Tuscany May 7/8 - 13, 2022


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A 6/7 day photo workshop May 7/8-13, 2022 (one optional day free of charge) for up to 10 participants in the beautiful Tuscan landscapes in Italy at the best time for spring colors, fields having greenery and flowers. This time of year the Tuscan landscape is especially beautiful with the mix of the colors from flowers, grass and the different types of crop. There will likely be red poppies at this time. The weather can be dramatic at times and give wonderful opportunities for extraordinary pictures. The soft rolling fields are beautiful and are emphasized in many different shapes and forms, when the light creates shadows and colors during the day. Tuscany is well known as a wonderland for photography and during the workshop you will be taken to the well known places and also lesser known places. Notice that there is an optional day before the workshop begins with early morning and late afternoon shoots.

In addition to the morning and late afternoon shoots there are class room sessions with photo critiques, presentations on optimal image quality and efficient shooting techniques. Post processing is really important and mandatory in order to get the potential from the images captured by the digital cameras. The classroom sessions will include sessions on image editing from RAW capture to final edits. Also HDR techniques without the HDR look will be presented.

The workshop is aimed at giving the workshop participant the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful areas of Europe and get some great pictures with potential for extraordinary ones. You can find examples of pictures from the locations and at the time of year for the workshop in the folder below. Scroll down to see the pictures. The instructor is Hans Kruse, owner of HansKrusePhotography. He is very experienced in landscape photography and in post processing techniques. More of Hans Kruse's landscape photography work can be found here or click here to see the pictures. To see photos shot in May scroll down on this page and see the gallery of photos following the workshop description.

Content


The workshop will include

  • lectures about composition, scene selection, technique, post processing, etc.
  • critique and discussion sessions about the pictures taken during the workshop
  • morning and afternoon shooting sessions through the area with a selection of the most interesting spots for the time of year
  • on location instructions and discussions about composition and technique
  • opportunity to learn from and get inspired by fellow photographers

Schedule


The schedule will be adapted to the weather conditions. The detailed schedule for the 6/7 days is

  • May 7 (optional day): Arrival and afternoon shoot at 17:00. Dinner at 21:00.
  • May 8 (optional morning): Morning shoot at 5:30 from hotel. Breakfast. Class room 13:00-17:00 Lightroom tutorial including lunch. Afternoon shoot at 17:00. Dinner at 21:00.
  • May 9 Morning shoot at 5:30 from hotel. Breakfast. Class room 13:00-17:00 Presentation of shooting technique to achieve optimal image quality and composition with examples incl. lunch. Afternoon shoot at 17:00. Dinner at 21:00.
  • May 10: Morning shoot at 5:30 from hotel. Breakfast. Class room 13:00-17:00 Post processing technique in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop with examples of editing of images from RAW to final picture incl. lunch. Afternoon shoot at 17:00. Dinner at 21:00.
  • May 11: Morning shoot at 5:30 from hotel. Breakfast. Class room 13:00-17:00 Critique session incl. lunch. Afternoon shoot at 17:00. Dinner at 21:00.
  • May 12: Morning shoot at 5:30 from hotel. Breakfast. Class room 13:00-17:00 Critique session incl. lunch. Afternoon shoot at 17:00. Dinner at 21:00.
  • May 13: Morning shoot at 5:30 from hotel. Breakfast. End of workshop at 10:00.

To take full advantage of the option of early arrival please plan to arrive on May 7, 2022. The schedule will be rearranged based on when participants arrive and the level of the participants.

Prerequisites


There are no specific expectations for the skill level of the participants to get full value from the workshop. You will likely have been interested in photography for some years and have acquired a digital SLR or equivalent mirrorless camera and a few lenses. However less experienced photographers are equally welcome. The workshop will be adapted for the individuals attending such that individuals who need more guidance in certain areas will have the attention of the instructor to get help with the settings of the camera. For landscape photography in this area the focal lengths from 24mm to 200mm in 35mm full frame terms will be adequate (approx. 15mm to 135mm on crop DSLR cameras). A wider lens can be useful and a longer lens also (14mm and 500mm in 35mm full frame terms). It is expected that you are familiar with your camera including the most typical functions, however any question about camera operation and features are welcomed. Bring a manual for your camera too. A solid and stable tripod is essential and a cable/remote release for your camera. It is advised that you have practiced using your camera on a tripod so that you quickly can setup the camera as sometimes the lighting conditions change rapidly. The language of the workshop is English.

The instructor uses Canon R5 and Nikon Z7 and have detailed knowledge of these cameras (incl. previous Canon and Nikon DSLR's), however photographers with any camera are welcome. It is expected that you are familiar with the camera and menues since it is not possible for the instructor to know every variant of even Canon or Nikon cameras. For post processing the instructor will use and show Adobe Lightroom and with additional processing in Adobe Photoshop. For HDR Lightroom will be used to show this as well as a blending method in Photoshop when needed. It is highly recommended that the participants bring their own laptop for post processing. For critique sessions you will need a laptop to process your own images.

On location conditions


In the early mornings it can be chilly at this time of year, so please bring warm clothes and good, comfortable footwear for the time we will spend outdoors. Only short walking distances are planned from the roads (up to 15 mins).


Pricing, accommodation and travel


The cost of the workshop is 1595 Euro which include hotel, meals and beverages (breakfast, lunch time refreshments and evening dinner and drinks). A single room for each participant. In a shared double room the price is 1545 Euro per person. The price does not include transport to and from the hotel (air fare, rental cars, etc.) and transport in the area. If you decide to come one day before the workshop you will pay the extra day directly to the hotel. Any extra shoots outside of the workshop is free of charge and is made as a service to the participants.

It is planned that up to 10 participants and the instructor will drive in 2-3 cars for the shooting (the instructor in his car and 1-2 cars from the participants). To share a car e-mail addresses will be exchanged among the participants such that sharing of rental cars can be planned before the start of the workshop to the extent possible. The distance from Rome airports to the hotel Palazzuolo located in San Quirico, is around 2.5 hours by car. From Firenze (Florence) it is shorter. A rental car no smaller than a Fiat Punto (mid sized car) for 3-4 photographers per car including their equipment (please no Fiat 500 or similar small car). The plan is that every day it is changed who is driving together in order to get the most value of discussions among the participants. The reason for not including transportation is that it would add substantial extra cost to the workshop to include this and most participants would likely combine a workshop with a stay in the area. The hotel have conference facilities for class room sessions. If you would like to bring a spouse or friend to the workshop, then please indicate this in the registration e-mail and we will try to accommodate such requests on a space available basis. A spouse or friend cannot participate in any of the workshop activities. A GPS unit or navigation app on a smart phone is highly recommended and mobile phones to get reconnected, if getting lost. The instructor will have a mobile phone operational at all times and walkie talkies in the cars.

Booking


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Please book space on the workshop by sending an e-mail to Hans Kruse at hans@hanskruse.com or if you would like to ask additional questions about the workshop. If you are not able to join this workshop or it is sold out, then please consult the workshop schedule or contact Hans Kruse. As the time of the workshop approaches (4 weeks in advance) you will get updates on the detailed schedule and meeting times and additional relevant information. You are welcome to divide the payment of the 1595 Euro into a deposit of 445 Euro at sign-up and payment of the 1150 Euro March 1st, 2022. In a shared double room the price is 1545 Euro and the final payment is 1100 Euro per person. Please find the cancelation policy on the workshop overview page.

Please see feedback from previous workshop participants.