Milan! Chosen as one of the 52 places to go by the New York Times!
Art and design take center stage in Milan.
Workshop Details
This is a city that moves fast—but there’s an art to capturing that energy in still images. The iconic streetcars rattle through the city’s streets, providing an unmissable shot of urban life. Capture the rush of pedestrians weaving through the crowds, the energy of the cafes during aperitivo hour, and the quiet beauty of Milan at dusk.
A day in the life of the workshop from last year...the workshop happens during the International Workers Day Parade which is a serious yet fun event with lots of visual opportunities. Our beautiful venue is a five-minute walk from our hotel.
Our co-workshop leader David Brommer speaks to photographic style and some of what we will cover in Milan...
This intimate five night/six-day masterclass (limited to 8 students) will take you on a visual treasure hunt to some of the most interesting and exciting locations in the Italian capital of business and fashion. You will explore the vibrant, visually rich places and neighborhoods Milan is famous for and local expert Ugo and David will take you to some hidden gems.
Steve will be teaching you new and powerful street photography techniques guaranteed to push you from your comfort zone to new heights in your work and share his street-shooting philosophies gleaned from a lifetime of wandering urban places with his camera.
David will bring his years of experience shooting in Milan and share his lessons to help you find and develop your photographic style. In classroom David will lead talks that dissect the anatomy of photographic style that will help students achieve a definable style they can call their own.
Joining us for a session here will transform your approach to light and shadow. The architecture, including countless long, shaded colonnades and corridors, naturally creates high-contrast environments perfect for moody, atmospheric photography, especially for black-and-white work. Whether you are focusing on the flowing lines of Art Nouveau monuments, capturing the raw emotion on a sculpted face, or isolating powerful compositions within the silence of the grounds, the Cimitero Monumentale provides an unparalleled studio for developing your skills in evocative and timeless imagery. This location was so popular on our Milan Workshop that we visited it twice!In addition to exploring the streets of Milan, Steve, David & Ugo will also take you on a day trip to Turin, where we will visit the Gallerie d'Italia, the new venue for art and culture: five floors mainly dedicated to photography! We are in the process of arranging a private tour there. We will also sample Turin's culinary specialties: Gianduja chocolate, coffee and vermouth.
The long march along Corso Venezia and through the historical center provides endless opportunities for strong visual narratives: tight shots of weathered hands holding old partisan flags, the rhythmic shadow play of thousands of people moving in unison, and the raw, unfiltered faces of both the oldest veterans and the youngest protestors. It’s an essential lesson in balancing large-scale spectacle with intimate, decisive moments of passion and commitment, making it the perfect setting for honing fast-paced, documentary-style street photography.
In the Passionate Street Photography Workshop Milan, you will wander and explore vibrant, visually rich places and neighborhoods chosen for their visual potential.
Steve, David & Ugo have scouted locations to highlight the unique places in Milan with great visual potential while David has scoured the neighborhoods to find unusual places to bring back seldom seen images. The itinerary is packed but you will also have down time to relax and edit. We encourage flexibility and independence among participants so if you fall in love with an area and want to continue working there–you are encouraged to do so.
Thanks to Ugo’s profound knowledge of the city, you will get the great tips on places and shooting positions for you to make your best work. In the lectures at our beautiful venue, assignments designed to get you out of your comfort zone and push you forward in your work will be given. The center of Milan is fairly compact and you will be doing a lot of walking so keep that in mind!
Workshop Hotel & Meeting Room (Accommodation Included!)
Next to the Naviglio Grande Canal, Art Hotel Navigli is in Milan’s most popular nightlife district.
A prestigious collection of contemporary art, spacious rooms, located in the heart the Navigli, a short distance from Via Tortona and 5 minutes from the Porta Genova subway station, these are just some of the privileges enjoyed by the guests of the Art Hotel Navigli.
A Roof garden on the 6th floor, an internal garage, a garden, meeting rooms, 2 km from the Duomo and only 5 minutes from the ring road…
Food
To fuel up for your long days, a wonderful breakfast buffet will get you going and Ugo has planned a sampling of the wonderful Italian cuisine, which is as rich and varied as the landscape and the architecture.
