Top Photograph -- Barnbaum - Toscana Sunrise

Bruce Barnbaum and Alexander Ehhalt are again offering our wonderful workshop based in the magnificent center of Italy, Toscana (Tuscany).

The workshop begins the morning of Sunday, March 22 but we ask all participants to arrive no later than 7 p.m. Saturday, March 21 for our get-together dinner prior to the start of the workshop.

The wines, the food, but most of all the ancient hilltop villages and the morning fog on the most gentle, rolling landscape imaginable make Toscana an experience of a lifetime, especially in the springtime when the rolling hills are gleaming with new growth. You’ll be taken through this magnificent region by two of the finest photographers and instructors on this planet: Alexander Ehhalt of Heidelberg, Germany, and Bruce Barnbaum, from Washington State, USA. Both are there to help you whenever needed. Both are recognized for their black and white and color imagery, achieved through both traditional or digital means. They’ll give you a huge boost with both approaches.

The workshop is based in the little known but charming, tiny hilltop village of Montisi, located within easy reach of the larger, more famous towns of Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano, plus, the larger city of Siena. Marvelously lush landscapes surround Montisi, spreading throughout Toscana in all directions. We’ll take you to the best of the best, where the photographic opportunities are amazing.

The extraordinary city of Siena, with its narrow, dark streets, its stupendous open plaza, and its duomo (cathedral), immense, though never completed to its original, monumental dimensions, will be one of our outdoor field session sites, a city so historically rich that it could be a multi-year project in itself.

In addition to assisting students with their own interpretations during our outdoor field sessions, Alexander and Bruce (together with your fellow students) will thoughtfully review the photographic work of every student. These reviews go well beyond the typical once-over that characterize so many workshops, becoming the heart of your educational experience. These “idea sessions” (so named because they open up great new ideas to everyone) will reveal your photographic strengths, taking you to a higher photographic plane than you thought possible. As magnificent as Toscana is, these review sessions ofte prove to be highlights of the workshop, with a great deal of camaraderie and support from all to all.

Both instructors will be also showing their work, inviting any and all comments and questions about their thinking, their approach and workflow, their materials, and anything else you may wish to know. They have no secrets, and are eager to share their vast store of photographic expertise throughout the workshop. Whether you are engaging in digital approaches or traditional approaches, you will have the answers to your questions from these instructors.

Accommodations, as well as our workshop conference room, are at the Villa Maddalena, an exquisite privately-owned villa in the center of Montisi. Accommodations begin the same night as our get-together dinner, Saturday, March 21. The rooms, and the setting, could not be more comfortable or beautiful. The price of room is approximately 90€ = $100 per night, a low price that cannot be matched, nor can the ambiance. You’ll love your stay at Villa Maddalena in Montisi. The workshop closes with a fabulous final dinner the night of Friday, March 28 in the charming town of Montichiello. Accommodations continue through that night. We depart the morning of Sunday, March 29. (And yet, the workshop never ends, as we can remain in contact indefinitely via emails, as you’ll learn during the workshop.)

If you have specific questions, please contact Bruce by phone at (360) 691-4105 or by email at barnbaum@aol.com, or contact Alexander Ehhalt at ae@lossen-fotografie.com.

To register for this workshop via the website, please pay the full amount (1.850€ = $2,220 refundable, minus the deposit fee) or the deposit ($350 nonrefundable, but holds your space in the workshop) using all major credit cards. (NOTE: The full payment is due 8 weeks prior to the workshop—approximately January 20, 2026—and you will be given ample notice several weeks prior to that.)

If you have any questions, email Bruce at barnbaum@aol.com or phone him at 1-360-691-4105.