Exclusive 5 day residential photography workshops in lovely Venice
Workshop Series: Venice (max 4 people per course!)
VEN24-02 Sun 1st Dec - Thurs 5 Dec 2024 £1,695
Summary
4 star luxury in a 5 star location. Small groups of just 4 photographers maximum!
Venice is a beautiful location for photographers.
Chris will take you to the perfect locations at the right time of each day and will assist you in finding the most engaging composition and making your best shots in each location.
While the focus is on sunrise and sunset field sessions, other field sessions will take place during each day (weather permitting) and Chris will lead you through the various techniques required.
In the evenings, there will be the opportunity to discuss your best (or most challenging) shot of the day in our fun and friendly critique sessions.
This workshop will give you the opportunity to build your own portfolio whilst learning new techniques in the field as part of a small group (max 4 people per course).
Remember we only take 4 photographers max. This gives you a better chance of capturing that special shot!
Cost (5 day course)
Dec/Jan/Feb workshops ... £ 1,795 per Photographer (see 'What's included' & 'What's not included', below). includes all tuition and your own private room in the hotel.
Nov/Mar workshops ... £ 1,895 per Photographer (see 'What's included' & 'What's not included', below). includes all tuition and your own private room in the hotel.
A £ 600 deposit* is due at time of booking payable to Chris Ceaser Photography.
Balance by monthly payments**, or by deposit with balance paid 6 weeks prior to course.
** Your balance can be split into monthly payments with the final payment due 6 weeks prior to course date. Contact Chris to discuss this option.
Non-photography partners are welcome, however a small surcharge may apply. Please ask for details!
What’s included?
Your Venice Workshop Includes:
- 4 nights’ lodging at a lovely 4-star Hotel in the heart of Venice. (see Saturnia International)
All bedrooms have private, en-suite bathroom.
Continental breakfast is included, with some hot options including scrambled egg, bacon, sausage... waffles!!. See below for Hotel details. - Welcome drinks and course introduction on the Sunday.
- 4 sunrise, 3 sunset and other daily field sessions.
- Personal instruction by Chris in the field, including on the spot critiques and advice.
- Daily group critique sessions, in which the shots you take during the workshop are discussed. (see itinerary)
- You will be eligible for a FREE place on a 1 hour Lightroom session over Zoom with Chris. This will take place on a set date within 2 months of the course finishing.
- You will also have the opportunity to have 1 photo from the course printed by Chris at a special price using Chris's fine art papers from Canson Infinity, as used throughout his gallery.
.... AND A GUARANTEED MAXIMUM OF JUST 4 PEOPLE PER COURSE!!!!
What’s not included?
The following is not Included but we are happy to advise you on options, where appropriate:
- Airfare & Visas - We recommend that you fly to Venice Marco Polo Airport, to arrive mid-afternoon on the Sunday. (typical airfare is around £160 return)
- Vaporetto tickets. You can buy a 3 day pass for around 40 euros.
- Insurances - We strongly advise you take out personal travel insurance. Companies like AA travel insurance will provide single trip cover for just £10. This covers all monies paid in the event of illness, jury service etc....
- Airport Transfer - We can provide advice on the options available – please ask. (water bus takes around 40 mins and costs around 30 euros return)
- Meals - Breakfast is included in our hotel.
Lunch is up to you – stop to sit at a Trattoria for a leisurely break or, like us, grab a panini and a drink for around € 8 as you move between locations.
Dinner is up to you but we would love you to join us and your fellow Photographers at the restaurants we recommend – we try to limit costs to € 15 a head for a main course. - Local Tourist Tax - There is a tourism tax in Venice which you need to pay to the hotel on check out. It is normally a small amount, around 4 or 5 euros per day. I would advise you to check the current rate before booking.
Itinerary
Sunday
You are welcome to arrive at the Hotel from 2pm to settle in – we will be there to meet you. After a short chat about the workshop we will head out to shoot the late afternoon and sunset.
Complimentary Drinks will be served at the Hotel at 7pm and then you can either join Chris for dinner or have some time to yourself.
