Tuscany Photo Workshop Dates
Tuscany | September 17-24, 2025
Meet: Florence, Italy
Depart: Florence, Italy
Tour Group Size: 6-10 guests
8 Days / 7 Nights
$5500/Person (Add $600 supplement for private single room)
Included:
Travel
Ground travel by private minivan from Siena , returning to Siena.
Day trips each day to hill towns and landscape opportunities
Hotels
Two nights accommodations in the historic center of Siena, with the best view of the city right off your balcony.
Four nights in private apartments at Fattoria Pieve a Salti, a working 15th century farmhouse complex, fully remodeled with new A/C, TV, amenities including indoor and outdoor pools, spa, restaurant.
Meals
- Luxurious breakfast each day at the farm
- Dinner or lunch each day as we travel.
- Wine tasting at famous Tuscan cantinas
Workshop
Workshop tuition, including on-screen reviews of your daily work (voluntary) and one-on-one photographic instruction in the field throughout the week.
Not Included:
- Airfare
- Trip insurance (highly recommended)
- Travel Guard or Allianz are good places to start shopping for trip insurance. You can get a free quote online.
Also not included are crowds, slow moving tour guides and lectures about the history of plague 🙂
Tuscany Landscapes and Village-scapes
Wake up to the world-famous landscapes of Tuscany. Leave the crowds behind and savor the quiet villages and local specialties and wines. For 20 years Drake has crafted truly authentic experiences in Tuscany for photographers and their partners.
Meet us in Siena, staying two nights in Italy’s loveliest medieval city, then spend 4 nights at our hilltop farmhouse resort in private luxurious apartments. Travel by minivan through the landscapes of Val d’Orcia and Crete Sienese, with free time in Tuscany’s hill towns and the best little villages you’ve never heard of.
Pre-Workshop
We recommend arriving a couple of days early in Florence (FLR). Visit the city and its amazing museums while you acclimate to the time change. Then meet us the morning of May 17.
If you’re looking for more adventure, stay 2-3 nights in Siena and meet us there instead on May 17. You can reach Siena easily by train from Rome or Florence.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1-3
10AM meet us in Florence and travel to Siena, the most beautiful medieval town in the world (in our opinion). After soaking in the history and making some great photographs, we continue on to the charming hill town of Pienza for our first two nights stay.
Day 4-6
Day 7
The Workshop
Our curriculum has been tweaked and pruned over 25 years to offer you only the essential tools you need. We introduce concepts in the classroom and offer assignments each day to stretch your creativity. In the field our instructors are available at all times to help you master your camera or smart phone. Advances photographers are given plenty of free time as desired to build their portfolio.
Workshop Sessions
Classroom time (one-hour sessions) is devoted to reviewing your daily images on-screen and offering helpful suggestions. In the field, our discussions center around better composition and finding great light. And of course, answering your technical questions and helping you master your own equipment.
Carl Sandquist
Workshop Leader
Carl Sandquist is a world traveler and an experienced landscape photographer, who also dedicates his days to his role at Adobe. He specializes in Adobe’s new and emerging creative technologies and holds a Professional Certification in Adobe Photoshop. During his spare time, he immerses himself in the art of landscape photography that allows him to escape into the boundless beauty and wonder of the natural world, curating an impressive portfolio filled with awe-inspiring shots from various corners of the globe.
Those who have attended his workshops often praise his patient and positive teaching style. They are consistently delighted to witness their own images spring to life as Carl imparts his favorite editing techniques. He loves working with people, making the learning process enjoyable and rewarding for all his workshop guests.
Gabriele Angelini
Local Host / Photographer
Gabriele Angelini, professional photographer from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, will join this tour and share some of his favorite locations in Tuscany.
His infectious enthusiasm and his deep knowledge of Italy’s history make your trip more enjoyable and your photographs better informed.
Mauro Riva
Guide / Operations Director
Mauro Riva grew up in the Dolomites in Northern Italy where he still loves to hike and photograph and where his family still lives. His deep experience and network of friends make all the difference when organizing a more authentic experience for our guests.
After living in Vancouver BC and working in the tech industry for a number of years, Mauro made the bold decision to return to Italy and start a company sharing his mountains in a more personal and intimate way. Soon afterward he found Italy Workshops and met Drake who shares the same values for travel. They’ve now teamed up to add more locations and more depth to each workshop.
Mauro currently teaches the skills he’s developed in the Veneto region, certifying Italian travel guides and high-level hospitality professionals.
Also an avid photographer, Mauro knows how to craft tours that get you to the right places in the best possible light.
View Mauro’s work
Frequently Asked Questions
What Type of Camera Should I Bring?
Any camera is acceptable, including smartphones. Automation for the beginner can make the trip fun and stress-free and, at times, increase creativity.
Should I Bring a Computer
Participants who are very comfortable with their computer are encouraged to bring it along. Editing your images during the week can enhance your learning experience. We currently use Adobe Lightroom CC for our on-screen reviews sessions. You will learn new LR editing methods and workflow shortcuts during classroom reviews and critique. Even if you’ve used Lightroom, we highly recommend brushing up before the workshop by watching the free tutorials available on Adobe.com.
If you are not fluent downloading and managing digital images, you might consider leaving the computer behind and just focusing on camera work. You can still submit images daily for review, and perhaps find more time to learn about your camera and develop a discerning eye. (Not to mention sleep happily while others are editing into the night)
Observer Participants may be beginner photographers, attending all instruction and field trips, but not required to submit photos for critique. This is a fun way to learn without pressure. You’ll still photograph the same things and we’ll still want to review your work on the back of your camera and offer individual instruction in the field.
All Skill Levels Are Welcome
Beginner and Intermediate Photographers
We enjoy helping you master those buttons and menus on your camera! Short, daily field lessons will tackle one technique at time. Further individual attention in the field helps you lock in the concepts.
Any camera is welcome (yes, even smartphones!).
Non-photographer partners are welcome to sit in on all discussions and participate at their own level of interest. (Beginners often make some of the best images we see!)
Advanced Photographers
As an advanced photographer you’ll be encouraged to:
- Build your portfolio, adding strong images every single day of the trip.
- Focus on style development, lighting and composition.
- Work in “concentrations” to produce a collection of work suitable for a gallery showing or book project.
You will return home with a body of work suitable for a gallery showing or book project that will express your personal style, as opposed to a random collection of travel photos.
Tuscany Photo Workshop Reviews
