April 23–28, 2027: Milan Street & Urban Photography Workshop

Six days of street photography, editing and critique with Steve Simon, David Brommer & Ugo Cei, including a day in Turin

DatesApr 23 – Apr 28, 2027

LocationMilan • Turin, Italy

GenreStreet • Urban • Documentary

Group sizeMax. 8

Skill levelAll Levels

Tuition$6,800.00 USD

Deposit$500.00 USD

Book now

Workshop overview

Join Steve Simon, David Brommer and Ugo Cei for six days of living and breathing photography in Milan. Our small group, limited to eight photographers, gives us time to work closely together, then follow our own interests in the streets. We’ll shoot, look carefully at what we’ve made and head out again with new ideas.

Milan moves quickly, but its neighborhoods give us different rhythms to work with. Streetcars, cafés, the Navigli canals and the cobbled lanes of Brera put everyday life alongside the architecture of a city shaped by art, design and fashion. From the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to Porta Garibaldi’s contemporary buildings, we’ll look beyond the recognizable view for photographs that feel like our own.

Why This Week in Milan?

Our dates include April 25, Italy’s Liberation Day. The march through Milan brings flags, generations of participants and a crowd with something to say. We’ll work with both the larger event and the small exchanges within it, looking for gesture, light and moments that reveal more than the fact that we were there.

Another highlight is our day trip to Turin with Ugo. We’ll photograph the Quadrilatero Romano, explore the city’s streets and visit Gallerie d’Italia–Torino, a museum with a strong focus on photography. A private tour is being arranged but is not yet confirmed. There will also be time to discover Turin’s coffee, gianduja chocolate and vermouth.

Cimitero Monumentale offers a very different setting. Sculpture, architecture, shaded corridors and quiet spaces give us time to consider composition, texture and the relationships between light and shadow. It became a favorite during our previous Milan workshop, and we returned to work there again.

Three Photographers, Personal Guidance

Steve will share practical ways to get past hesitation and respond to what happens on the street. David brings his experience photographing in Milan and his close interest in photographic style. Ugo brings local knowledge, suggested starting points and help finding places you might otherwise walk past.

We’ve scouted the neighborhoods with photography in mind, but this is not a week of following a prescribed set of pictures. If a place catches your interest, you’ll be encouraged to stay and work. The schedule also leaves room to rest and edit, so the next shoot can build on what you’ve already discovered.

Before and After the Workshop

Our pre-workshop online group meeting and lecture will help you prepare, with time to discuss the week ahead, your goals and the equipment you plan to bring. After Milan, we’ll meet again online to look at a refined sequence of your photographs. The work continues after you return home, when you have time to see what holds together and what deserves another look.

Architecture and sculpture at Cimitero Monumentale, Milan

A photograph from the Milan workshop collection

The route

Where we'll photograph

Cimitero Monumentale — Sculpture, Light & Shadow

Cimitero Monumentale gives us a quieter place to work, with sculpture, architecture and shaded corridors that reward close attention.

Beyond the striped façade of the Famedio, tombs and mausoleums bring together different periods of Italian sculpture and design. Bronze and marble figures offer ways to work with texture, form and the changing light.

We’ll look for:

• Light falling across sculpture and architecture

• Framing and repetition through colonnades and corridors

• Details that suggest a story without explaining everything

It is a place to slow down and reconsider a composition. Black and white may suit some scenes; others will depend on color. We’ll explore those decisions in the field and revisit them during critique. This location became a favorite on our previous Milan workshop, and we returned to photograph it again.

Turin — Streets, Photography & Café Culture

Our day trip with Ugo takes us into Turin’s Quadrilatero Romano, where cobbled streets, ochre-colored buildings, small shops and cafés give us a different rhythm from Milan.

The neighborhood brings Roman remains, including Porta Palatina, into the same streets as contemporary daily life. We’ll work with that contrast without losing sight of the people and small exchanges that make a photograph feel alive.

Our visit includes:

• Street photography in the Quadrilatero Romano

• Gallerie d’Italia–Torino in Palazzo Turinetti on Piazza San Carlo

• Time to discover coffee, gianduja chocolate and vermouth

The museum gives us a chance to look at photography as well as make it. A private tour is being arranged but is not yet confirmed. We’ll carry questions from the visit back into our own shooting and editing, looking for connections rather than simply collecting views.

April 25 — The Liberation March

Milan’s April 25 Liberation Day march brings people of different generations into the streets, with flags, music, movement and shared purpose.

