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Digital Photography in Italy - Amalfi Coast

Program Number: 19759RJ
Start and End Dates:
9/11/2013 - 9/20/2013; 9/19/2013 - 9/28/2013; 4/5/2014 - 4/14/2014; 9/15/2014 - 9/24/2014;
Duration: 9 nights
Location: Italy
Price starting at: $3,243.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: Photography
Meals: 21; 7 Breakfasts, 6 Brunches, 1 Lunch, 7 Dinners    

Let the city of Salerno and the Amalfi Coast inspire you as you learn the ins and outs of digital photography. Through workshops and first-hand experience in the field, improve your technical and artistic skills — all while exploring the beautiful landscapes and compelling compositions of Italy.




Highlights

• Sail along the Amalfi Coast and enjoy a sunrise photo shoot at Maiori.
• Focus in on the ancient finds of Roman sculptures and civilization during an excursion to Pompeii.
• Marvel in the colorful gardens and hillsides of Ravello as you work on perfecting landscape compositions.



Activity Particulars

Walking approximately two miles per day; some uneven terrain and cobblestone streets. Extended periods of walking and standing for photographic field shoots. You must be able to carry your own photography equipment.



Itinerary Summary

Arrival Naples, coach to Maiori (Salerno), 8 nights; coach to Naples for departure.



Overnight flight from the U.S.A.
1 night
Arrival Maiori (Salerno)
8 nights
Departure

Perfect your digital photography skills during expert-led workshops that offer instruction into the use of different lenses, shutter speeds, technology and photographic techniques, and the use of tripods. With the medieval center of Amalfi as your backdrop, begin working on your landscape compositions and utilizing newly-learned techniques. Capture images of the colorful gardens and hillsides of Ravello, and take photos of the Maiori sunrise following a voyage along the Amalfi Coast. Get an introduction to photography software programs before taking a field trip to Sorrento, where you may photograph the splendid views of the coast and get an excellent perspective on the evening sunset. Search for fresh perspectives in the fishing village of Positano and examine the remains of Roman civilization during an excursion to Pompeii. Get helpful tips for storing your photographs and creating a photo archive, and join your peers in a positive critique of the photos taken during this adventure.




Italy

“Dolce far niente,” the “sweetness of doing nothing.” This ode to leisure is a distinctly Italian phrase, and yet the expression does not do justice to the hard-work ethos of the nation’s inhabitants. The monuments, art and civilization bequeathed to the people of modern Italy are a testament to the industry of their forebears, and the legacy lives on in today’s Italians, who work hard to better enjoy the sweetness of repose.
Accommodations
Four-star hotel on the seafront of Maiori, minutes from the delightful promenade and private beach.

Road Scholar Instructors
These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur.
Alfio Garozzo
Alfio Garozzo is a professional photographer and freelance journalist who resides in Catania, Sicily. His photography focuses on culture, nature, gastronomy, architecture and design around the world. Alfio’s work has appeared in major Italian and international periodical publications as well as photography books and travel guides. You may have seen his photos illustrating numerous programs in Road Scholar catalogs.
 
Meals and Lodgings
   Hotel Pietra di Luna
  Maiori (Salerno), Italy 8 nights
 Hotel Pietra di Luna
Type: Four-Star Hotel
  Description: The Pietra di Luna Hotel and Congress centre is located on the seafront of Maiori, minutes from the delightful promenade and from the private beach. The hotel is both modern and functional and features spacious lounges and panoramic terraces, with central-heating and conditioning, with adjoining congress centres with rooms for between 10 and 400 people.
  Contact info: Amalfi Coast
Lungomare G. Capone 27
Maiori (SA),  84010 Italy
phone: +39 089 877500
web: www.pietradilunahotel.it
  Room amenities: Facilities for our guests are American Bar with snack service, TV room,
  Smoking allowed: No
  Elevators available: Yes
  Additional nights prior: DBLR € 150 B/B, SGLR € 110 B/B Advanced reservation required and depending upon availability.
  Check in time: 3:00 PM
  Additional nights after: DBLR € 150 B/B, SGLR € 110 B/B Advanced reservation required and depending upon availability.
  Check out time: 10:00 AM


