Holiday itinerary
This wonderful farmhouse setting offers a unique photographic experience combined with beautiful accommodation. Learn the true art of photography on this digital photography holiday based in Montenero d'Orcia, the heart of Southern Tuscany, famous for its fine flavours and varied landscapes of green fields and national parks, rocky Etruscan ruins, winding rivers and sapphire seashores.
As well as learning the fundamentals of digital photography, this holiday is a real opportunity to develop your creative instincts and to absorb the captivating Italian landscape and culture, a chance to take beautiful images that express you own individual approach to the inspirational surroundings and colourful culture.
During this memorable photography holiday your tutor Michelle, a professional travel photographer and James, a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society, will both be on hand to organise every element of your break. Your host will cook delicious Mediterranean specialities using fresh local produce to give you an essence of the area’s lasting culinary delights.
Accommodation is set in magnificent self catering apartments in the renovated farmhouse. Each spacious apartment leads out onto a terrace furnished with a modern kitchen, shared bathroom and views of the surrounding countryside. Grounds include a swimming pool and 5 acres of land where your hosts cultivate their own olive oil. It is a horizon that also features Monte Amiata, the second highest volcano in Italy along with the vineyards which produce the world famous Brunello wine.
Get more from your digital camera and learn photography in Italy, enjoy the warm climate and hospitality, great food and wine, stunning surroundings and take home images from this beautiful area to treasure for a lifetime.
Suitability
- Suitable for all levels from beginners to advanced
- Minimum age 18
- The course is mainly focused on digital photography and we strongly recommend a DSLR camera for the course
- If you would like advice on which DSLR camera to buy before your holiday, your tutor will be happy to advise once the holiday has been confirmed
- There is also some equipment available at the school to borrow (depending on availability, please email to check this prior to booking)
Non-participating partners
- Non photography guests are welcome to share a room with a participating guest and will be discounted accordingly, please see our ‘costings and extras’ tab for prices
- To book with a non-photography guest, you can do so at the time of booking and you can email or contact us via live chat (click on the ‘start chat’ link at the bottom of this page) or call us to check availability
Photography Holiday Start Days
- Arrival days are on set Saturdays
- Photography holidays are for 7 nights/8 days
- If you wish to stay for extra nights please email to check availability for your preferred duration and we will do our best to accommodate you
-Please note that the transfer service from/to Pisa airport is only offered on set departure and arrival days but if you are outside of these times a transfer to the nearest train station Grosseto will be offered
- If dates appear ‘on request’ please email us and we’ll check availability for your preferred day of arrival as quickly as possible
Photography Holiday Itinerary
The itinerary is for guidance only and is subject to change depending on the group’s needs and wishes but is typically as follows:
Day 1 - Saturday - Arrival and welcome dinner
- Arrive at Pisa airport to be greeted by your hosts and driven to the 300 year old farmhouse
- Whilst enjoying aperitifs on the terrace, there will be a short introduction to the workshops and a chance to chat about your level of experience with your tutors
- You’ll then have the time to photograph a stunning Tuscan sunset or capture some evening landscapes before dinner
- A delicious evening meal prepared by your talented host Angela all made from fresh local ingredients and accompanied by wine
Day 2 - Sunday - Pienza
- You start the day early after breakfast and coffee, where you’ll have your first photography lesson on location near an atmospheric 18th century villa surrounded by rolling hills
- A short drive from this villa is the beautiful town of Pienza
- This is the home of pecorino cheese and one of the founding towns of Renaissance urban planning together with the focus of your second photographic location of the day
- After a delightful picnic lunch in the Val d’Orcia, you’ll return to the farmhouse for a bit of time to relax
- You will have a tutorial in the basics of Photoshop before dinner which will be taken out at the local trattoria with the group (at extra cost)
Day 3 - Monday - Sant’Antimo Abbey and Photoshop workshop
- Your second day of photography tuition will be taken in the vineyards surrounding Sant’Antimo Abbey, one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in Italy that dates back to the 9th century AD
- You will visit the Abbey itself, capturing the play of light on the handsome façade and the atmospheric interior
- After lunch your second Photoshop tutorial takes place at the house where you’ll learn some key skills to transform your images
- Dinner will be taken at the house, followed by an opportunity to view images from the day and a discussion with the tutors
Day 4 - Tuesday - Bagno Vignoni spa and Gallina
- Following breakfast your first stop will be the spa town of Bagno Vignoni and then on to a ruined farmhouse with impressive views over the fields of Gallina
- You will put into practice the skills acquired over the previous two sessions and get to grips with lighting challenges
- After a picnic lunch you will head back for some time to relax and recap before another Photoshop session in image editing
- Dinner will be taken at a local trattoria tonight (extra cost)
Day 5 - Wednesday - Siena
- After breakfast you will take off to Siena, a city famous for its history, art, cuisine, museums, medieval cityscape and of course the palio (the traditional medieval horse race)
- This fantastically picturesque fortified city will be the focus of the morning’s photography
- You will practise capturing life in an Italian city through portraits, reportage and architecture
- You’ll return to the farmhouse in the afternoon to freshen up before heading up to Montalcino
- Founded in the 10th Century AD, Montalcino is one of the prettiest hilltop towns in Tuscany and famous for honey as well as wine and olive oil
- You will enjoy a honey tasting before shooting the dramatic sunset from the town wall, before travelling down to Sant’Angelo in Scalo for an al fresco meal in a local trattoria (at extra cost)
Day 6 - Thursday - Landscapes, Photoshop and San Quirico d’Orcia