The route through Corso Venezia and the historical center offers a setting for documentary street photography. We’ll look beyond the crowd as a whole for faces, hands, gestures and the exchanges that give the event a more personal scale.

We’ll work on:

• Responding quickly without losing the frame’s structure

• Moving between the larger scene and intimate details

• Using light, layers and gesture in a busy environment

A crowded event can make it tempting to photograph everything. The challenge is to recognize what interests you, stay with it and make choices. We’ll review those photographs together, looking for frames that say something about the people and the day, not simply that a march took place.

The week ahead

Itinerary

The detailed daily shooting agenda is being finalized. These are the confirmed dates, our working rhythm and the planned highlights. The order of individual shoots may change.

The schedule will remain flexible so we can respond to weather, light, local events and unexpected photographic opportunities.

Apr 23 — Opening Session
We begin at 2 p.m. on April 23. Arrive ready to meet the group, discuss the workshop and prepare for our days of shooting, classroom work and critique. Art Hotel Navigli is our base for five nights.
Our Daily Rhythm — Streets, Classroom & Editing
Most days begin with breakfast followed by a morning shoot. Between roughly 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., we’ll return for classroom sessions and lunch, with some time to rest and edit before heading out for afternoon photography.
Dinner follows the afternoon shoot, and on selected days we’ll photograph at night. Our routes include Piazza Duomo and Teatro alla Scala, Brera, the Navigli canals, Cimitero Monumentale, the fashion district around Via Montenapoleone and Porta Garibaldi. The detailed daily shooting agenda is still being finalized.
Apr 25 — Liberation Day in Milan
We’ll photograph the Liberation Day march, working with the crowd, flags and movement while looking for smaller moments within the event. The precise meeting points and shooting arrangements will be shared as the schedule develops.
A Day in Turin — Date to Be Confirmed
With Ugo, we’ll explore the Quadrilatero Romano and visit Gallerie d’Italia–Torino on Piazza San Carlo. We’ll make time for photography and the city’s café culture. The day trip is included; a private museum tour is still being arranged.
We’ll confirm its place in the daily schedule before the workshop, allowing us to fit the trip around the April 25 march and our work in Milan.
Apr 28 — Workshop Conclusion
Our six-day workshop concludes on April 28. Across the week, critiques, editing and assignments will help you build a set of photographs that belongs together. The welcome and closing dinners are included, with the detailed timing to be shared in the final schedule.
After returning home, you’ll have time to refine your sequence before our post-workshop online critique.

In the field and in class

What You’ll Learn

Street Philosophies

This intensive workshop will help you find your own vision and street style through assignments that move you past photographic fears and clichés toward lyrical, poetic and decisive moments. Mostly, you’ll be photographing the theatre that is the street, sometimes together and often on your own.

Photographers at every level can benefit. We’ll explore the “rhythm of place” and discuss the laws and ethics of street photography, approaching strangers respectfully and dealing with difficult situations that might arise.

You’ll develop strategies for capturing daily life: overcoming shyness, framing, juxtaposition, layering your compositions and knowing when to move or let an image come to you. We’ll consider whether color or black and white best suits your vision. And we’ll make room for the pleasure of being out there with a camera.

Finding Your Photographic Style

David’s classroom talks will look closely at photographic style and how the choices you make begin to form a recognizable way of seeing. We’ll connect those ideas to your own photographs from Milan, looking for what interests you rather than imposing a style from outside.

The city offers many different settings. We’ll explore the historical center around Piazza Duomo and Teatro alla Scala, Brera, the Navigli canals, Cimitero Monumentale, the fashion district around Via Montenapoleone, and the contemporary architecture of Porta Garibaldi. Ugo and David will share their knowledge of the streets, while encouraging you to follow what catches your attention.

Street Tech

Steve will share his minimalist approach to gear and a simplified shooting process designed to help you respond more quickly. He works with Nikon mirrorless cameras and an iPhone; Ugo uses Fujifilm, and David works with Nikon, Fujifilm and analog cameras. David will have film cameras on hand for those who are curious.

Whatever system you bring, we’ll help you become comfortable enough with your tools to concentrate on what is happening in front of you. Mirrorless, DSLR, compact and rangefinder cameras can all work, as can a camera phone for street photography. You’ll need a laptop for editing and classroom review.

We’ll talk about lenses, autofocus, zone focusing, shooting from the hip, live view and flash, along with ways to reduce distractions and improve your response time. These lessons will carry into other kinds of image-making as well.

