1. Community Is Key

Keeping my groups to just seven students means that everyone gets to know each other well — and when that happens, sharing vision, insights, and discoveries comes naturally. That sense of community builds just as easily in the field while we’re photographing together as it does over a glass of wine after the light fades.

I’ve found that this environment is fertile ground for restoring creativity and building a new foundation for our creative lives. There’s something that happens when a small group of photographers is fully present in a place together — a kind of collective seeing that wouldn’t happen any other way.

2. Slow Is Good

The pace of Italian life tends to be slow — or at least slower than what most of us put ourselves through every day back home. And slowing down means we get to see more.

Many travelers try to cover so much ground in a day that they never really get a sense of where they are or what it actually feels like to be there. The itineraries I set for these workshops deliberately leave time for wandering, contemplating, and exploring — time to think about what our photographs mean and how they communicate that meaning. Slowing down, I’ve come to believe, is one of the essential keys to making great photographs.

3. Immersion Creates Intensity

These workshops are built around the idea of immersion — in photography and in Italy simultaneously — and what that immersion produces is an intensity of experience that’s hard to replicate any other way.

Your camera is in hand every waking moment. Because we base all of the workshops in towns and cities, with frequent trips into the countryside, Italian culture is literally at our doorstep. We’re not observing Italy from a distance. We’re inside it, living inside it, making photographs from inside it.

We live photography while we are living in Italy. That’s not a tagline — it’s simply what happens.

4. Storytelling Creates Focus

One of the things I work hardest on with workshop participants is getting them to think in terms of story when they make their photographs. When that shift happens — and it usually does, often partway through the first full day — the photographs get better, clearer, and more personal almost immediately.

Together we use our cameras to build stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. That focus changes everything about the quality of the images my workshoppers make.

5. The Classroom Is Everywhere

I have taught photography for more than 40 years, and for most of that time my classroom had desks and chairs and a door that closed at the end of the period.

In Italy, my classroom is everywhere — in a hill town at dusk, in a vineyard at midday, at the breakfast table, on a street corner where the light is doing something extraordinary. Workshop participants get to experience the complete cycle: make photographs, look at those photographs together, then go back out and make more — informed now by the experience of looking, critiquing, and being guided.

That cycle, repeated daily in one of the most photographically rich places on earth, is what makes these workshops work.

The post 5 Essential Italy Photography Tips first appeared on PhotographItaly.

The post 4 Essential Italy Travel Tips first appeared on PhotographItaly.

1: Community Is Key

Keeping my groups to just 7 students means that everyone gets to know each other well, which means that sharing vision, insights, tips and more comes easily. That sense of community is built equally well in the field as we photograph together or over a glass of wine after the light fades.

This environment is a fertile ground for restoring creativity and creating a new foundation for our creative lives.

2: Slow Is Good

The pace of Italian life tends to be slow – or at least slower than what most of the rest of the world puts themselves through every day. Slowing down means that we get to see more. Many travelers try to do so much in each day that they don’t get a sense of where they are or what it really feels like.

The itineraries that I set for the workshops leave time for wandering, contemplating, exploring and thinking about what our photographs mean and how they communicate that meaning. Slowing down is one of the keys to making great photographs.

3: Learn Before You Go & After You Arrive

Before each workshop, I send my participants a number of instructional resources to read, view and absorb before we leave for Italy.

Many of the items are photography based, centering around both technique and the strategies we’ll use to think more deeply about the subject matter we’ll encounter. And, because I believe that understanding local customs and traditions is vital to the act of making great photographs, I also send out culturally-based resources, so workshoppers can learn essential aspects about where and how Italians live.

Once we’re in Italy, we often use expert local guides to help amplify the knowledge that we gained before we got to our destination.

4: Immersion Creates Intensity

My workshops aim to immerse participants in both photography and Italy, allowing them to get a sense of both culture and place and, in turn, a sense of how to photograph them. That immersion in craft and culture creates an inherent intensity of experience.

A camera is in hand – or nearby – every waking moment and, because we base all of the workshops in towns and cities (with frequent trips to the countryside), Italian culture is literally at our doorstep.