Monday sunrise to Thursday at noon.
Sunrise
Sunrise is at around 07:35 each morning.
Your day will begin at around 06:30 as we leave the Hotel for the sunrise shoot - locations will vary and may involve a quick Vaporetto ride.
We head back to the Hotel after shooting the golden hour (or so), for breakfast.
Day
The period between the sunrise and sunset shoots is broken up into small processing sessions and the opportunity to explore the real Venice, as we go off the beaten track to shoot the canals & historic buildings:
- Chris will also run a critique session at the end of each day, normally before dinner. This will feature the Photographer’s own work and Chris will give constructive feedback on the chosen images from each day.
- Other field sessions with Chris will be available during each day. The emphasis of the course will be on taking photographs and having a great time away with your camera!
- If you wish to have your shots critiqued in the evening, please bring your laptop or anything you can show your images on. The shot can be straight from your camera or one that you have processed. We limit the critique sessions to two or three shots per day, per Photographer, to ensure that the discussions are useful. You may choose to submit a shot you are particularly happy with, or one that you would like help to improve.
Sunset
Sunset is at around 16:30 each day.
After a short break to give you a little down time to chill out or catch up on personal matters, we head off to our chosen location at around 15:00, to set up and discuss the possibilities.
Your shooting day will end at around 18:00, as we will shoot beyond sunset into the exciting 'blue hour'.
Evening
Critique sessions will be held back at the Hotel at around 6.30pm and should last 45 minutes. After that, dinner is up to you - you might choose to join us at a local restaurant to continue the discussion, or to head out individually to explore a little more. We will look to have dinner at around 8pm.
The Workshop ends at noon on the Thursday
Terms and Conditions
Chris Ceaser Photography offers 'no interest payment plans'. (Ask foir details)
If you would like to arrange a monthly payment plan, please contact us at info@chrisceaser.com or on +44 7920 044094.
We insist that you purchase travel insurance for your workshop. This can protect you in case of an unforeseen situation that would require a last minute cancellation. Your gear will also be covered!
The workshops include: Bed & Breakfast lodging in a 4 star Venice hotel, Welcome Drink, Vaporetto pass for the first 3 days, plus the various field sessions and seminars described above, all of which include thoughtful, personalised instruction from Chris.
Not included: Airfare, transportation to and from Hotel (including airport transfers), passport or visa fees, meals (other than breakfast & welcome dinner). (Typical air fare from Gatwick is around £160 return with BA)
Cancellation & Insurances
- All deposits* are non-refundable
- Chris Ceaser Photography does not offer cancellation refunds. Please take out adequate insurance to cover cancellations due to ill health, jury service etc. Please ask for recommendations and see below.
Insurances and refunds:
YOU are responsible for your own insurances. This needs to cover you and your kit for things such as emergency illness whilst away, theft of your kit, inability to travel due to illness etc. Should you not be able to travel at the time of the course you will need to claim on your own insurance. Chris will provide you with an invoice and a letter confirming you did not attend. There is NO refund should you cancel after paying your deposits and balances. This is why you need your own insurances in place.
WE are covered under our own EVENT INSURANCE in the case that Chris cannot attend (due to illness, etc).
Our event insurance is quite comprehensive, but it does NOT cover things such as rainy weather, overcast weather etc. In these cases the course goes ahead, just like a normal booked holiday would. Make sure you or any operator you may use has such EVENT insurances in place or you may risk losing your money. You still need your OWN insurances in place to cover you and your kit (policies can cost as little as £9 for £5000 cover). Contact Chris on 07920 044094 to chat about insurances. You may already have such insurances in place, with your bank for example, but please check the policies cover you in case of illness or theft of kit either abroad or at home.
Chris runs his courses on a personal basis and normally provides all tuition etc personally. However, Chris Ceaser Photography reserves the right to replace instructors in the event of illness, emergency or death.
The Hotel
We will be staying at The Hotel Saturnia International, situated in the heart of the San Marco area, close to the wondefrul Accademia Bridge and St Mark's Square.