As a commercial city, Milan is a collector of the best food from all regions of Italy, including seafood that gets delivered to its markets in the heart of the night and is sold to chefs and restaurant owners in the wee hours of the morning to arrive fresh on the patrons’ tables.
Street Philosophies
“When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear.” – Alfred Eisenstaedt
Steve will be teaching you new and powerful street photography techniques guaranteed to push you from your comfort zone to new heights in your work and share his street-shooting philosophies gleaned from a lifetime of wandering urban places with his camera.
This intensive workshop will help you find your own unique vision and street style through assignments created to get you past photographic fears and cliches to capturing lyrical, poetic and decisive moments that communicate the energy of the streets.
But mostly you will be shooting the theatre that is the street; sometimes together, often on your own.
All levels of photographic experience can benefit from this workshop.
You’ll learn about the “rhythm of place” and you will discuss the laws and ethics of street photography as well as dealing with difficult situations that might pop up.
You will define a strategy for capturing the rich daily life of people on the street; overcoming fears and shyness, approaching strangers, framing, juxtaposition, layering your compositions, letting the image come to you and whether color or black and white best suits your vision.
And you will have fun!
“I am a tourist.“ – Garry Winogrand
Street Tech
You will talk street-tech and Steve will give you his minimalist view on gear along with a simplified shooting process to maximizing your response time to capture decisive moments.
Steve’s street tools include the Nikon Mirrorless Z System, a Z9; along with a carefully curated selection of lenses and an iPhone. He is also familiar with a wide range of equipment to help you maximize your mirrorless, compact, rangefinder, DSLR or even your camera phone for compelling street images.
Ugo has adopted the Fujifilm X-System and routinely carries the X-T2 and the X100S in his bag, with an assortment of lenses.
Taking cue’s from Steve and Ugo, David shoots Nikon and Fujifilm, but is also known for shooting analog and will have a few film cameras on hand for the curious. David is a famous “Camera Whisperer” and calls himself “PolyCamerous” from his years working for B&H Photo and the camera industry.
Regardless of the tools you choose and use, Ugo, David and Steve will be able to help you with all your technical questions. Though the technical is arguably the least important area of photography, you need to get past tech issues to get to the other side of great images. So we will talk lenses, auto focus, zone focusing, shooting form the hip, using live view, flash and a host of other tips, tricks, distractions and ideas that will improve your work dramatically. We want to make sure all tech issues are taken care of to free you to make your best work; closing the gap between where you are now and becoming the photographer you know you can be.
It’s a street photography workshop but the lessons learned will benefit you in all genres of image-making including developing your own unique photo style.
Critique Is Critical
In class, you will look at a selection of your best work from the previous day.
These daily critiques are of crucial importance, where you share ideas and constructive criticism as you look through each others’ images. The workshop will be a “safe place” for group discussions with suggestions and new ideas put forward.
David, Ugo & Steve will help guide participants work in to a cohesive set of images, through careful editing. You will visit a photography gallery and participate in lectures and critiques every day. You will be encouraged to take on a theme over the week for your final set of pictures.
Steve will also be providing assignments to push you to a higher level in your work.
“A picture is the expression of an impression. If the beautiful were not in us, how would we ever recognize it? “ – Ernst Haas
Itinerary
The detailed shooting agenda is still being worked out, but we begin at 2pm on the 23rd and everyday thereafter you can count on days to start with a hearty breakfast, followed by a morning shoot. Back from the shoot, between 11AM and 2PM you will have sessions in the classroom and lunch, with some time for rest until the afternoon shooting session.
You will do another shoot in the streets in the afternoon, followed by dinner and, on some days, a night shoot. You will explore the following neighborhoods and more: the historical center around Piazza Duomo and the Teatro alla Scala; Brera with its pedestrian streets of cobblestones; the Navigli canals that are a hub of night life; Cimitero Monumentale the most spectacular cemetery in Europe; the Quadrilateral of Fashion, around Via Montenapoleone with its elegant boutiques; the recently renewed area of Porta Garibaldi, that hosts the best samples of modern architecture in the city.