We live photography while we are living in Italy.

5: Photography – And Food – Bring People Together

Photographing with other photographers can be a very rewarding experience, and very different from traveling with non-photographers.

Not only do other photographers completely understand that you may need an extra few minutes to find the essence of a particular subject but they might also help you see something that you hadn’t seen before.

Workshoppers get to learn about each other as photographers and individuals and great friendships have been born during the workshops.

6: Storytelling Creates Focus

By getting students to think about story when they make their photographs, and using a variety of instructional strategies to get them there, the photographs they make are better, clearer and more personal statements than if they just shoot whatever they see. Together, we use our cameras to create stories that have a beginning, a middle and an end – and that makes all the difference in the quality of images that students make.

7: Go Deep

Rather than trying to see – and photograph – lots of things in rapid succession, photographic magic really begins when you stay in a place for a while and give yourself enough time to really see and understand it. In my workshops, we try to stay in one location for the week.

Even when distance between locations requires us to move, we always stay at least two nights in one place so we can get a sense of that place, allowing us to get below the surface and make images that are more personal statements.

8: Pack Light

For both photography gear and personal clothing, I always advise my workshop participants to pack light.

A camera body, a small selection of lenses (or even one camera and lens!) and a tripod and you’re set. Since the best camera is the one you have with you, make sure your camera bag isn’t too heavy to carry around.

Similarly, a small, practical wardrobe is essential, and keeps your suitcase manageable. Casual, comfortable clothes (and shoes!) means you’ll be dressed for photographic success.

9: The Classroom Is Everywhere

Though I have taught photography for more than 35 years, most of my experiences were in a classroom with desks and chairs.

In Italy, my classroom is everywhere – in a hill town, in a vineyard, at breakfast or anywhere we happen to be. My workshop students get to have the experience of making photographs, looking at those photographs and then making more photographs- ones that are informed by the experience of looking, critiquing and guiding.

The post 9 Essential Travel Photography Tips first appeared on PhotographItaly.

The Devil’s Bridge – Near Barga, Tuscany Lucca – Our Home Base for the Week Lucca – Our Home Base for the Week

Come Photograph & Explore Tuscany With Me: Click Below to Learn More About The 2017 Workshop:

Tuscany: Exploring The Eternal Moment

Only 3 Spaces Left – Click Here to Learn More

The post Tuscany – Video Postcards from the 2017 Workshop Locations first appeared on PhotographItaly.

Here are 4 essential truths about Italian travel that I’ve learned in more than 25 years of exploring and photographing there.

1: Don’t Try To See It All

This is the biggest mistake that most travelers make. Think about trying to see your own country in one fell swoop; it can’t be done. Instead, concentrate on seeing a few things and seeing them well. Don’t make checking an item off a list a substitute for getting a feel for the spirit of a place. This is why my Italy Photography Workshops seek to provide an immersive experience for the participants. My goal is to help photographers really see, experience and photograph the essential aspects of a particular Italian location.

2: Go Off The Track

The farther you get away from large towns and cities, the more “pure” your Italian experience will be. I am not suggesting that you ignore the great Italian cities, but rather that you balance a visit to, say, Florence with a few days in the Tuscan countryside. In other words, watch where the crowds go and then walk or drive in the opposite direction. This is exactly the strategy I employ in my Photo Workshops – we get to see the sights everyone wants to see, but we really do get off the beaten track as well.

3: Get Up Early & Stay Up Late

The light is so beautiful in the morning (great for photography), and the crowds that throng to popular places don’t arrive until after they’ve had a proper breakfast. Getting up early gives you quiet time in a place that you can’t get any other way. Staying up late assures you that you won’t miss the wonderful social time that Italians have late in the evening. You also will be more tempted to eat your evening meal when Italians do; sometime around 8:00PM or later. Of course, this means that you might want to reserve some time in the afternoon to have a nap, just like many Italians do.

