OUR MISSION Our mission is to provide you with the best photographic experience, combining learning, both in the field and classroom, with unparalleled access to the best image making opportunities. We also make it a priority to ensure that you are surrounded by a fun and creative environment that fosters your individual growth. It is our guarantee that you will go home with stunning imagery and a memorable/joyful experience. Our trips/workshops are meticulously planned with attention to detail. From hotels, food, transportation and shooting logistics, all arrangements come together to provide you with a photographic adventure that runs smoothly and maximizes your shooting opportunities. All of our itineraries are tailored to get you to the best locations, during the right season and at the right time of the day. “Very few people have the opportunity to go to the places we go.� Tracking the sun, the moon and the stars are just some of the elements that go into our planning process. You will have in the field coaching to make sure you get the best rendition of the scene in front of you and that you are able to make that image in camera with little or no post processing. During your down time, we provide one on one critique sessions to make the most of your learning experience.
UNDER THE TUSCAN LIGHT Tuscany is famous for its breathtaking landscape, hills laden with medieval towns and its slow-paced way of life. Here people know how to enjoy life and they excel at it. Any and everything becomes a sensory overload which translates into amazing photos; the morning mist, the sight of olive orchards, the stratums of rich earth, the cappuccinos, prosciuttos and the extraordinary food of the region. We will photograph the towns of Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Siena, San Gimignano, St. Quirico and St. Antimo where the ancient ways still dominate the day-to-day life. A full day of shooting in the magnificent city of Florence is also scheduled. We devote a great deal of time to the Tuscan countryside during our landscape drives where we photograph iconic landmarks and look for evolving opportunities. Cypress Trees and colorful flowers provide an all-encompassing foreground to heaven and earth. Days go by trying to figure out the perfect panorama, or climbing hundreds of steps to get the unique view or, more importantly, piercing into the sunset in search of the endless afternoon layers of colors and dreams.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS DAY 1 ROME & ST. QUIRICO
Every day is crowned by the homecooked three course Tuscan dinners at Il Poggiolo, our home base and villa. The day fades away among the countless glasses of fine Italian wines while chatting about the myriad of images shot.
Welcome to Rome! We will be meeting at a hotel near the airport from where we’ll drive to St. Quirico. Upon arrival, you will have a few hours to settle in and relax before our welcome reception where you will taste some fabulous local wines followed by a wonderful dinner.
DAY 2
DAY 4
PIENZA & MONTALCINO
MONTEPULCIANO
We have an early start with a landscape shoot. Right after breakfast, we depart for Pienza. Pienza is a town in Tuscany – the “touchstone of Renaissance urbanism.” In 1996, UNESCO declared the town a World Heritage Site and in 2004 the entire valley, the Val d’Orcia, was included on the list of Unesco’s World Cultural Landscapes. From there, we will drive to Montalcino – a hill town and commune in Tuscany, Italy. It is famous for its Brunello di Montalcino wine and St. Antimo where we will photograph the former
We will start the day with our first photo critique followed by breakfast. Then, we will depart for Montepulciano. Montepulciano is a medieval town of rare beauty. The city, full of elegant Renaissance palaces, ancient churches, charming squares and hidden corners, boasts vast panoramas all over the wonderful Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana valleys that surround it.
Benedictine monastery.
We will end our day with a private wine tasting in one of the famous wineries.
DAY 3
DAY 5
FLORENCE
SIENA & SAN GIMIGNANO
Right after breakfast, we depart for Florence for a full day of shooting.
Right after breakfast, we will explore Siena in the morning – This Tuscan hill town will transport you back to the Middle Ages. Siena’s grand Cathedral, built in the 1200s, has treasured artworks and marvelous marble floors. The Piazza del Campo, the main town square, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the afternoon, you will explore San Gimignano, another Italian hill town in Tuscany, southwest of Florence. Encircled by 13th-century walls, its old town centers on Piazza della Cisterna, a triangular square lined with medieval houses. Other medieval features include fountains and towers, such as the stone Torre Grossa. The Duomo di San Gimignano is a 12th-century church with frescoes by Ghirlandaio in its Santa Fina Chapel.
DAY 6 ST. QUIRICO, PIENZA & MONTICCHIELLO
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We will start the day with your second photo critique followed by breakfast. Then we will walk to St. Quirico and explore this quaint little town. After lunch, we will have a landscape drive on the road to Pienza and Monticchiello. On our return, we will have our wine reception and slide show, followed by a fabulous dinner.
DAY 7
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TALAMONE & ROME
PACKAGE PRICE: $ 3,895 Sign up deposit: $ 500
Price includes: Includes 7 nights of accommodation, all the breakfasts, 6 Toscan dinners, tuition, local transportation We depart for Rome after breakfast. We will take the scenic route along the coast and we will stop at the coastal town of Talamone.
Price is per person, SINGLE occupancy Airfare from/to your home cities, meals not listed above, alcohol, personal expenses, visas if required are not included This workshop is limited to 10 participants
YOUR WORKSHOP LEADER
RAUL TOUZON is a Documentary and Natural History Photographer who specializes in making images
Raul will guide you in creating unique images. We have several photography workshops that will provide you with a learning experience in some of the most unique places
that convey what he refers to as “THE ETERNITY OF THE MOMENT.” Raul has traveled extensively, exploring the remote corners of the earth never visited before. Amongst his expeditions are the completion of the Northwest Passage, Franz Josef Land in the Russian Arctic, the Sea of Okhotsk and the fjords of western Greenland. He has built a collection of dramatic photographs that have been featured in many publications including: TIME Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler and the National Geographic Magazine, where he has published four feature stories. In recent years, Raul has focused on visual-storytelling, documenting the Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala and the ever-changing Habana. For over a decade, Raul has been a full time educator and instructor. He produces and teaches his own workshops and photography expeditions around the world as well as for National Geographic Expeditions. National Geographic Creative, Getty Images and Corbis represent his images. His list of clients includes the U.S. National Park Service, Apple Inc., and the United Nations for whom he documented their operations in Sudan. These images can be seen in his book SUDAN THE PRICE OF WAR, THE STRUGGLE FOR PEACE. Raul has pioneered the production of large-scale multi-frame panoramas, images that are featured in his two limited edition landscape books: VISIONS OF MY WORLD and JOURNEYS. Some of the images in these books have been sold by Christie’s Auction House. Most recently, his work is being featured at The National Geographic Fine Art Galleries opening all over the United States.