VENICE IN WINTER

Venice is a city unlike any other in the world. Historically, architecturally, romantically – whichever perspective you approach it from, words fail to describe its utter, utter beauty, and I’ve yet to meet anyone who has been there and not fallen under its magic spell.

Venice’s biggest attraction is that it has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years – stand on the Rialto Bridge or Accademia Bridge and the scenes you witness look pretty much today as they did when the likes of Canaletto and Bellini were committing them to canvas in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Oh, and there’s the small fact that the whole city is built on water; the Grand Canal its main highway and its streets a labyrinth of narrow canals. You don’t see cars in Venice – only boats, the most famous being the elegant gondolas that glide quietely along under the expert guidance of gondoliers in stripy jumpers and straw hats!

The primary focus of this workshop is to create fine art image in both colour and black & white. If the weather is cloudy or misty we’ll reach for our extreme ND filters and shoot moody long exposure images. If the sun's shining, we’ll capture rustic details and and revealing cameos. We will also be heading out before sunrise each day and staying our until after sunset, to capture dawn, dusk and the magical ‘Blue Hour’ when Venice comes to life under the colourful glow of manmade illumination. As well as shooting iconic scenes and subjects, we'll also be exploring more off-the-beaten-track locations including the beautiful island of Burano, so you come away with unique images as well as classic ones.

During our stay we’ll be based in the small but cosy Hotel Ala, perfectly located just moments away from St Mark's Square and the Grand Canal, though we will also make use of the city's excellent Vaparetto (water bus) service to get around. Included in the trip cost is a pass that allows unlimited travel on public transport for the duration of the workshop - as well as group transfers from and back to the airport in true James Bond style in a private water taxi!

Winter is a perfect time to visit and photograph Venice. There are fewer tourists for a start, and the light can be truly wonderful, with fog often rolling across the lagoon at dawn, shrouding the city in a mysterious cloak. Days are also relatively short, so we can shoot from before sunrise until after sunset. We may also venture out after dark, to capture a quieter, deserted Venice under the night sky.

Check out my Venice portfolio to get a better idea of the photo opportunities this workshop will offer.

• At A Glance...

• Deposit / Price

  £200.00 / £1,595.00

  Sharing Discount - £250.00

• Date

  10th - 14th December, 2026

• Included

  4 night's accommodation in double en-suite room for single use with breakfast at Hotel Ala (https://www.hotelala.it), aiport transfers on a group basis, vaparetto pass during the workshop, tuition from Lee Frost

• Excluded

  Flights to/from Venice, lunches and dinners, drinks, items of a personal nature, insurance

• Fitness Level

  Moderate

• Location

  Venice, Italy

• Max Group Size

  8