Venice is one of the most beautiful and unique cities in the world. Each year, during the Carnival festival, Venice comes alive as amazing models in ornate masks and incredible costumes descend upon the city to be admired and photographed. I am very excited to be leading this workshop again. This will be my 8th Carnival and I have been fortunate to form some wonderful friendships with many of the beautiful models, which will allow our group to have several opportunities for private shoots in locations away from the crowds.

The Venice Carnival Workshop is different from most tours in that there is no itinerary from the standpoint of Day 1, Day 2, etc. The weather changes, opportunities for private shoots arise, and our models often appear in specific areas throughout the week. Although some shoots will be pre-arranged long in advance, we will adjust our schedule on the fly in order to get the most out of our time there.

I will also lead sessions on:

Although experience is an obvious advantage, this workshop is open to photographers of all skill levels. In fact, it is a great opportunity to learn! I have a low instructor-to-participant ratio and will do more than just get you to the right locations… I will assist you with composition and shooting, for those interested. At minimum, you will want to be familiar with your camera dials and functions – such as ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture Controls.

You will want lenses in the wide-angle and portrait range.. Additionally, an on-camera flash is important for adding a touch of light to the models. An off-camera flash/trigger combination can be useful in certain situations but is optional. Bring your laptop with Photoshop, Lightroom or Bridge. Nik Filters will also be important for post-processing sessions. Bring enough memory cards… I suggest at least 100 gigs or more. Extra camera batteries are always a good idea. And, of course, bring a tripod.

2024 Making your air arrangements. The workshop begins at 6:00pm on February 3, 2024 with a group welcome dinner. The workshop ends on February 9 after an optional sunrise shoot and breakfast in the morning. You can make your ongoing travel arrangements for any time on February 9. Please note that airport transportation costs to and from hotel is included if you are arriving on the dates of the beginning and end of tour. Should you wish to choose to arrive outside of tour dates, airport transfers will be at your own expense.

As you probably already know, you can’t drive around Venice. So, we’ll be walking a fair amount and taking the public water taxis. Some of the walking will be up and down stairs when crossing Venice’s bridges. Additionally, the weather can be a bit chilly or cold in February, but usually not cold enough to snow.

Important – See “Tour Policies” for information on payments due and refund policy.