Photography with Lester in the Cinque Terre
Lester Lefkowitz is a New York-based professional photographer who has photographed in all fifty states, twenty countries, Antarctica and Puerto Rico. He has provided images to many Fortune-500 companies and most major publications, from National Geographic to Time Magazine to The New York Times.
Lester is the author of numerous books and articles on photography, and has been a consultant to both Kodak and Polaroid. He has taught workshops and lectured at many arts, educational and professional institutions, and is a very popular teacher at The International Center of Photography (ICP). From introductory classes to advanced lighting, from basic Photoshop to close-up photography, Lester has been an enthusiastic instructor to hundreds of students.
Lester was an early adopter of digital photography, but is still pleased to assist film photographers based on his years of experience with that lovely (old) medium. His knowledge of state-of-the-art digital imaging is extensive, working with both Macs and PCs, numerous digital cameras, and with a long list of software, including Photoshop, Lightroom, and Mac Photo.
Lester is a major producer of stock photography; creating images for the largest stock photo agencies in the world. His subject matter ranges from landscapes to cityscapes, flowers to lasers, architecture to surgery.
Photograph grand vistas and charming villages for a week.
Combine the sights, stimulations, food and wine of the Cinque Terre with an opportunity to broaden and hone your photographic skills and vision. Totally immerse yourself in this adventure for a solid week with sights that are a feast to the eye, then translate those experiences into compelling photographs with the assistance of an energetic, vastly experienced and wonderfully engaging instructor – Lester Lefkowitz.
Picture yourself here!
About the Workshop:
The emphasis will be on photography. We’ll walk, ride the trains and sail in boats to capture the best image, scouted in advance by Lester. Every stop affords a chance to taste the pesto, sip a cappuccino or enjoy the local wine while we hunt for our personal photo images. Lester will also show you how to make panoramas of the amazing vistas.
The goals:
- to have a wonderful experience
- to improve your visual and technical mastery of the film or digital medium, regardless of your current level, and
- to create memorable images.
Because of the small group size, and opportunity (but not necessity) to interact with the instructor and each other for up to sixteen hours a day, each person will get a good deal of personal attention.
The colors of Monterosso
Daily excursions will allow abundant time for photography at visually and intellectually stimulating venues. On some mornings (and after dinner if you wish), there will be presentations by Lester as well as one-on-one attention to your personal photographic interests and needs. Digital photography, of course, provides the tremendous opportunity for immediate feedback, critique and sharing, greatly facilitating the learning process. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring a digital camera or iPhone/iPad and a laptop computer.
As appropriate, Lester will offer instruction in all aspects of Photoshop, Lightroom, and Mac Photo for editing, organizing, and image enhancement. If you are familiar with some other software, you are, of course, welcome to use that.
[NOTE: there are only 7 guest rooms, so register early!]
Rio Maggiore, photo by Robert Leedy
A private coach will pick us up at the train station in Florence and transfer us north to the seaside region of the Cinque Terre. This area is always buzzing with tourists, but we’ll stay out of the fray at a family-run hotel (reserved exclusively for us) on the cliffs above the main town of Monterosso.
There are 5 towns in the area ready for us to explore. Each village has its own character, from the dramatic tumble into the sea of Manarola to the cavernous port studded with private fishing boats of Rio Maggiore. Getting to each town is easy with the quick trains, or we might choose to travel by boat or even – for the intrepid – trek the trails over the cliffs from one town to the next (absolutely NOT required!)
Our personal escort and guide will coordinate various excursions into the other towns so we get a good taste of the charm of the area: the scenic harbor of Vernazza on market day, cafe Nessun’ Dorma perched on a cliff above Manarola, cappuccino with vistas in the hanging cafe in Rio Maggiore and a boat ride to explore all the towns from the sea.
Additional Activities: Our daily photography class will be combined with other adventures such as:
- train pass to visit other towns (Vernazza, Riomaggiore, Manarola and Corniglia)
- boat trip to photograph from the sea
- free shuttle service from the hotel to the main town of Monterosso
- optional bring your swim suit and jump into the blue Mediterranean!
- pick up/return to Florence
View from our hotel, photo by Robert Leedy
The Cinque Terre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. “The Five Lands” comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach them from the outside. For more about the Cinque Terre, the Lonely Planet gives a nice description with photos: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/cinque-terre
The area is famous for its seafood, photo by Robert Leedy
The Food – We will have 5 dinners organized together at local trattorie in Monterosso-al-Mare or prepared for us at home. We’ll sample the pastas, seafood and specialties of each area. Local wine is included with all dinners. Lunches and 2 dinners will be independent for you to explore the local cuisine on your own.