Steve Simon
Steve Simon is an award-winning documentary photographer and the author of five critically acclaimed books, including The Passionate Photographer, selected as one of Amazon’s “Top Ten Art and Photography Books.” He has photographed in over 40 countries on assignment, with work appearing in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Time, Mother Jones, Le Monde, Colors, Life, Harpers, Macleans, and The Walrus.
Best known for his humanistic approach, Steve’s photography explores the complexity and beauty of the human condition—capturing authentic, unscripted moments in real time. His images have been exhibited in solo shows in New York, Toronto, Montreal, and Buenos Aires, and three times at Visa Pour L’Image in Perpignan, France. An excerpt from Empty Sky, his photographic tribute to the aftermath of 9/11, was published by Life Books. The 9/11 Memorial Museum later acquired the complete set of prints for its permanent collection—recognizing the work as both witness and memorial.
A passionate educator, Steve has taught at the International Center of Photography (ICP) and the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, and continues to lead workshops around the world. He is currently working on two new books—one on the art of photographic critique, and another exploring the American political convention.
Read More about Steve Simon hereDavid Brommer
David George Brommer is a New York City based photographer specialized in portraiture, historical landscape and is the mind behind Suspect Photography. Brommer’s body of work is unique in its fascination with history, science-fiction and mythology, with subjects often dark, whimsical and challenging. Ranging from underground goth/drag subculture, to stark battlefields and a viral YouTube video, Brommer is well versed in techniques ranging from platinum to pixels, embracing a range of analog & digital camera formats.
Specializing in seminars on Composition and Photographic Style, Brommer is a sought after speaker, setting many photo careers in motion globally. With a decades long career at B&H Photo, Brommer was behind the popular OPTIC & Depth of Field conferences, the Event Space lecture series, and the EDU Advantage program for photo video students nationwide. Brommer has taught at ICP, the Maine Media Workshops, National Geographic - Lindblad expeditions, the Cortona On The Move Italian photo festival, and at hundreds of industry conventions nationwide. Known as a “Camera Whisperer” Brommer has advised academy award winning actors and aspiring photographers alike.
Read More about David Brommer hereUgo Cei
Ugo Cei is a fine-art travel and landscape photographer from Italy. He believes this is really an amazing planet that we live on and every place and every culture possesses beauty that deserves to be shown, so he tries to catch every available opportunity to travel and to create new images of foreign cities, their inhabitants and of natural landscapes.
He is also passionate about sharing his knowledge, so you can find him contributing articles and tutorials on several websites. Ugo's work has been published on magazines and exhibited in art galleries worldwide. He is also the host of the popular travel photography podcast, The Traveling Image Makers.
Read More about Ugo Cei herePricing
Total Cost: USD USD: $6,800.00
Deposit: USD $500.00
What’s Included
Accommodation, Tuition, critique, local transportation, museum and entertainment tickets, welcome dinner and closing dinner.
Price does not include flights, transport to and from airport, some meals and incidentals.
Expect a lot of walking, sometimes upwards of 15,000 steps!
Deposit of $500 is due now; remaining balance due February 1, 2027
Deposit & Cancellation Policy
A deposit is required to secure your place and is non-refundable. This workshop is limited to eight participants to ensure a high level of personal attention. More than 60 days before: tuition (minus deposit) refundable. Less than 60 days: refundable only if your spot is filled.
This policy reflects the fixed, upfront costs involved in planning and operating an international workshop. PhotoEducate and The Passionate Photographer Inc. and Suspect Photography cannot offer refunds or credits for cancellations due to medical issues, travel delays, family emergencies, or other unforeseen circumstances. We urge you to protect your investment with travel insurance.
Travel & Medical Insurance
We strongly recommend all participants purchase comprehensive travel insurance that includes medical coverage for international travel, trip cancellation protection, and coverage for delays, lost luggage, or emergency evacuation. Coverage for pre-existing medical conditions is often available if insurance is purchased within a specified window after your initial payment.
We recommend Squaremouth.com as a resource for comparing travel and medical insurance options.
You will need to book a flight to and from your hometown and get to the hotel from the airport.
For questions or inquiries, help with further travel arrangements and accommodations, or if you wish to arrive early or extend your trip pleasecontact us anytime.
This workshop is limited to 8 students!