Travel Details
  Start of Program:
Start Time: Hotel check in time 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm Program begins at 6:00 pm in the hotel lobby. You will be staying at Hotel Pietra di Luna that night.
  End of Program:
End Time: 6:00 am in the lobby of the hotel. For later departures check out is at 11:00 or 12:00pm You will be staying at Hotel Pietra di Luna the night before.
  Required documents:
The Road Scholar Health & Safety Form is required. Passports are needed; no visa required for US citizens in Italy
  Parking availability:
Parking is free for the lenght of the program at the Hotel
Transportation (For Independent Travelers)
  Train or bus availability: No trains or buses available, only taxis.
To Start of Program
  Location:  Maiori (Salerno)
  Nearest city or town:  Salerno
  Nearest highway: Highway A3
  Nearest airport:  Naples airport
  Transportation to site: There will be a shuttle bus available to participants (with included air from Road Scholar) from the airport to the Hotel. Transfer service from the airport to your Hotel is provided on the day of the group arrival only
  From End of Program
  Location: Maiori (Salerno)
  Transportation from site: There will be a shuttle bus available to participants (with included air from Road Scholar) from the Hotel to the airport. Transfer service from the Hotel to the hotel is provided on the day of the group departure only
    (Additional transportation information same as above)
Equipment Requirements: For both beginning and intermediate participants: 35mm digital camera -- SLR (single lens reflex) preferred. A "point & shoot" with manual settings is O.K. Also required: memory cards or portable external storage device, your camera manual, lens tissue, extra batteries or battery charger. A tripod will help you to obtain sharper pictures and to improve your composition.
The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


Daily Schedule

Day 1: in Flight
(Wednesday, September 11)
   
 In Transit: Overnight in transit

Day 2: Check in / welcome cocktail / orientation meeting
(Thursday, September 12)
   
 Afternoon: Early afternoon, Arrival at Naples Airport Arrival at the Hotel and settling in: Hotel Pietra di Luna. Light snack Orientation meeting/Presentation of the program and the types of photography experiences that participants will have each day. Preparation and suggestions for tomorrow’s shoots. Lecture “Introduction to the Amalfi Coast” Preparation and suggestions for tomorrow’s shoots.
 Dinner: Dinner at the Hotel
   
Accommodations: Hotel Pietra di Luna
Meals Included: Dinner

Day 3: Amalfi
(Friday, September 13)
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel
 Morning: Interactive learning session: the use of different lenses, shutter speeds, technology and photographic techniques, use of tripods, how to control the light Field trip to Amalfi On-site practical working session. Walking through the medieval part of the town to take snapshots of churches, towers and arcade towers Amalfi, lived a period of great splendor thanks to the trades which made Amalfi a cosmopolitan center famous all over the Mediterranean. The evidence can still be seen among the old lanes and rich churches, through the stratifications of the populations which dominated the political scene of the town.
 Brunch: snack at the "Cafe'"
 Afternoon: Practical working session along the promenade of Amalfi Return to the hotel
 Dinner: Dinner at the hotel
 Evening: Get-together to prepare for next day’s field excursion
   
Accommodations: Hotel Pietra di Luna
Meals Included: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner

Day 4: Ravello
(Saturday, September 14)
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel
 Morning: In depth study on the "perfect composition in landscape and architecture photography (posing, lighting, background surrounding) Field trip to Ravello. The road to Ravello winds up the hillside affording beautiful views of the Dragone Valley. Practical working session to capture the seductive and richly colored setting and the contrast between the rusticity of its hilly streets and the delicate perfection of its works of art. Ravello, Poets and writers from all over the world have been subjugated by the atmospheres of a village where the Mediterranean architectures match with the northern mists of an alpine landscape, sweetened by the perfumes and the colors of enchanted gardens. Here everything is excess: from the seemingly wild nature of the gardens which are scanned in their linear geometries of an “ideal town” as a homage to the purest Renaissance, to the architectures.
 Brunch: Snack at the "Cafe'"
 Afternoon: Practical working session: snapshots of Ravello’s gardens and its Norman-Saracenic architecture Return to the Hotel
 Dinner: dinner at the Hotel
 Evening: Get-together to prepare for next day’s field excursion
   
Accommodations: Hotel Pietra di Luna
Meals Included: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner

Day 5: Minicruise along the Amalfi coast and free time
(Sunday, September 15)
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel
 Morning: Minicruise along the Amalfi Coast
 Morning: Early morning: sunrise photo shoots at Maiori
 Brunch: Snack at the "Cafe'".
 Afternoon: Free Time
 Dinner: Dinner on your own
 Evening: Critical review of taken photos.
   
