Buon giorno!
When Kenny Kim announced that he was having a workshop in Italy I was thrilled! But then I realized I had a wedding and would be unable to attend. Lo and behold, the dates for the workshop changed and it was now possible to make this trip. A workshop? No, not really. More like an experience of a lifetime. Kenny teamed up with native Italian Max Brunelli to guide us through the beautiful regions of Umbria & Tuscany. We visited 28 locations which included Spoleto, Spello, Assisi, Siena, Cortona, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano (which I had the most trouble saying), Norcia and much more.
The 9 day experience is locked in my mind and soul forever and the over 3,500 photos taken will help me to remember and share the beauty of Italy. Not only did I have to take pictures of EVERYTHING, including my morning cup of cappuccino, but touching and smelling was a must as well. I was the only one in the group running from the camera as I had a skin treatment prior to leaving and still had very puffy eyes. Oh the silly things girls do! My only regret was not learning key Italian phrases so that I could communicate well with locals. Max was so very helpful in helping out with my sentences and even had me go up to a cash register, tell the cashier what I had to eat and what I wanted to buy, all in Italian. Thank goodness he was next to me mouthing the words the whole time! haha. Next visit, I will have learned much more and will do the order all by myself 🙂
Kenny Kim, an amazing wedding photographer based in Chicago, travels the world capturing beautiful weddings and the beauty of everyday life. As Kenny said, “this was so much more than a workshop” and even coined the name Photoventure while we were walking down one of the many cobblestone streets. The idea was to see Italy in a way that only could be experienced with Max Brunelli, but to learn from each other as photographers by sharing ideas, goals and creativity, as well as having an amazing photo shoot. The photo shoot truly pushed me as a photographer because the models didn’t speak English and it was starting to rain just as we arrived. So, I tied my hair up in a pony tail, put on my rain jacket and managed to communicate through body language and a few key words. While I was showing one of the models how I wanted her to stand up against a door, the resident of that home opened the door and we scared each other as I fell inside! Well, it turns out that he invited us into his beautiful home to take more photos!!! Seriously, this day will always be a part of my memory. The models were beautiful, fun and dealt with my silly ways of attempting to speak some Italian.
The last night in Italy was spent at Max’s home with his lovely wife Cristiana and son Federico. Perfect.
I am posting the photos from the bride & groom shoot in Labro, and will be posting other photos as I get them ready.
More to come! Thank you for stopping by!
Ciao!
~lisa
