Itinerary, Accommodation and prices
Prices: Sterling £1,323; Euros: €1497; US Dollars: $ 2180
Itinerary (brief)
We take pride in ensuring our courses are planned around the requirements of our course members and to this end there may be some minor changes to the final itinerary. A more detailed itinerary is set out below.
Day 1 – travel to Venice Airport – afternoon transfer to hotel and settle in; evening ‘get to know you’ meal and briefing
Day 2 – assessments and practice around the hotel and local canals, lunch and a trip to Academia, general chat and evening project
Day 3 – Walk to San Marco – spend morning in area, lunch, walk to Rialto Bridge, evening project – night scenes
Day 4 – Very early start to catch dawn in and around Piazza San Marco back to hotel for breakfast then to Rialto Market Day followed by evening meeting
Day 5 – Vaporetto to Murano and Burano Free afternoon: evening critique and dinner
Day 6 – Depart.
What you will need
Digital Camera – (preferably DSLR if not we can loan you a DSLR) - Tripod - ND Grad filters (Cokin) - UV Filter - Trainers for walking
Optional: Polarizing Filter - Laptop with PhotoShop Elements
Detailed Itinerary
1st day Wednesday 5 Oct
Transfer – by water taxi from Marco Polo airport direct to the hotel’s landing stage reception. Along the route
There are three ways to get around in Venice – walk (cheapest), vaporetto (6.50 Euro single ticket valid for one hour); water taxi (very expensive) and gondola which is also very expensive but is often an essential part of a holiday in Venice. There is a fifth way – cheap, standing room only, by traghetto – a quick way across the Grand Canal (to save walking to one of the three bridges)
The transfer
We chose to transfer from Marco Polo airport by water taxi – more expensive than the bus or vaporetto followed by a long walk from Piazzale Roma, the bus station, but much more enjoyable as your first holiday experience of Venice is waterborne in splendid luxury across the lagoon, along th Grand Canal (cameras ready here!) direct to the hotel’s landing stage in Rio del Alberto.
Settle in to your room and meet at 6.30-7pm for a welcome drink and an informal first meeting, during which we will be srved a typical Italian buffet (have a light lunch!) This relaxing ‘get to know your fellow course members’, we find, is the best way to get a photo holiday off to a good start. This first evening is designed to talk you through the week ahead and cover all the local information you need to ensure you get the best from your cameras during the next seven days. You will not need to take notes as each of our guests will receive an attractive folder setting out the itinerary as well as maps, tips and advice plus your vaporetto ticket that allows you to use this means of getting about for the middle three days of the holiday (including your free day).
2nd day Thursday 6th October
Meet at 9am in the Karanowski Room where Christian will meet with each of you to asses your abilities and personal needs so that during the week the personal attention you get is focussed and meaningful.
Some general advice on aspects of best practices and settings; what to look for in composing and framing your images.
About 11am we will ‘set you loose’ on the local area with a number of simple projects to complete. During this period you will find somewhere to have a spot of lunch and return to the hotel for our second meeting where we consider yuour first images of Venice and give further advice before setting off for the interesting and attractive Accademia bridge – originally a temporary structure made of wood and steel which was eventually to be replaced by a stone bridge. However, the Venetians found the temporary bridge to be too attractive to replace, so this well known landmark, at the foot of the Gallerie dell’Accademia (which houses the largest collection of Venetian art in existence) remains overlooking the canal and palaces.
We walk to Santa Maria della Salute, past the Peggy Guggenheim Modern Art Museum and on to the very point of the promontory where the ancient customs port was situated. There are excellent views from here across the lagoon to the island of Giudecca, the Isla San Giorgio Maggiore and across the mouth of the Grand Canal to the Piazza San Marco.
Then possibly a new experience! We take a trip on a Traghetto (the flat bottomed gondola) across to the San Marco V…. stop.
In the evening we have a critique and Q&As.