Given its location on the Mediterranean, seafood is plentiful in the local cuisine. Anchovies of Monterosso are a local specialty designated with a Protected Designation of Origin status from the European Union. The mountainsides of the Cinque Terre are heavily terraced and are used to cultivate grapes and olives. This area, and the region of Liguria, as a whole, is known for pesto — a sauce made from basil leaves, garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts and pecorino cheese. Focaccia is a particularly common locally baked bread product. Farinata is also a typical snack found in bakeries and pizzerias — essentially it is a savoury and crunchy pancake made from a base of chick-pea flour.
Our terrace at La Cabana
Price: $3,495 p/p based on double occupancy; $3,195 for non-photographers
Optional Supplements:
- $475 for single room
- $275 p/p for shared suite with Jacuzzi and terrace
Includes:
- Shared double room in Hotel La Cabana in Monterosso (singles or suite with terrace and jacuzzi available for a supplement)
- Daily traditional breakfast
- 5 dinners with wine
- Daily photo shoots and classes with Lester
- Train passes for exploring other towns
- One boat trip on the Mediterranean
- Transfers from and return to Florence
Does Not Include:
- Airfare
- Lunch
- Independent meals and additional sight-seeing
To Register: just click on the Sign Up Now button. A non-refundable deposit of $775 is required to secure your spot in the workshop. Payment can be made on line with a credit card, or you can follow the instructions to send in your registration and payment by mail. Once we receive your deposit we will send you a formal Registration Confirmation with further information about the program. You will receive 2-3 other correspondences by email prior to the workshop with information about Italy, a supplies list and an electronic invoice for the balance. Final Balance is due by August 15th. Any time prior to your arrival, if you have questions about anything regarding the trip or the program, you can contact us by email or phone and we’ll be happy to assist you.
Contact us for more information: info@ilchiostro.com or speak to us live at 800-990-3506.
Our small hotel La Cabana sits on a small hill that divides the historic center of Monterosso from the new part, Fegina. It is a typical Ligurian farmhouse that has belonged to one family for generations. The vines and the olive trees that they have cultivated form the backdrop to the rooms that have been recently refurbished with the utmost respect for the environment and the traditions of the Cinque Terre, but without forgetting modern comforts.
The 9 rooms are furnished with antiques, parquet floors, curtains, and finishes intended to frame the unparalleled panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea. It is an oasis of relaxation completely surrounded by greenery and silence with wonderful vistas and gardens to paint. Our group will take over the entire hotel for the week.
To get down to Monterosso you can take advantage of their free shuttle service or, if you are up for it, walking down is not difficult and takes less than ten minutes. It’s a nice walk down that offers beautiful panoramic views. On the descent, you will pass the ancient 11th century castle (today houses the cemetery of the village) and wind through olive trees until you reach the historical center of town. Coming back up, the shuttle might be a good idea!
For more information, visit their web site: http://www.lacabanacinqueterre.com/en/index.php
Breakfast room
Reception
Entrance to La Cabana
Garden overlooking the town
The terrace
View from the terrace
La Cabana shuttle
The Cinque Terre are in the section of Italy known as Liguria on the western coast. The main city of Liguria is Genova. These 5 towns were traditional fishing villages, cut off from the mainland by a steep range of mountains. For centuries they were only accessible by the sea.
For our program, we will meet the group in Florence on the first day. From there a private bus will take the group to our hotel in Monterosso-al-Mare.
To visit the town from our hotel there is a regular shuttle bus. The towns are small with narrow roads, so the shuttle will leave us off in the newer section, then we will walk through a short tunnel to the historic center of town where most of the shops and restaurants are located.
To go between towns (Vernazza, Manarola, Corniglia or Rio Maggiore) there are local trains connecting all of them.
5 Terre fishing boat, photo by Andy Holtzman
The Cinque Terre – is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. “The Five Lands” comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach them from the outside.
For more about the Cinque Terre, the Lonely Planet gives a nice description with photos: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/cinque-terre
The Food: Given its location on the Mediterranean, seafood is plentiful in the local cuisine. Anchovies of Monterosso are a local specialty designated with a Protected Designation of Origin status from the European Union. The mountainsides of the Cinque Terre are heavily terraced and are used to cultivate grapes and olives. This area, and the region of Liguria, as a whole, is known for pesto — a sauce made from basil leaves, garlic, salt, olive oil, pine nuts and pecorino cheese. Focaccia is a particularly common locally baked bread product. Farinata is also a typical snack found in bakeries and pizzerias — essentially it is a savoury and crunchy pancake made from a base of chick-pea flour. Epic porcini mushrooms are presented in a wooden box for you to chose for grilling with olive oil and garlic.
