Explore Tuscany with Joe McNally and Tamara Lackey, two highly-acclaimed photographers and teachers who together provide a wonderful complement and unmatched range in their photographic toolkits. A relaxing week of great food, wine and of course, picture-making! Tamara has taught at Villa Pozzolo before and is excited for a return visit to this extraordinary artist’s retreat and a wonderfully traditional villa. Spending the week in this Tuscan villa is like stepping back in time.
We’ll begin the workshop first in the amazing city of Florence and enjoy a wide variety of street photography and getting up to speed on camera skills. We’ll move into Villa Pozzolo where we have the entire property to ourselves - stunning landscapes and over 100 acres of vineyards. Photographs are everywhere - a veritable photographer’s playground. The week will include lighting and portrait demonstrations, a private excursion to San Gimignano, workflow and post-processing sessions, in addition to one-on-one sessions with Joe and Tamara. All accommodations, excursions, transportation during the workshop, meals and unlimited access to an incredible wine cellar at Villa Pozzolo will be included in the workshop price for participants and companions.
Tamara and Joe are revered throughout the photography industry not only for the ongoing significance and humanity of their work, but also for their relentless passion for the pursuit of a picture. When they teach, they don’t simply “lead” a workshop. They are deeply involved in the joy and success of the entire group. They teach from the heart, and they offer lessons that revolve around not only the mechanics of better picture making but are also mindful of capturing emotion, beauty and sharing the storytelling power of pictures.
Tamara’s focus on expressiveness and authenticity - whether it is with children, animals, landscape, color, even creative post-processing - is widely recognized throughout the industry. She also cares deeply about her non-profit work and seeks to inspire others to recognize the impact that photography can have on affecting real change. Joe’s knowledge of shaping any manner of light is truly legendary. He is cited in (and outside of) the industry as The Real Deal (hence the title of his recent book) because he is a rarity: A lifelong, working photographer with photographs that are just as striking as the stories he shares - not just his captivating tales of uncommon adventure but also his truly fascinating accounts of just how far he goes to get the shot. Joe’s knowledge of light, both natural and artificial, is legendary, and he is one of the most impactful photographers of our time.
Acclaimed, award-winning photographer Joe McNally is known worldwide as the quintessential “pro’s pro;” an extremely versatile, deeply experienced assignment photographer whose jobs have brought him to over 70 countries and counting. McNally is often described as: Authentic, empathetic and articulate, an exceptionally skilled technical photographer who pairs extraordinary camera know-how with a vivid imagination and an ongoing, vibrant creativity.
Always curious, always adapting to the conditions at hand and the relentless advances in camera technology, he has photographed FIVE cover stories for the National Geographic (amongst an overall FIFTEEN coverages), and SEVEN covers of LIFE Magazine. He photographed the very first all-digital coverage for National Geographic, which was considered such a significant, watershed moment in the history of that venerable publication that the entire coverage has been incorporated into the archives of the U.S Library of Congress. In addition to inspiring editorial work, McNally has covered FOUR Olympics (with number FIVE looming in Paris in 2024) for such diverse clients as ABC Television, Sports Illustrated and TIME magazine. McNally is known for his penchant to get his camera in “a different place” and has twice climbed the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, in addition to climbing the Empire State Building four times.
He is that rare photographer who has successfully made the bridge between the commercial world and the editorial world, and is highly regarded by clients for his versatility, and willingness to be a team player. Joe McNally, a proud Nikon Ambassador, has an extraordinary ability to photograph simple assignments with intimacy and grace, as well as master movie-scale productions with large crews, tremendous pressure and countless moving parts.
Tamara Lackey is a renowned professional photographer, Nikon USA Ambassador, author and show host. She speaks at a wide range of programs and conventions on the power of photography, presenting at Google, Disney, CES, Photo Plus Expo, Harvard Law School and more. She has shot a series of commercial photography campaigns for Nikon and was also selected to present her work on stage as part of the Nikon Global Launch Event in Tokyo, helping to introduce a new line of ground-breaking mirrorless camera systems.
Tamara has co-produced and hosted multiple live broadcasts for creativeLIVE and other livecast media, and she hosted her popular web series, The reDefine Show, for seven years. Her newest TV show, Chasing Frames with Tamara Lackey, focuses on capturing experiences and adventures through photography and is broadcast on PBS North Carolina and on PBS.org.
Tamara leads photography adventure workshops around the world and is the author of nine books, Her latest is The Posing Playbook. In addition to being a Nikon Ambassador, Tamara also has the distinction of being recognized as a Legend of Light by Profoto, an ON1 Guru and she is also part of the Think Tank Pro Team.
Tamara is the Executive Director of Beautiful Together, a non-profit she co-founded in 2014 that is focused on a mission she cares about deeply: connecting animals in need of refuge with children living in underserved communities. Beautiful Together is currently building out 83 acres of property in Chapel Hill, North Carolina to house an animal sanctuary and host local youth programs, while still continuing ongoing work in Ethiopia, as well.
I am proud to be a Nikon Ambassador, and I have been since 2015.
I am always happy to answer questions about my favorite gear or preferred techniques.
I am also a big fan of ON1 Photo Raw 2023 editing software. You can see why it's a natural part of my workflow on my Photography Favorites page. If you aren't familiar with ON1, they have a free trial and you can purchase it at 30% off by using Promo Code "Tamara" (this is an affiliate link).
