Topics

  • Navigating Venice: finding your way to getting lost and found

  • Low light photography craft: high ISO test shots, tripods, and remotes 

  • Recommended settings for various ideas and visual creativity, lenses, f stop, ISO, apertures

  • Post-processing techniques, noise reduction, HDR

  • Creating orbs of light and other light painting tools

  • Working with existing lights, street lamps and flood lights

  • Planning night time shoots around the sun, moon, and stars

Our typical days:

Venice is also beautiful before dawn as well, working through the first blue hour of the day and catching the warm sunshine stretching across the city.  This is a wholly optional shoot as the group will depart the hotel most days by 6 AM and back around 8 for breakfast.  At 9 the class will meet to review images and discuss post-production or other photography ideas, any issues, concerns, or interests.  Then a break for lunch and leave you free for you to tour Venice as you see fit: museums, churches, shopping, or shooting around town.  Shehab and Jeff will be taking time to trek out to some outer islands like Burano, Torcello, Giudecca, and San Michele and would happily invite anyone along who would like to go.  Exploring Venice itself is also highly recommended, following your whim along and discovering your own hidden joys of the city. During the first day Jeff will talk you through navigating the labyrinth of the medieval pathways so everyone can make the way back home again.

In the early evening the group will meet up again at the hotel, usually around 5:30, to depart for evening adventures to capture blue hour.  Most restaurants in Venice are not open until after 7 so a dinner break around then in the area we are shooting after sundown before meeting up again around 8:30 to continue shooting in the dark until at least 10.  Shehab and Jeff can also separate into two groups, an early and a late one if that makes things easier.

Overall, the goal is to try and have some flexibility when the weather provides interesting opportunities.  Staying near Piazza San Marco and a vaporetto stop will allow us to get to a lot of beautiful places very easily as nature develops.  For example, if the class gets the opportunity to shoot the acqua alta or fog at some point we will definitely take advantage of these opportunities.  Jeff and Shehab want to be able to help you create amazing images for your portfolio and help you showcase your vision of one of the most stunning cities in the world.

Workshop costs include:

  •  Accommodation at Hotel Commercio & Pellegrino(double occupancy, additional costs for single) and all local tourist taxes

  • Private water taxis to and from Marco Polo airport (VCE) to the hotel

  • Breakfasts and a final night out dinner

  • Week-long vaporetto (water bus) pass

  • Admission to any museums or churches in the itinerary.Travel to or from your home to Marco Polo (VCE) airport,

What's not included:

  •  Travel to or from your home to Marco Polo (VCE) airport,

  • Lunches, dinners, or alcoholic beverages

  • Travel insurance

  • Passport or visa costs (no visa is currently required for American citizens)

  • Gondola rides, museums, or other tours.

Itinerary:

Day 1, Saturday October 12: Arrival in VCE, private water taxi to the hotel (te highly regarded Hotel Commercio & Pellegrino around the corner from the Piazza San Marco) to drop off luggage and take lunch near Piazza San Marco, the heart of the city.  The class will also take time to review gear and make sure everyone is comfortable with elements like reviewing histograms, high ISO test images, and camera controls to save time before working in the dark.  During this time there will also be a discussion about navigating Venice itself with landmarks and sign markers to make you feel comfortable about getting around what can be a fairly confusing city before venturing out to shoot.

Day 2, Sunday October 13: An opportunity for a sunrise shoot then breakfast, image review from the previous day and an open discussion, before a break until about 5:30. Meet in Piazza San Marco and spend the evening shooting Dorodoso.

Day 3, Monday October 14th: Sunrise shooting, breakfast, image review and discussion, and a break.  Shooting in Piazza San Marco area this evening, including a trip after hours into the San Marco Basilica itself.

Day 4, Tuesday October 15th: Take an early morning boat ride for a shoot, breakfast, image review and discussion, and a break. Then off to Cannaregio for the evening!

Day 5, Wednesday October 16th: Sunrise at the Rialto, breakfast, image review and discussion, and a break. Meet at the Grand Canal for sunset then a break at 7 for a farewell dinner before spending the evening filling in the gaps at some of Jeff’s favorite locations or some you want to revisit.

Day 6, Thursday October 17th: Breakfast and then a return water taxi to the airport for flights home.

Recommended equipment:

 Camera, DSLR or mirrorless digital camera (Recommend (2) 32 GB storage cards storage minimum)
Sturdy Tripod (something sturdy and dependable that you are comfortable with carrying for several hours)
Lenses; Recommend any of the following:
o    Very wide rectilinear 11mm or 14mm for some of the architecture
o   Middle range zoom (24-105mm) for most use cases
o  Flexible long zoom (70-300mm)

Accessories
o   Remote shutter release (and a backup unit)
o   Polarizing filter for daytime images
o   Flashlights for lightpainting 

More details will be provided with the full equipment list later

Cancellations and refunds:

Emergencies happen and things change which is understandable, we hope you understand that workshops are complex to plan and organize.  Email jeff@jeffmccrum.com immediately with any cancellation requests keeping the policy below in mind.

Weather and other unforeseen events will cause us to modify plans but will not cancel the workshop.  Should events beyond control (borders close, all flights are canceled due to Icelandic volcanoes, COVID outbreak, etc.) cause any cancellation we will inform participants as quickly as possible and issue full refunds.  We are not responsible for any losses incurred that are not currently covered by the workshop (airfare, etc.).  We therefore request that all parties purchase fully refundable travel tickets and trip cancellation insurance.

Deposits are required when you register and the balance is due 14 July 2024.  Emails sent to cancel any time before 13 July 2024 will result in a refund of half the deposit and will be refunded to the means as originally used to pay.  All cancellations are to be sent via email to jeff@jeffmccrum.com, phone calls or texts are not acceptable.  If the balance is not received by midnight (EST) 14 July 2024 we reserve the right to retain the deposit and re-list your spot on the trip as securing international flights takes time.  After 14 July 2024 there are no refunds.

All activities have associated risks and we cannot be held responsible for any injuries and will require an indemnity waiver to be signed for all participants.  Other circumstances like illnesses or diseases, such as COVID-19 or influenza contracted by a participant will be asked to do their utmost to minimize exposure to others, both inside the group and those in Venice.  Masking while inside and socially distancing by 2 meters outside would be seen as the expectation and group leaders reserve the right to discuss additional options with attendees as required, as not every circumstance can be foreseen.  Similar to other cancellations, we cannot refund, even for illness, within 90 days of the start of the workshop, as there would be no means of filling the opening, we would again recommend a travel insurance policy that would cover the cost of the workshop.