Photography Weekend in Tuscany
DISCOVER Tuscany with Swiss Photo Club’s guided tour.
You will learn from professionals how to take amazing pictures of this beautiful landscape.
3 days full immersion into photography and Tuscany magic.
Join us for a full sensory experience of Tuscany, complete with 3 days of amazing food, fine wine, 4-star hotels and breath-taking landscapes.
Take picture-perfect postcards during this guided tour, with two photographers who are experts of this region, who speak English, French and Italian. Guaranteed to be at the right places at the right times! We will explore medieval villages, historic towns, castles, green rolling hills and beautiful abbeys that are scattered all over. You’ll be inspired during the countless opportunities to capture breath-taking photos.
The journey starts at Pisa, then we jump to our minivan (or you can follow us with your transport) to discover the beautiful lands of Pisa, Livorno, Volterra, Siena and Florence.
You’ll practice all kinds of photography from landscapes to portraits, from long exposure night shots to carefully composed architectures, together with a fun group and expert photographers & guides.
The early bird discounted tickets are only available for the first 6 people or until September 8th. Join before full!
With two professional photographers originally from the region, you will be guaranteed to be at the right places at the right times for amazing photography, from seaside to countryside and up to the magnificent art of Rinascimento in Florence.
Each day will consist of a morning and an afternoon class, followed by a small recap before dinner. The instructors will cover journal making and smartphone photography at the end of the sessions, to help you take much better photos and create stories even when all you have with you is a smartphone.
During the first day in Pisa & Livorno, we will practice architectural photography, learning geometry, compositions rules. In the evening, we will practice how to create stunning silk sea effects waterfront and make long exposure shoots.
During the second day, along the route from Livorno to Volterra, we will focus on landscape photography at the famous Tuscan hills and countryside landscapes. During the afternoon we will visit the famous Siena and his Piazza del Campo. We will explain how to create hdr pictures and get the perfect panoramic photo. A special dinner and night in 4 star Tuscan style farmhouse will be the right place to sit down and explain how to organize and select your best shots. A startrail astronomic photo class will take place in the night open to everybody who want discover the secrets of stars and planets.
The third day we will be completely dedicated to Florence, with the guidance of Riccardo who was born and lived in Florence for many years. We will discover the beautiful hidden gems of this wonderful city, practicing street photography, arts, panoramas and of course architecture. You will have a half day “free” on this day to enjoy Florence in your own terms, doing any of your favorite activities.
In recap during these 3 days you have these lessons on field:
- Learn rules composition and practice with your camera manual modes.
- Learn how to make architectural pictures, practice with geometry and apply the correct corrections.
- Practice with long exposure, get the perfect shots with tripod and improve the pictures.
- Correct in-camera the colors, practice with RAW, and learn how to choice the best lens for each situation.
- Outdoor photography, use of balanced flash and play with light in sunny days.
- Night photography, and effects (silksea waterfront, lightpainting, lightwriting etc),startrails and astronomic shots.
- HDR and panoramic photo, usage of in-camera options to create the publish-ready image.
- Journal making and smartphone Photography classes.
- Street photography, artist’s effects and panning / tilting effects.
- Learn the best tricks to categorize, select and edit / enhance the best pictures from the trip.
- Get full of suggestions, tips and tricks and explanation on your camera usage.
Where do we go?
We’ll take you to the famous region of Tuscany in Central Italy. This area is world famous for its wine, landscapes, art, history and of course photography!
Which cities will we visit during our tour?
- Pisa with its famous tower and Piazza dei Miracoli.
- Livorno, famous port on the Mediterranean sea with its architecture and wonderful Terrazza Mascagni.
- Volterra, surrounded by Tuscan hills and stunning landscapes and beautiful medieval town with towers on top of the hills.
- Siena, with Piazza del Campo, UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its Palio and many architectural interest.
- Monteriggioni, a real gateway to middle ages.
- Florence, with all its beautiful surroundings and historic center & Points of interest.
Weather conditions:
Average temperature of this period in Tuscany: min. 15 ° C max. 27 ° C
Where do we stay?
You’ll be accommodated in 4 stars hotels in private or double occupancy, depending on your booking.
Each place will be located near these cities: Livorno, Siena and Florence.
Breakfast is always included, as well as parking, in case you want join us with your car or motorbike.
Note: Shared rooms can be shared with a partner or friend. Don’t hesitate to let us know as soon as you booked.
What is included?
