. If there is no specific mention of an activity for companions, they are invited to join the photographers in visiting the destination of the day and explore independently (e.g., Day 4 – Sant’Antimo and the Gardens) or relax at Casa Cornacchi.

All work and no relaxation is certainly not the Tuscan way, so we’ll have plenty of time to relax, reflect and, of course, eat. Mealtime is a very important part of the Italian culture so of course we will dine on amazing local foods and wines. We have arranged great meals in a variety of wonderful places and you can be assured that we will eat well.

The beautiful Casa Cornacchi will act as our home, our classroom and our place to unwind. My expert travel planner Rosanne and I have chosen this great location because it is both beautiful and functional. We’ll have the main house all to ourselves, so we can spread out, our group can relax; critiques and discussions can happen in the Casa’s beautifully appointed rooms, in the courtyard or poolside.

You will depart for home with great memories, a new set of friends and of course a set of beautiful photographs that will help point the way towards your own personal style.