You will stay in your own room with private facilities. The Saturnia is one of Venice's most established hotels and has a reputation for fantastic service.
Feel free to arrive after 1pm on the Sunday and we will head off for a little extra photography or meet for a get-together drink at the Hotel at 7pm, whichever works for you, before heading out for the dinner in one of our favourite little restaurants.
Check out the Hotel website: Hotel Saturnia
Is this Workshop suitable for you?
Are you comfortable with your camera and its settings?
Yes - This Workshop will help you develop your technical & compositional skills and allow you to develop your own photographic style.
No - Please contact Chris on +44 7920 044094 to discuss, as a short pre-workshop session may be arranged to give you the confidence to join this Workshop.
Are you comfortable using Lee Filters?
Yes - This Workshop will help you build on your experience to date, introducing you to new filters / techniques.
No - Chris has filters available to borrow during the Workshop and will teach you how to use them effectively. Please contact him on +44 7920 044094 to discuss, prior to booking.
Do you have Lightroom and/or Photoshop on your laptop?
Yes - This Workshop will help you build on your editing / workflow experience to date – Chris will demonstrate his own techniques, providing lots of pro tips to help you improve.
No - Free trial periods are available on Adobe’s website.
Please contact Chris on +44 7920 044094 to discuss, prior to booking.
Requirements
All Photographers must bring:
- A digital SLR camera & lenses
- Filters, if you have them – if not, please let Chris know so that he can arrange for you to borrow them
- A laptop computer with lightroom if you want to work on your own images during rest periods.
- A sturdy tripod
- Cold weather gear
- A moderate level of fitness – there will be lots of walking on the flat with the odd little bridge to cross.
Remember – places are limited.
A maximum of 4 Photographers join each Workshop, so please book early to secure your place on this fantastic trip!
Testimonials
My surprise 21st birthday present was a ticket to Venice with my Dad on Chris’ course. We both own cameras and wanted to learn how to use them properly. It was well worth the year-delay through Covid, and Chris managed to coax some great photos from us. Chris has a thorough understanding of the city and was able to show us the perfect vantage points, filling our day from blue hour to blue hour to make sure we squeezed every moment out of our time there. The rapidly changing weather wasn’t in our favour but Chris remained flexible and ensured the days were tailored so our experience was unaffected and we achieved numerous fantastic shots using the elements to our advantage. The small group meant that we had plenty of one-to-one time and with mixed experience levels it made sure that we all learnt a huge amount. Chris managed to deftly deal with Dad’s broken camera – scouting the local shops and quickly finding a rental replacement!
An unforgettable experience in a beautiful city with a patient and knowledgeable host, we will both look forward to a future of far higher quality and better composed photographs – thank you Chris! Iwan Stone
An unforgettable experience in a beautiful city with a patient and knowledgeable host, we will both look forward to a future of far higher quality and better composed photographs – thank you Chris! Iwan Stone
Having spent one day in the Yorkshire Dales and another on the Yorkshire Coast over the summer, I just returned from 4 days in the Lakes with Chris. I spent the past year travelling and attending photography workshops across Russia, North America, Asia and Europe (including a 4 day National Geographic Photography Expedition in New York another in New Orleans) so was pretty comfortable participating in workshops, but the trips that Chris ran were by far the best. I learned more with him than on any other course – he’s clear, straightforward, helpful and funny. He worked through my technical questions efficiently, which enabled me to spend more time on composition and using the neutral density filters etc – more fun, but for me, more tricky. He’s extraordinarily patient and kind, while managing to still be honest and helpful. Taking a course with Chris is a great way to meet new people, learn new things and enjoy the landscapes of the North, while waiting for the light (and possibly also sheltering from the rain). Amazing value for money as compared to the other courses I’ve taken in the UK (some in directly comparable locations) and abroad. I can’t recommend these workshops enough – whether you ‘re about to open the box that your DSLR came in for the very first time or you’ve been playing with your camera for years, you’ll learn a huge amount, laugh a lot and probably never look at a cloud in quite the same way again. And when you get home, you’ll be astonished at what you managed to achieve. Rebecca Sheppard.