- All photography classes from our instructors during the trip, unlimited questions
- Guided tour in each town by our instructors and explanations of each area during the trip
- Welcome drink and tour plan guide with all information
- Transfer during the whole trip, starting from Pisa with a private 9 places Minivan equipped with WiFi onboard and air conditioning (or you can follow us by your car or motorbike)
- 3 dinners in typical Tuscany restaurants (please let us know about any allergy or intolerance in advance)
- 3 nights in 4 stars hotel (breakfast included)
- Snack & refreshment during the tour
NOT included:
- Arrival and departure costs from/to Pisa to your home (flight, car rentals, etc.)
- Lunch during the trip (in each city we will reserve a “free time “of one hour to have your own lunch or spend time as you want)
- Travel insurance
- Photography equipment (if you need camera / lenses or other equipment, get in touch with us for a special rental offer)
Note: There will be a fixed schedule every day, but we will have the flexibility to spend more time in specific places if needed/asked.
Also, we hope to have perfect weather during the trip, but in case of unusual conditions, we might make changes with the group’s agreement.
Tickets
(until Sept 10th ) |
(until Sept 24th ) |
Last Minute (from Sept 25th) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Room | CHF 1’980.- | ||
| Double Room (2 people) |
(per person) |
CHF 1’580.- (per person) |
FAQ’s
Unless differently stated in the trip description, the following conditions apply to cancellations and booking changes for each trip:
- Up to 90 Days: 20% of the price is held as cancellation
- 89 – 31 Days: 50% of the price is held as cancellation
- 30 – 0 Days: 100% of the price is held as cancellation
Please note that some of the trips have stricter cancellation rules due to agencies we work with. In these cases, the cancellation policy in the trip description applies.
Tickets are not for resale.
For shared rooms, we strongly recommend that you book with somebody you already know and comfortable to share the room with.
If you book a shared room alone, that means you accept to share your room with any other participant regardless of gender or age.
With individual booking of a shared room, your booking can only be confirmed if there is another individual shared room reservation with us. Otherwise, depending on the time and availability, you have the option to upgrade to a private room reservation.
If you decide to upgrade to private room, the conditions depend on the timing of your decision, pending of course on the availability.
Before the trip: Possible by paying the price difference at the time of your decision (e.g. if you bought an early bird ticket but decided to upgrade during normal prices, you pay the difference at normal prices).
After the trip has started: If you decide to upgrade during check-in, if there is room available, you will have to pay the price difference plus 20% of your original payment as penalty.
Unless otherwise stated in the course description, the group conversations will be in English.
Our instructors are all at least bi-lingual, so we will probably be able to help you in your own language in private, in case of any questions. Please check before registration if you do not feel comfortable in English.
No. The application is open to everybody who have the passion for photography and learning. This trip is for beginners as well as for pros because we believe that we all have different talents and we can all learn from each other. Even though, a basic knowledge of photography is highly recommended.
Once we receive your payment, we will get back to you with a short survey or a call to get to know your preferences for language and accommodation. As the trip gets closer, we will keep in touch with you again to confirm the trip, introduce the instructors, update you on the progress and communicate the full program.
No. This trip will be organized by and for Swiss Photo Club only.
Children:
Minimum age of 16 years is required.
Pets:
Pets are unfortunately not allowed to bring.
Allergies/food intolerances:
Please let us know about your allergies and food intolerances so we can adjust the organization according to your needs.
Additional photo equipment:
We have a partnership with great photography manufacturers. If you need to buy photo gear for your trip, do not hesitate to contact us and we will send you a quote (hello@swissphotoclub.com).
There is no insurance included in the weekend photography trip. Please make sure you have health, travel and accident insurance coverage.
We will ask you to give us a way to get in touch with a contact person of your choice before the trip.
You and your beloved ones can contact all of us during our trip and our team back in Geneva and Zurich.
In case of any special allergies or medical treatments, we highly recommend to contact your doctor before applying for the trip.
Swiss Photo Club does not provide any insurance.
You can either pay via:
- Credit Card (fastest/prefered option),
- Bank Transfer
- Invoice (send us an email with full name and billing address)
- Cash (get in contact with us to arrange an appointment)
- Photography equipment for landscape and night photography (body, lenses, tripod, filters, strap, batteries, sd cards, etc.)
- Laptop with Lightroom or Photoshop for the editing session (optional)
- Warm clothes according to weather conditions
You will get a recommended packing list with your welcome information