3rd Day Friday 7th October
We leave early from the hotel and walk to the Piazza San Marco and go straight to the Basilica to miss the crowds. During the morning you will be able to photograph all the major sights, such as the Campanile, the Bridge of Sighs, the Doge’s Palace, the Basilica and the famous Florian cafe in the Piazza (and, depending on the weather, outdoor seating on the square accompanied by the musicians).
Factors to consider as subjects to capture: people, architecture, churches, tourist stalls, gondolas, gondoliers, the Grand Canal and view across to San Giorgio Maggiore.
After lunch we walk to the famous Rialto Bridge (one of only three bridges that cross the Grand Canal) – along the way there will be opportunities to capture some day-t0-day shots of Venetian life, street and numerous canal scenes. (There are 150 waterways (known as Rios) in Venice with 400 bridges crossing them).
Evening project: night scenes – no flash, restaurants, water, buildings and night-time reflections.
4th Day Saturday 8th October
Very early start (6m) to catch dawn in and around Piazza San Marco and across to the Isla San Giorgio.
Back to the Hotel Ala for breakfast. Then on the vaporetto along the Grand Canal to the Rialto’s Erbia and Pesceria markets, taking photos on the way – as well as these famous fish and vegetable markets, take in the busy shops and some lunch before returning to the hotel for a rest and discussion about our experiences.
We leave the hotel around mid-late afternoon and travel by vaporetto to Zattere to leave the tourists behind and discover the backwaters of the Dorsoduro district of Venice. Here you will see bars and restaurants where the locals gather and enjoy a drink or meal. Shadows, reflections and everyday street life can be observed.
No project for this evening. However, Christian and Bob are on hand for additional advice.
5th day Sunday 9th October – The Islands
9am leave for the island of Burano, with its lacemaking and array of colourful houses. You will have the run of the place for a couple of hours before we take the vaporetto to Murano for lunch. There are so many good places to eat in Venice we tend not to advice. However, on Murano there is a most attractive garden restaurant – well worth enjoying a simple lunch here. Murano is world-famous for its glass making and a visit to a glass blowing is always interesting for the photographer.
Our return trip on the vaporetto to the Hotel Ala takes only about 15 minutes, so you have the afternoon free with plenty of time to relax or do some last minute sightseeing or shopping before our final get-together for drinks, a presentation of our best shots and then on to an enjoyable last evening dinner.
Last day Monday 10th October
Check out of the Hotel Ala in the morning and transfer by water taxi to Marco Polo airport.
Accommodation
Accommodation will be at the Hotel Ala – an independently owned, superior three star hotel, tastefully decorated in the Venetian style. This attractive family run hotel is located in the very pleasant sestriere (district) of San Marco, just 50 metres from the Grand Canal and less than 10 minutes’ walk from Piazza San Marco.
Your stay is based on a bed and breakfast rate with a group ‘get-to-know you’ buffet dinner on the first evening and a dinner in a nearby restaurant on the last evening (wine included both evenings).
The hotel has more than 80 rooms attractively decorated and furnished in traditional Venetian style, all en-suite, although some rooms will also accommodate people requiring double occupancy (should you wish to include a non-participating partner you will need to book early to avoid disappointment). All rooms have air conditioning, mini bar, telephone, a personal room safe, TV and hairdryer. WiFi and high speed Internet access is available in the lounge area. Venice has a problem with hotel space as there is a very sensible rule that does not allow new developments. As a consequence bedroom space is at a premium and rooms are smaller than those found in other cities – nevertheless you will not find that comfort and facilities are affected in any way.
Prices
The cost per person for the holiday is £1323 GB pounds; $2260 US Dollars and €1860 Euros (exchange rate fluctuations may mean price changes either way) which includes:
- Pre-holiday information pack full of interesting facts not generally known or listed in the popular tourist guides
- Five nights’ bed and breakfast in single/double room the Hotel Ala
- Two dinners – one on the first and last evening including wine
- Seven-day travel pass for the Vaporetto (waterbus)
- Full tuition and advice from the course photographer and organiser throughout the workshop.