INTRODUCTION

We are excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Umbria + Tuscany Photo Workshop, May 9 - 18, 2023!

Join us in beautiful, old-world Italy for a truly unique experience. We’ll be based in Umbria and also photographing in Tuscany and Lazio.

What makes this workshop special is the way we spend quality time with fishermen, shepherds, wine-makers, vintage car collectors, and all sorts of convivial Italians.

Connecting with people is the essence of travel and perhaps what I love most about photography.

Now these locals have become dear friends. 

The workshop officially starts the afternoon of May 9 and departures are on the morning of May 18. This is a 10-day workshop, including arrival and departure days.

We stay at La Locanda della Quercia Calante, a beautifully restored farmhouse and cottages in excellent taste, twenty minutes from Orvieto, in the hills of Umbria. Our hosts, Fausto, Lucia, and Laura are warm and lovely and their generous hospitality set the tone for a relaxed and comfortable stay. The food at La Locanda is healthy and delicious. Spa services are also available.

I can’t wait to introduce you to our dear friends and these hidden gems in this heavenly region of Italy.

EXPERIENCES INCLUDE

  • photographing the local Cinquecento Club: the owners and their adorable, tiny-vintage cars, in a charming village, then enjoying gelato together afterward

  • going out on a placid lake with handsome fishermen at dawn to shoot their unique way of net fishing, ending the morning with a lake-fresh fish fry for breakfast

  • joining in a soulful and vibrant festival of ancient rituals in a lakeside town

  • spending an afternoon with our shepherd friends at their photogenic mountain farm, and enjoying a dinner of homemade cheeses and lasagna, oven-fired pizza, and local wine 

  • photographing a gorgeous palazzo-winery with stunning views, optional wine-tasting

  • shooting a magical hill town at dusk

  • enjoying the magnificent town of Orvieto, whose cathedral is certainly one of the most beautiful in Italy

You can expect a carefully planned, well-organized photo workshop, with great attention to detail.

Experiences are designed for guests to spread out as much as possible, with plenty of time and space to shoot.

We enjoy a positive, happy, supportive ambiance of friendliness and camaraderie.

All levels of photographers are welcome. Spouses/partners who have no strong interest in photography are welcome!

This will be a small workshop with a maximum of 8 guests. 

We’ll have class group projections, private one-on-one critiques and strong teaching on location.

The workshop officially starts the afternoon of May 9 and departures on the morning of May 18. This is a 10-day workshop, including arrival and departure days.

COST

Single room

$6965

Double room per person (available only to couples and friends)

$6650

 

WHAT IS INCLUDED


Maximum number of guests set to 8

A 10-day photo workshop with Nat Geo photographer Catherine Karnow

All main photo workshop activities

Accommodations

All group meals

Wine at La Locanda

Private coach

Class group projections, as well as motivational private critiques

Plenty of one-on-one guidance on location

 
 

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED

International airfare

Airport transfers 

Activities that are optional

Tips & gratuities

Travel insurance

 

We would love to have you join us on this truly unique experience!

Please let us know of your interest.

Cheers,
Catherine

TESTIMONIALS

 

With Catherine Karnow, there is that special "something more" that she is able to capture in those short moments that she has with her subjects. She struck a chord with me in how she captures not just the images, but the people in her photos. Clearly, she tries to relate to her subjects even if it is for just a few short moments. She steps outside herself and puts herself in their shoes. Not everyone can do that. As she spoke of how she tries to get photos of people, and the uncertainty of their reactions ... I too have been there in my travels and my photography. Catherine truly has a gift. I was feeling down about photography and considering giving it up. Now I am wanting to pick up my camera again. And I have done so! I think her perspective is also extremely important for people to hear and learn about.

 

We are still on cloud nine about the trip. The people, food, exciting experiences, and very patient instruction made it one of our best trips ever. 

This photo workshop was very unique: a relaxed atmosphere with structured classes. The food was fantastic and La Locanda was wonderful. Class instruction exceeded my expectations. Being able to study the true art of photography from Catherine at the Umbria workshop has greatly impacted how I can look at the world through my photography. Catherine was the one who guided me on this incredibly wonderful path and I will be forever grateful. The combination of one-on-one time and group instruction was so helpful. I learned what makes a photo more interesting and detailed information as to why some of my photos were very good. I also had fun! Every day was a new surprise and continued to build. We experienced extraordinary beauty, education, and fun.

 
 

It was an absolute privilege meeting Catherine. [She is] an artist of the highest order. [She has] inspired me beyond words.

My expectations were not only met but exceeded. Seeing the work of others in the class, along with [Catherine's] critique, was invaluable. I am so grateful for the one-on-one time [Catherine] spent with me. I now grasp the complexity behind a good photo. [Catherine] provided us with a view of Umbria we would never have attained on our own. The workshop was an experience of mind, body, and spirit. Photography has captured me. As I said at the end of the workshop, it doesn't get any better.

 

Words cannot express how much I learned from this extremely successful Umbria photography workshop. Your ability to teach in a way that is as creative as your photography makes you one of the best teachers I’ve ever had in any discipline.  This workshop exceeded my expectations in a multitude of ways. 

 

the camaraderie ... was wonderful; it didn’t feel competitive at all, it felt like we all supported each other…

 

La Locanda: rooms, service, staff, meals, ambiance. Excellent location – everything about this place is wonderful. The meals, people, and atmosphere – it’s a captivating place, a relaxing and comfortable feel – doesn’t feel like a hotel or even a B&B, feels like you are staying with friends of friends – which is part of the essence of the entire workshop.

 

I connected with my camera again. Now I can go off and continue to take pictures...[Catherine was] so kind and caring and gentle and there was no pressure at all

Shepherds day was probably my favorite day and not just about the puppies – all of it was spectacular – so many things and people to shoot, the farm itself, the people, the animals, the food, outdoor eating under the stars with all of the food being cooked in brick ovens or over a fire…could not imagine any additional elements that would have improved this day.

 

The Marta festival is a once in a lifetime – running through the streets of this amazing festival and procession – the day provided lots of challenges to shooting and I felt like a “photographer on assignment” the most on this day.

 

I had an amazing experience attending this workshop and would highly recommend it.  As a novice photographer and more recently shooting in manual settings, I gained so much practical experience from all of the different experiences of shooting locations, subjects, and class critiques.  From my perspective, what sets this workshop apart from others is the familial sense of each experience – knowing these locations and people as you do, shooting here for a period of years, gives the participants a very rich experience, in photography and culture.

 

A wonderful repeat experience. And not only do I learn more about my photography with each Karnow workshop, but I’ve also come to realize that there is no better way to experience a country and its people than with a camera in hand and Catherine at the helm. And no one to travel with who generates as much fun, with and without the locals, and whose personalities encourage everyone else to let down their hair and relate to one another. I’d go anywhere with you.