A place approached by boat seems – at least from a far – to have a purity, an innocence, and a mystique as the colors and lines blend into soft gentle hints of what will await the traveler when they step ashore. As the boat draws closer and the details become more distinct so the place seems to mature, to grow up and to come to life.

San Fruttuoso is such a place. A tiny beachfront abbey set on a small shingle beach at the far end of a tiny cove just a short 45-minute boat ride around the headland from Camogli.

Originally a monastic community that provided shelter from both the weather and the distractions of secular life it is now a different sort of haven. Boatloads of tourists arrive every few hours, firing their requests for cappuccino or gelato in short staccato bursts that punctuate the solitude of the Abbey and its community.

We had caught the first boat out, and our only companions seemed to be a couple of people that worked at San Fruttuoso and the provisions that were needed to serve the insatiable appetites of that day’s visitors. As a result we had the beach and the abbey to ourselves for nearly 3 hours, allowing us to imagine more easily how life must have been for the monks in former years, but also providing us with unfettered access to the daily preparations that were going on.

Small rowing boats with vibrant colors or weathered wood provided ample opportunity for abstract composition based on form and color. Fishermen cleaning the first catch of the day, or the lady leaning out of an upstairs window hauling the provisions up in a basket into the kitchen a couple of floors above the beach, enabled us to capture more evocative images of this special place.

A couple of the people working there were, once engaged in conversation, happy to pose for some environmental portraits, although for the first time on this trip we also came across someone who language was as colorful as the paintwork on the boat, but whose manner and threats made it very evident that we were, in their opinion, unwelcome guests.

This was both strange and sad. As a group we have been incredibly respectful. Always engaging people in conversation or asking their permission before raising a camera and lens. It saddened me that for a tiny community whose very survival is built on tourism, one of their behaviour should verge on violence and threats and by its nature undermine the security of its future.

Our afternoon critique provided us all again with food for thought. David and Jeffrey‘s insightful comments again challenging us with how or why an image could be different. These sessions are always objective and always helpful. The “wisdom of the crowds” – in this case our group are so insightful and so helpful that little by little each of us is building a “muscle memory” of sketches, techniques and guidelines that can only help us to produce more compelling images.

The talent in the group is both prodigious and inspiring. Many like me have been shooting for just over 18 months or so, yet their awareness of their surroundings, their sense of composition, their own style, and their thirst for improvement have made me realize how much there is still for me to learn.

It is always invidious to single out people, especially in this group where there is so much talent. I am constantly impressed by what Claudio Bussandri sees differently from many of us and translates into powerful images or the lines, patterns and light that Anna Velkey-Solvberg uses in her images – especially as she is doing most of this on a Small Canon G-11, or Stuart Sipahgil’s abiity to catch a moment.

However since I am not a teacher and this is my blog, I am going to mention one person in particular! Remember the name Eli Reinholdtsen. I can guarantee you will be hearing a lot more from her in the coming months, not least of which I suspect will be a collaboration with David on an eBook. I won’t steal his thunder on this blog, but Eli is someone that we have all come to admire and love being around. Her enthusiasm, creative eye, passion for reflections and willingness to share, together with her warmth, humour and humanity mark her out as a special person. And her images are jaw droppingly – irritatingly! – good.

The evening was spent back working the small harbour of Camogli. I had wanted to go back with David duChemin and Jeffrey Fielding to work the fishermen landing their catch. Although I had some nice images from yesterday that I would normally be happy with, I am learning on this workshop the need to really stay and work an image more. I need to continue to experiment with the shutter speed – to drag or blur the motion in the image to create some dynamics or to use reflections or shadow to suggest more in the picture than a standard shot would imply. In this case I wanted to complete a mini story, so I needed a couple more portraits and a better set of three linked images that would allow me to create the complete set of images I require.