4: Eat With The Locals

Italy offers one of the most satisfyingly wonderful gastronomic cultures on earth. You can eat well (really well) almost anywhere. I frequently ask people who work where I am staying where they go out to eat. Asking the desk clerk works, but asking the gardener is even better. I ask them where they would take their families for a good dinner. What you’ll find from their responses is that you can eat great food for small money. Even if you are too timid to ask someone, see if you can figure out where local folks eat by going a bit out of the way and looking for local cars or foot traffic.

Come Explore Italy With Me: Click Below to Learn More About My 2017 Workshops:

The post 4 Essential Italy Travel Tips first appeared on PhotographItaly.

 Here are 9 things that I’ve learned while leading photography workshop experiences in Italy:

1: Community Is Key

Keeping my groups to just 7 students means that everyone gets to know each other well, which means that sharing vision, insights, tips and more comes easily. That sense of community is built equally well in the field as we photograph together or over a glass of wine after the light fades.

This environment is a fertile ground for restoring creativity and creating a new foundation for our creative lives.

2: Slow Is Good

The pace of Italian life tends to be slow – or at least slower than what most of the rest of the world puts themselves through every day. Slowing down means that we get to see more. Many travelers try to do so much in each day that they don’t get a sense of where they are or what it really feels like.

The itineraries that I set for the workshops leave time for wandering, contemplating, exploring and thinking about what our photographs mean and how they communicate that meaning. Slowing down is one of the keys to making great photographs.

3: Learn Before You Go & After You Arrive

Before each workshop, I send my participants a number of instructional resources to read, view and absorb before we leave for Italy.

Many of the items are photography based, centering around both technique and the strategies we’ll use to think more deeply about the subject matter we’ll encounter. And, because I believe that understanding local customs and traditions is vital to the act of making great photographs, I also send out culturally-based resources, so workshoppers can learn essential aspects about where and how Italians live.

Once we’re in Italy, we often use expert local guides to help amplify the knowledge that we gained before we got to our destination.

4: Immersion Creates Intensity

My workshops aim to immerse participants in both photography and Italy, allowing them to get a sense of both culture and place and, in turn, a sense of how to photograph them. That immersion in craft and culture creates an inherent intensity of experience.

A camera is in hand – or nearby – every waking moment and, because we base all of the workshops in towns and cities (with frequent trips to the countryside), Italian culture is literally at our doorstep.

We live photography while we are living in Italy.

5: Photography – And Food – Bring People Together

Photographing with other photographers can be a very rewarding experience, and very different from traveling with non-photographers.

Not only do other photographers completely understand that you may need an extra few minutes to find the essence of a particular subject but they might also help you see something that you hadn’t seen before.

Workshoppers get to learn about each other as photographers and individuals and great friendships have been born during the workshops.

6: Storytelling Creates Focus

By getting students to think about story when they make their photographs, and using a variety of instructional strategies to get them there, the photographs they make are better, clearer and more personal statements than if they just shoot whatever they see. Together, we use our cameras to create stories that have a beginning, a middle and an end – and that makes all the difference in the quality of images that students make.

7: Go Deep

Rather than trying to see – and photograph – lots of things in rapid succession, photographic magic really begins when you stay in a place for a while and give yourself enough time to really see and understand it. In my workshops, we try to stay in one location for the week.

Even when distance between locations requires us to move, we always stay at least two nights in one place so we can get a sense of that place, allowing us to get below the surface and make images that are more personal statements.

8: Pack Light

For both photography gear and personal clothing, I always advise my workshop participants to pack light.

A camera body, a small selection of lenses (or even one camera and lens!) and a tripod and you’re set. Since the best camera is the one you have with you, make sure your camera bag isn’t too heavy to carry around.

Similarly, a small, practical wardrobe is essential, and keeps your suitcase manageable. Casual, comfortable clothes (and shoes!) means you’ll be dressed for photographic success.

9: The Classroom Is Everywhere

Though I have taught photography for more than 35 years, most of my experiences were in a classroom with desks and chairs.

In Italy, my classroom is everywhere – in a hill town, in a vineyard, at breakfast or anywhere we happen to be. My workshop students get to have the experience of making photographs, looking at those photographs and then making more photographs- ones that are informed by the experience of looking, critiquing and guiding.

