Tuscany

 

Tuscany is a heavenly landscape.  Italy is blessed with photogenic locations but the Val d’Orcia located South of Siena is arguably the most photogenic of them all. Due to its poor soil, only wheat and olive trees are able to grow in the valley, which is sparsely populated. Large stone farmhouses sit on top of the hills that dominate the fields of wheat. Cypress trees that have been planted to give shelter from the wind, are wonderfully picturesque especially when the sun is low. In silhouette or in soft side light, the trees give an image shape and a strong focal point. Backlit at sunset, or surrounded by mist at sunrise, the trees are perfect subjects for landscape photography. At dawn, we shoot the landscape from different vantage points, often shooting towards the sun. I advise my clients to use graduated filters to balance the bright sky with the dark foreground or to take multiple exposures which can be processed in photoshop. Our hotel is based in the heart of the Orcia valley and is the perfect location for exploring the surrounding countryside. The gallery also contains architectural images from Siena and the surrounding villages.

Here’s a testimonial from a client Katie Garrod who joined our Tuscany Photo workshop in 2017

Thank you for the most fabulous week in Tuscany!  It was lovely to meet you.  It really was a wonderful week with an extremely nice group – everyone got on and it was very companionable.  I loved our house and our forays over to the hotel for food were brilliant – the family were just incredibly nice and our breakfasts and dinners and indeed the Cinderella wine just delicious.  It really could not have been a better week and I really enjoyed it – so a HUGE thank you.
It goes without saying that I learned a huge amount about landscape photography and become more confident with my camera and settings, and it was so useful gaining knowledge about what to do in different situations.