What to Bring:
- The weather in Milan is often beautiful this time of year. Average temperatures range from mid- 60’s during the day, cooling down (mid 40’s) as the sun goes down. But it could easily be warmer or cooler, we share see. It can sometimes rain in April, which could be great for our images.
- A portfolio of 6 images – JPEGS on a USB FlashDrive in a folder entitled “Your Name” for critique. Images file names should contain your name as well.
- This is a digital workshop, so a DSLR, Mirrorless, High-End Compact or rangefinder camera will all work. Having a back up body is always a good idea.
- For your DSLR or Mirrorless, fast prime lenses are ideal, or at least one wide-angle zoom. Lenses in the classic range for street photography: 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm will all work (based on full frame camera) and fast lenses f2 or faster offer more flexibility.
- Two or three fully-charged batteries & charger.
- More memory cards than you think you will need and a card reader.
- Your own laptop for image editing and note-taking.
- A flash is optional but bring one to experiment with flash on the street.
Testimonials
Gary Niederpruem, Chicago
“What a fabulous experience. I learned more about photography in one week than I had in 5 years. Steve is very knowledgable about the technical side as well as composition. He is very patient, gives excellent feedback and will work one on one with you on any photography subject you want. I asked him for help on night photography and at 10 PM he was out on the streets of Havana with me with step by step instructions on how to take the shot. 5 star plus rating!!”
Anna Blanco, New York City
“Best workshop I’ve ever taken! Steve is not only a great photographer, he is also a terrific teacher. He is patient and very hands- on. In some workshops the instructor sends students out to shoot after a short lecture–Steve goes out with his students, coaching them throughout the process. His course is well organized and covers diverse topics. He is funny and engaging and generous with his time and knowledge. I had SO MUCH fun and am ready to sign up for the next one. Highly recommended!”
Anne Dunford, Ithaca, New York
"My week in Steve’s Street Shooting workshop challenged me tremendously. There’s nothing like taking your work apart and putting it back together with new vision to make you a better photographer. If you take this workshop, I guarantee you will see the world differently at the end."
Paul Lavergne, San Juan, PR
"Steve’s passion for photography is contagious and his teaching abilities and knowledge extraordinary! I highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in photography."
Chapman Solomon, Mountain View, CA
“Participating in the Street Photography Workshop was an enriching and exhilarating experience. It challenged me to step out of my comfort zone to improve my skills. Steve’s curriculum and hands on approach offered me an opportunity to learn new techniques, add some creativity and visualize subject matter from another perspective. Each day presented abundant photo opportunities, resulting with the capture of some amazing images, exceeding my greatest expectations.”
Stephen Sholl, New York City
"Not only is Steve a great photographer, he is also a caring, compassionate person as well. He is constantly trying to help participants achieve their photographic goals in a gentle, caring, and sincere manner. Sadly, the critiques of my work were very helpful. Steve was right-on in terms of his suggestions to better my work. The totality of the workshop was terrific, primarily because the parts were all excellent as well. Choice of shooting locations, image reviews, suggestions, videos shown, and galleries visited were all great. Steve also promoted wonderful interactions among the participants. The venue was perfect for the workshop. We could spread out, leave our things there, use the facilities, and eat the goodies provided. You know you’re in good hands with Steve! An outstanding workshop!!"
Steve Lavelle, London
"This is an outstanding workshop, led by a world-class photographer. It is impossible to spend time in a room with Steve Simon and not be inspired to get out there and make great images …I had high expectations and you exceeded them…Steve is very personable, articulate and passionate about photography, very welcoming with a warm, engaging personality. Steve’s style is outstanding. I knew of Steve from the TWiP podcast and would have attended if he was talking about how to watch paint dry…”
Oscar Piñeyro, Dallas
"I just spent the last three days with Steve Simon, What a wonderful experience, the best time spent in a workshop ever. Steve is a perfectionist, every presentation not only had spectacular photography but also the perfect music to enhance the mood, a roller coaster of emotions. He cannot hide his journalistic background every single image tells a story. His technique is flawless; his teaching patience unparalleled. I am eager to start a new chapter of my photography applying what Steve taught me in the last few days."
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