Click Below to Learn More About The 2017 Workshops:

Sicily: Photographing A Sense of Place

Only 1 Space Left – Click Here to Learn More

Tuscany: Exploring The Eternal Moment

Only 2 Spaces Left – Click Here to Learn More

The post 9 Essential Italy Photography Tips first appeared on PhotographItaly.

I Love Photography – It’s a medium of stunning beauty, tremendous power, subtle nuance and fascinating history.

I Love Italy – It’s a country of inviting people, grand vistas, intimate towns and rich culture.

I Love Teaching –  It’s a process of sharing, listening, guiding, critiquing and moving students forward.

I’ve been a photographer since 1978, a teacher of photography since 1984 and an Italian traveler since 1989. From the first time I photographed in Italy in 1989, the photo teacher in me wanted to share that experience with students. In 2009, I started bringing small groups to a country that I love where we could work together in the medium that I love.

Before that first Italian Photography Workshop took place, I was anxious – would my dream of sharing my multiple passions become reality? I quickly learned that it would and that this experience of taking photographers with me to Italy to learn and grow was even more rewarding than I had thought it would be.

Here are 6 things that I love about teaching photography in Italy:

Community Is Key

Keeping my groups to just 7 students means that everyone gets to know each other well, which means sharing vision, insights, tips and more comes easily. That sense of community is built equally well in the field as we photograph together or over a glass of wine. This environment is a fertile ground for restoring creativity and creating a new foundation for our creative lives.

Immersion Creates Intensity

Because we jump into photography and Italy with both feet, we really get to immerse ourselves in them. A camera is in hand – or nearby – every waking moment and, because we base all of the workshops in towns and cities, Italian culture is literally at our doorstep. That immersion creates an intensity of experience that is rare – we Live Photography while we are Living in Italy.

Slow is Good

The pace of Italian life tends to be slow – or at least slower than what most of the rest of the world puts themselves through every day. Slowing down means that we get to see more. Many travelers try to do so much in each day that they don’t get a sense of where they are or what it really feels like. The itineraries that I set for the workshops leaves time for wandering, contemplating, exploring and thinking about what our photographs mean and how they communicate that meaning. Slowing down is one of the keys to making great photographs.

Photography & Food Bring People Together

Photographing with other photographers can be a very rewarding experience. Not only do other photographers completely understand that you may need an extra few minutes to find the essence of a particular subject but they might also help you see something that you hadn’t seen before. Similarly, because we share great meals at excellent restaurants, we get to learn about each other as photographers and individuals.

The Classroom is Everywhere

Though I have taught photography for a long time, most of my experiences were in a classroom with desks and chairs. In Italy, my classroom is everywhere – in a hill town, in a vineyard, at breakfast or anywhere we happen to be. With workshop students, I get to have the experience of making photographs, looking at those photographs – either on the camera or on a computer screen – and then making more photographs- ones that are informed by the experience of looking, critiquing and guiding.

Storytelling Creates Focus

By getting students to think about story when they make their photographs, and using a variety of instructional strategies to get them there, the photographs they make are better, clearer and more personal statements than if they just shoot whatever they see. Together, we use our cameras to create stories that have a beginning, a middle and an end – and that makes all the difference in the quality of images that students make.

I hope you’ll join one of my workshops me and share these passions with me. A few spaces remain for my June, 2016 Italy workshops and registration is closing soon; click below for more information:

• In Search of the Personal: Photographing Southern Tuscany – June 11 to June 18
• Your Story of Rome – June 6 to June 11
• The Story of the South: Photographing Puglia – June 19 to June 27

Questions or more information? Call Jeff at 630.202.3635 or email jeff@jeffcurto.com

The post 6 Things I Love About Teaching Photography In Italy first appeared on PhotographItaly.

Join us from May 16 to 23, 2009 for
“In Search of the Personal: Photographing Tuscany with Jeff Curto”

Click here to learn how to register for this extraordinary experience.

-Jeff

The post Tuscany Workshop Details Posted (2009) first appeared on PhotographItaly.