Accommodations: Hotel Pietra di Luna
Meals Included: Breakfast, Brunch

Day 6: Sorrento
(Monday, September 16)
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at the Hotel
 Morning: Interactive learning session: Introduction to the photography software programs: ADOBE Photography- CAMERA RAW-ADOBE LIGHTROOM Field trip to Sorrento On-site practical working session to photograph the splendid views of the coast. Sorrento, has a landscape unique in the world, where low and high hills, deep valleys and majestic mountains alternate. Sorrento has many definitions: kind Sorrento, Sorrento land of colors, Sorrento land of the Mermaids, Sorrento the city of orange and lemon groves, Sorrento the city of Limoncello.
 Brunch: snack at the "Cafe'"
 Afternoon: On-site practical working session: snapshots of ancient Sorrento If you just pause a moment to observe how emotional a sunset can be when you gaze in the direction of Punta del Capo, of Ischia or Procida, the outlines of which can be seen clearly, you will be amazed by the variety of colours and the beauty of the scene. Or look, preferably from the sea, towards the majestic ridge of tuff rock that changes colour at every hour of the day.
 Dinner: Enjoy a real Neapolitan pizza at a local restaurant
 Evening: Night shoots of Sorrento. Return to hotel
   
Accommodations: Hotel Pietra di Luna
Meals Included: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner

Day 7: Positano
(Tuesday, September 17)
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at the Hotel
 Morning: Interactive learning session: In- depth knowledge of digital developer, Automatic storage of photos.
 Brunch: Snack at a local “Café’
 Afternoon: Field trip to Positano. Positano, transgressor and Franciscan, fashionable and popular, hospitable and suspicious. The double face of Positano, with its one thousand contradictions which won the restless artists of the first years of the 20th century. Positano is a little fishers’ village with its lime whitewashed houses clinging to the rock, its East sweet-smelling gardens, its shore illuminated by thousands of fire-fires is a really paradise site not to be missed along the Amalfi Coast. Arrival at Positano Sunset shots Return to hotel
 Dinner: Dinner at the Hotel
   
Accommodations: Hotel Pietra di Luna
Meals Included: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner

Day 8: Pompei
(Wednesday, September 18)
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at the Hotel
 Morning: Review of previous days photos and review of techniques /composition Panoramic photos, use of filters with ADOBE Light room Field trip to Pompei. Pompei is one of the most significant proofs of Roman civilization and, like an open book, provides outstanding info on the art, custom, trades and everyday life of the past. There is a remarkable record of Roman sculptures, theaters, temples, painting of which without the finds made virtually nothing would be known. Snapshots of the excavations venue, considered one of the most fascinating archeological site in the world, to capture the contrasting beauty of white stones against a background of azure sky.
 Lunch: Snack at a Café’
 Afternoon: On-site practical working session. Return to hotel
 Dinner: Dinner at the Hotel
 Evening: Get-together to prepare for next day’s field excursion.
   
Accommodations: Hotel Pietra di Luna
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: final reviewing of important outcomes and achievements.
(Thursday, September 19)
   
 Breakfast: Breakfast at the Hotel
 Morning: Selection and archiving of photos of each single participant
 Brunch: Snack at the "Cafe'"
 Afternoon: In-depth monitoring of each participant's work: final reviewing of important outcomes and achievements.
 Dinner: Farewell dinner at the local restaurant in Maiori
   
Accommodations: Hotel Pietra di Luna
Meals Included: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner

Day 10:
(Friday, September 20)
   
 Depart From: Morning departures based on flight schedule time
Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

Suggested Reading List


Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers Using Photoshop (Voices That Matter)


Author: Scott Kelby


Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Boxed Set, Volumes 1, 2, and 3 [Paperback]


Author: Scott Kelby


The Adobe Photoshop CS5 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)


Author: Scott Kelby


The Wonders of the Amalfi Coast: And Capri, Ischia, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento (Italian Regions)


Author: Paolo Rubino




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