Join me for a week in Venice during Carnival… it will be AMAZE-MAZE!

Beautiful Venice, Crazy Carnival, Masquerade Masks, Exclusive Parties, Hidden Surprises and, of course, TONS of Photography!

Every year I personally take a small group of people to an exotic location for a Photo Adventure… Namibia, Paris, Tokyo, London, New Zealand and now Venice. No doubt this one will be amazing, wild, and full of surprises as the others! I custom-design these trips to exceed everyone’s expectations and I believe so far we have! My idea of “roughing it” is slow room service, so we stay in luxurious accommodations, we eat amazing food, we drink fine wine, we gain access to exclusive places, and we laugh incessantly. I want these adventures to broaden you personally and creatively. Your only regret will be if you miss out!

A Week with me in Venice!

We’re extra excited for this adventure because not only is it in Venice, but it is during Carnival! They call it the Most Beautiful Carnival in the World and I’m not going to argue with the Italians! The adventure will be February 4 – 10, 2016. We’ll be staying at the epic Hotel L’Orologio located in a historic building in Riva de l’Ogio, in the San Polo district. I’ve stayed here before and it is absolutely beautiful. This is a beautifully designed hotel with deep reds and blacks and beautiful and crazy clocks all over the place (Orologio is Italian for clock). The staff there is extremely nice and accommodating. We’ll all make sure that all your needs are met!

The city will be full of people from around the world in beautifully intricate costumes and masks. We’ll take on the challenge of capturing the epic landscapes coupled with all of the interesting people and events of Carnival.

Carnevale di Venezia

The Carnival of Venice began as early as the 12th century but became official during the Renaissance. It grew in popularity during the the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries where it encouraged free thinking and pleasure, but it was also used to protect Venetians against the anguish of the present time. It was forbidden by the King of Austria in 1797 until about 35 years ago with the full support of the Italian government. It is now widely considered the Most Beautiful Carnival in the World!

Photography Instruction

Trey Ratcliff (that’s me speaking in the 3rd person) will be leading the workshop and we’ll generally focus on HDR photography with a variety of landscapes, architecture, people, street, and night scenes. However, we’re also going to mix some models into the shots! We’re bringing along my friend Renee Robyn, an awesomely talented photographer that specializes in Portraiture and compositing. I don’t take photos of many models, and she doesn’t do many landscapes, so this will be a wonderful meeting of the minds. If you’re with us, you’ll truly have full access to everything in our minds; all our techniques, tricks, inspiration, and more.

Each day will begin just before dawn for a sunrise shoot at an interesting location. I know Venice very well and have been there for about a month, so I have all sorts of secret spots. We’ll return to the hotel for a late breakfast and spend the afternoon learning post-processing techniques using the photos we captured earlier. There is a lot of personalized instruction too, as I will walk around and sit with you individually to make sure you are understanding all the techniques and help get your photography to the next level (or more!) We’ll head back out to shoot the sunset and then head to dinner. And then you’re officially invited to the nonstop Venice Afterparty with me! You won’t get a lot of rest, but you’ll have a ton of photos, amazing times, and create the sorts of amazing memories that you need.

I have everything planned out to make sure we maximize photo-efficiency! I don’t muck about on these trips, and I try to have maximum photo and post-processing workflow efficiency. We’ll do everything from take custom motoscafis out for sunset along the grand canal, float about in gondolas to see the tiny canals that are much too small for the larger boats, visit the most famous squares in Venice, snake along secret roads and discover photo locations that no one else knows about, take breaks from eating fabulous meals to grab cheeky photos here and there, and more! I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about going back!

About Renee Robyn

I’m so excited to have the great Renee Robyn join us in Venice! I don’t even have to tell you how much I love her art. You can look for yourself. To me, she is right on this beautiful veil between what is real and what is fantasy, and I think this is where the truth vibrates.

As a special guest, Renee will be sharing her secrets for creating these epic shots. I’ll be on tenterhooks! This will be the perfect combination for the Carnival of Venice. You can see a few samples of Renee’s amazing art below or visit her website, ReneeRobynPhotography.com.

The Hotel L’Orologio

You will each enjoy a beautiful private room at the Hotel L’Orologio . A cool trendy hotel entirely dedicated to the world of haute horlogerie or fine watchmaking. It is consistently listed among the top luxury hotels in the world by Condé Naste, TripAdvisor and others. It’s beautiful inside, has amazing breakfasts, a full service bar (which you are welcome to use any time, especially during photo instruction), and is strategically placed RIGHT in the middle of Venice, just two minutes from the famous Rialto bridge.

 

Venice Photo Adventure is February 4 – 10, 2016

A full week with Trey, Renee & new friends in Venice!

This is a 7 day / 6 night all-inclusive experience. You simply need to get yourself to Venice, Italy on or before the morning of Thursday, February 4. We will arrange for your transportation to the hotel. All of the hotel, transportation, food, drinks, parties, hands-on photography instruction and more is included. You won’t have to worry about anything… we want you to relax, refresh and enjoy every minute of this adventure. Our time together ends on Wednesday, Feb 10th with one last photoshoot and wonderful brunch. You can then head back home or extend your stay a little longer. We have an amazing travel agent that knows Italy inside and out named Deb Miller; she can assist you with airfare, accommodations, and activities should you decide to arrive early or stay on longer. Why not use this as a starting point for an extended trip across Italy? Deb can help you book trains to Tuscany, Florence, and well beyond.

We often are asked for a day by day, hour by hour, itinerary for a trip like this. Here’s my philosophy on this. Don’t worry; let me take care of you. In the “real world” you have to keep track of what is coming up next, how to get from place to place, what to bring, etc. Well this is not the real world; it’s the real fantasy world! Curtis (my right hand-man) and I will let you know what is coming up next… if you need a warm coat or scarf, what kind of cameras and lenses to bring, etc. We really want you to live in the moment and be present with us… Personally, I believe that the more in-the-moment you are, the better you can create art and be one with everything that is happening around you.

Trey’s Shots from his recent trip to Venice

 

A look at Renee’s Beautiful and Surreal Art