Unfortunately, although they expected their colleagues to arrive laden with sea bream for the local restaurants hotels and markets, clearly the fish weren’t biting today. No fish arrived and so we went off to explore some different angles, and compositions. An accordion player who seem to enjoy torturing us each evening, announced his arrival with a bizarre rendition of a cockney rhyming slang song straight out of My Fair Lady, but we punished him by swamping him with lenses, photographers and attention. He soon got the message. David has captured a magical image of him and posted this on his blog, here.

The sunset yielded a couple of good silhouettes and soon the sky settled down to a deep azure blue, which provided the perfect backdrop for some more creative images. As we sat sipping a Negroni or two overlooking Camogli, the ever entertaining Eli Reinholdtsen, resplendent in a orange blouse, danced around the chairs to create an ethereal impression of a yellow butterfly flapping its wings – images that are now ingrained in both local folklore and this blog!

Tomorrow is the last day for many. We will visit Portofino and Santa Margherita, before a lucky few of us join David and Jeffrey as we move onto Venice for a few days.

Vision Mongers

VisionMongers is the Second of David DuChemin’s books. The first, “Within the Frame” – has quickly become one of the best ever selling photographic book on “Why” to take photographs, and deservedly has raised David’s profile, reputation and following globally hugely.

David’s passion is not the “how to ” photograph something, but the “why to”. He challenges us with questions such as “What is our motivation for perfecting our craft?” and “What motivates us to continue to take great photos”? – is it money, personal satisfaction, reputation? What is is that you have that is unique to you that changes how you look at things through the lens. My experience, my specialties, will be different and therefore my motivation, my angle and my unique opportunities will be different, which will result in a different photographic style.

With VisionMongers, David provides a sketchbook of essential ideas and wisdom for people making the difficult transition to vocational photographer, whether  – in David’s own words -

“that’s full time, part time, or just wanting to get your feet wet with weekend gigs to pay for your habit, and it’s an infusion of fresh ideas for photographers who’ve been doing this a while and need to tweak their business and marketing practices.”

Even if you are never intending to turn pro, this is still the book for you. It is so readable, so packed with ideas, suggestions and insights that reading it inspires you to go out, develop an angle, perfect your craft and celebrate that your style is different from others. It makes you a better photographer – and I am not talking technique here – and it makes you think about your photographic journey and where you want to take that.

Reading the excerpt chapter – available here - you get a sense of how impactful this book will be. It’s not a system, and it’s not a step by step guide to riches, but it is a book that encourages you, helps you and inspires you to “listen to that persistent voice in your head that tells you that you’ve got to follow this dream.”

You can pre-order the book through my store, or you can head over to peachpit press and do the same there. Whatever you choose, go buy the book – it will help you really assess why you take the photos you do, and will help you find that focus (pun intended) to create your own success and reward.

Ten More - David DuChemin

In true David fashion he combines his extraordinary ability to communicate his passion and his ideas in a manner that engages and encourages, without preaching or patronage. He includes a series of exercises that are creative steps to help improve your photography as well as ways to keep your creative edge sharp.

As Matt Brandon in his blog says: “The bonus is all this is done with a back drop of David’s stunning images! It is a 35 page ebook that is a steal for only $5. Well worth the money to help you break your creative block or push you to a new level in your photographic skills. Buy yours today HERE.

Italy within the Frame

David’s book – With the Frame (available in the eStore) – is one of the most engaging reads around photography, exploring the “Why” rather than the “How” of taking great pictures. It brings all of David’s experience as a humanitarian photographer, and all his wisdom as a traveling pro and provides an intoxicating mix of ideas, suggestions and challenges that inspire you to get out and rethink why you are taking pictures. Magical.
Jeffrey Chapman is an incredibly accomplished Humanitarian and travel photographer, now living in the US, but with a wealth of experience in over six continents. His images are magical. Simple yet complex. You can see more of them at his website, www.jeffreychapman.com.

I am very excited about the prospct of 10 days in David and Jeffrey’s company. As well as some compelling images I am really looking forward to just chilling with 2 world renowned photographers and hearing some of their tales.