- After breakfast you will go out to photograph striking scenery and classic Tuscan motifs including characterful farmhouses, cyprus trees, winding strade bianche and an isolated church as you put the skills learned over the previous sessions into practice
- The Photoshop tutorial focuses on ways to enhance your images and a discussion about printing
- Late afternoon light will be captured at the atmospheric church and barns near San Quirico d’Orcia, an enchanting little medieval town in the Val d’Orcia nature park
- Dinner is taken out at a local trattoria (at extra cost)
Day 7 - Friday - Sant’Angelo in Scalo, wine tasting & individual review
- This morning you will photograph the spectacular view from Sant’Angelo in Scalo over a lake framed by umbrella pines
- You will then head up to the pretty stone village of Sant’Angelo in Colle
- A great opportunity to taste the area’s fantastic wines whilst in the Val d’Orcia you’ll visit a local winemaker Alessandro Bocci who produces Montecucco DOC wine
- You’ll also have a tour of their 15th Century wine cellar in Montenero
- There will also be time to speak with your tutors individually and to work on your images
- In the evening you will enjoy a finale farewell dinner at the house, where everyone can show their favourite images from the week’s workshops
Day 8 - Saturday - Departure
- After breakfast, and also depending on flight times, there may be a chance to have a pasta lesson or an excursion to the seaside to capture Tuscany’s famous rows of pines and seascapes on the way back to Pisa for your flights home
- You will return home with fantastic images, enhanced photographic skills and techniques along with memories and flavours of an area of Italy rich in everyway
Your Photography Tutors
- Passionate about photography, your British photography tutor Michelle has been a professional travel photographer for many years working for publications such as Time Out, Rough Guides and Wallpaper City Guides along with private commissions
- She enjoys every element of photography, from travel and landscapes to photographing food and interiors together with still life and portraits
- Her friendly and enthusiastic nature along with her expert knowledge makes Michelle an excellent photography tutor
- Moving with his wife Angela, James McCraken, your second tutor and guide, fell in love with the beautiful area of Italy over 6 years ago, finding a landscape that was truly inspiring and one where he now lives full time
- As a distinction academic degree holder from the Royal Photographic society combined with his in depth knowledge of the photogenic landscapes in the surrounding area, James makes the ideal location guide
What Will I Learn?
- You will learn the fundamentals of creating an image, from capturing it to the final print
- The fundamentals of capturing a great image, working in RAW and manual
- How to edit and present your images
- Creating a project based on themes and ideas
- Understanding the nature of light and the effect that it will have on the image you are making
- Looking at formulas for successful pictures
- How to manage elements within the frame to produce agreement and balance
- Balancing shapes and colours, light and dark, creating a focal point to give depth and direction to an image
- Understanding shutter speed and depth of field so that you can take more control of the images you create
- Capturing the play of light and life in an Italian city through portraits, reportage and architecture
- How to photograph striking scenery and classic motifs
- Editing using Photoshop and how to enhance your images along with tips on printing
What To Bring
- Bring your own digital camera (with manual), charger, memory cards, tripod, filters and flash if you have them
- Point and shoot if you have one
- You may be able to borrow the digital SLR at the school but please enquire about availability before you book
- Please bring suitable footwear for walking as you will be spending a lot of time exploring the different areas
The Accommodation
- The stunning 300 year old Tuscan farmhouse boasts 3 beautifully furnished apartments
- The accommodation where you’ll stay is a unique blend of traditional farmhouse, complete with beamed and cotta ceilings, combined with the utmost comfort of modern private bathrooms and kitchens
- Set in the heart of the striking Italian country side the farmhouse boast 5 acres of land, olive groves where your hosts cultivate their own olive oil and exceptional views, the accommodation is the perfect setting for your photography holiday
- The rooms open onto a wide furnished terrace, perfect for al fresco dining
- There is a swimming pool in the grounds for guests
- The apartments are wonderfully spacious and decorated to high standards
- All apartments offer one or two private twin/double room with fitted shared bathrooms and a large kitchen-diner with electric oven and fridge
- If you are travelling solo, you will have your own private room with shared bathroom for no extra supplement
- Guests will always have their own private bedroom, but please be aware you may share kitchen, living and bathroom facilities with another guest of the same sex
- The retreat grows olives and also has beautiful gardens and a swimming pool for you to benefit from the warm Tuscan sunshine
- There is a treatment room at the farmhouse where you can reserve therapeutic massages, aromatherapy and LaStone therapy using hot lava stones and cool lava stones for a healing and deep meditative state
- Accommodation is included for 7 nights / 8 days
- Check in anytime after 2pm on day 1 and check out on day 8 by 10am
- Wi-fi is available in all the apartments but can be a bit temperamental at times
- Your hosts have cats who are sometime in the house, however they are not allowed in the apartments
Meals
- Photographer James’ wife Angela is an excellent cook and the wonderful dishes she prepares will be an added highlight to your photography week, ensuring you are well fuelled for your photo shoots
- Delicious meals are prepared from fresh local produce and include Italian classics and regional specialities
- All breakfasts, lunches and dinners are included in the price except for 4 evening meals where you will eat in local trattorias (at extra cost)
- If you have dietary requests these must be communicated to us at the time of booking
Free Time In Southern Tuscany
- Tuscany offer some incredibly diverse areas from seaside villages to Monte Amiata National Park
- There are the world famous hilltop towns of Pienza and Siena and you will have free time to wander and explore benefiting from the hospitality of the locals
Practise photography in this fascinating Italian haven of rich culture and natural beauty, breathe the fresh air and take time out for yourself on this photography holiday with a difference.