DAY 1 — OBSERVATION & INTENTION
Seeing before photographing
Morning 10 am - San Servolo | Learning to Notice
The workshop begins with a short introduction to each participant’s experience, photographic interests and expectations.
A guided shooting session then focuses on the fundamentals of visual observation: backgrounds, frame edges, light, gesture and camera position.
Participants work through practical exercises, including photographing the same small scene from several positions and observing how an image changes as people, light and movement enter the frame.
The aim is to slow down the act of photographing and become more conscious of what is included — and excluded — from an image.
Afternoon | Finding a Direction
The first image review identifies what is already working and where visual attention is being lost.
Participants begin defining a provisional theme they can realistically explore over the following days. This might emerge from daily routines, movement, relationships between people and the city, architecture, water or another recurring visual idea.
A second shooting session allows participants to immediately apply the feedback received during the review.
Daily outcome: an initial selection of images and a clear, manageable direction for a personal photographic story.
DAY 2 — PEOPLE, PLACE & RELATIONSHIPS
Building meaning within the frame
Morning 9 am | Photographing Human Presence
The second day focuses on how people move through, use and inhabit the city.
Fieldwork explores anticipation, gesture, subject separation, layering and the relationship between a person and their surroundings.
The group also discusses the human and ethical dimension of street photography: how to approach people, how to respond to refusal, how to recognise discomfort, and when lowering the camera is the right decision.
Portraiture can also be explored when a willing subject and the right situation arise.
Afternoon | Developing the Theme
Participants continue photographing their chosen themes with individual guidance.
The review session considers whether the images are beginning to communicate a clear idea and whether context, action and detail support one another.
Camera settings, focusing choices and technical decisions are discussed in relation to situations actually encountered during the day.
Daily outcome: a developing body of work connecting people, place and the participant’s chosen theme.
DAY 3 — DEVELOPING THE STORY
From individual images to a sequence
Morning 9 am | Looking for What Is Missing
After a short planning session, participants return to the city with a more specific objective.
Some may revisit a place, while others may explore a new area where their project needs further development.
The focus shifts towards recognising what is missing from the story, varying distance and viewpoint, and avoiding repetition of the same type of image.
Participants work more independently while Marco provides individual guidance throughout the session.
Afternoon | The First Edit
A structured editing session brings together the work created so far.
Participants begin testing a first sequence, considering opening images, visual connections, repetition, rhythm, pacing and possible endings.
Where practical, a further shooting session allows participants to address specific gaps identified during the edit.
Colour and black and white are considered in relation to the work itself, rather than as an automatic stylistic choice.
Daily outcome: a provisional sequence and a clear understanding of what the project still needs.
DAY 4 — SELECTION, SEQUENCE & PRESENTATION
Bringing the story together
Morning 9 am | Final Shooting Session
The final day begins with a focused shooting session designed to complete the sequence or strengthen an element that is still missing.
Participants return to the city with a precise objective rather than simply looking for additional images.
The remainder of the morning is dedicated to final selection and restrained image processing, including exposure, cropping, tonal consistency and export.
Afternoon til 4 pm | Final Edit & Presentation
Each participant prepares a final sequence of six to eight photographs and a short statement introducing the theme of their work.
The workshop concludes with a group presentation and individual feedback on both the photographs and their order.
Discussion also focuses on how each participant could continue developing the project after leaving Venice.
Daily outcome: a final digital sequence, a short project statement and individual feedback.