Working After Dark

The Navigli canals are a hub of evening activity, and selected days will include a night shoot after dinner. Changing light, reflections and people moving through the streets give us different decisions to make about exposure, timing and how much of a scene we want to hold.

We’ll work through the technical questions as they arise so you can stay attentive to the atmosphere and life around you, not just the camera settings.

Class Lectures & Critiques

In class, we’ll look at a selection of your best work from the previous day. Honest, insightful critique is central to the week: a supportive place to share ideas, ask questions and offer constructive criticism as we look through one another’s images.

Steve, David and Ugo will help you edit toward a cohesive set of photographs. You’ll be encouraged to take on a theme for your final sequence, with assignments when useful to move the work further. We’ll bring discussions from our gallery visit, classroom lectures and street sessions back to the photographs you are making.

You’ll have time to refine that sequence after returning home before presenting it in our post-workshop online critique.

What to Bring

Bring a digital camera you are comfortable carrying, a laptop for editing and note-taking, a card reader, plenty of memory cards, two or three fully charged batteries and your charger. A backup camera is useful if you have one.

Fast prime lenses or a wide-angle zoom work well on the street. Focal lengths around 28mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm, based on a full-frame camera, are useful options, not a required shopping list. A flash is optional if you would like to experiment.

Bring six JPEG photographs in a folder labeled with your name for classroom critique, with your name in the filenames too.

Travel & logistics

The workshop begins at 2 p.m. on April 23 and runs through April 28, 2027. Plan your arrival so you can be ready for the opening session. Our base is Art Hotel Navigli, with the classroom venue a short walk away.

Participants arrange their own flights and transportation between the airport and hotel. Scheduled local transportation, museum and entertainment admissions, and the planned day trip to Turin with Ugo are included.

Central Milan is fairly compact, but expect a great deal of walking, sometimes upwards of 15,000 steps in a day. Comfortable shoes and a camera setup you are happy to carry will make a difference. Bring layers for cooler evenings and protection for yourself and your equipment if it rains.

The detailed shooting agenda is still being finalized. We’ll share clear guidance before the workshop and leave room during the week to respond to light, weather and what we find in the streets. The private tour at Gallerie d’Italia–Torino remains subject to confirmation.

Art Hotel Navigli, our Milan workshop base

Accommodation & Food

Our home for five nights is Art Hotel Navigli, beside the Naviglio Grande canal. The neighborhood’s cafés, restaurants and evening street life are close at hand, with Via Tortona nearby and Porta Genova Métro station about a five-minute walk away.

The hotel brings together a collection of contemporary art, spacious rooms, a garden and a roof garden on the sixth floor. Your tuition includes your own private room, giving you a comfortable place to rest, review photographs and prepare for the next day. Our classroom venue is a short walk from the hotel.

A generous breakfast buffet is included every morning, giving us a good start before heading into the city with our cameras. Ugo will help us discover Italian cooking between shoots. Milan draws food from many regions of Italy, so there is plenty to explore, whether you’re taking a quick café break or sitting down with the group.

Daily breakfast, the welcome dinner and closing dinner are included in your tuition. Other meals are at your own expense unless specifically included in the final arrangements. That leaves room to explore independently or gather with fellow photographers.

Art Hotel Navigli accommodation and facilities

A meal photographed during a Milan workshop

Our base in the Navigli neighborhood: Art Hotel Navigli.

Who you'll work with

Your instructors

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.

David Brommer

David George Brommer is a New York City–based photographer specializing in portraiture and historical landscape, and the mind behind Suspect Photography. His work draws on interests in history, science fiction and mythology, with subjects that can be dark, whimsical and challenging.

From underground goth and drag subculture to stark battlefields, David works across analog and digital formats, with techniques ranging from platinum printing to pixels.

His seminars focus on composition and photographic style. During his decades-long career at B&H Photo, he was behind the OPTIC and Depth of Field conferences, the Event Space lecture series and the EDU Advantage program for photography and video students.

David has taught at the International Center of Photography, Maine Media Workshops, National Geographic–Lindblad expeditions, Cortona On The Move and industry conventions around the country. Known as a “Camera Whisperer,” he has helped both established image-makers and photographers just starting out.

Ugo Cei

Ugo Cei is a fine-art travel and landscape photographer from Italy. His photography begins with a belief that every place and culture has beauty worth showing, and a curiosity that takes him to cities, their inhabitants and natural landscapes.

He is equally interested in sharing what he learns. Ugo contributes articles and tutorials to photography websites, and his work has been published in magazines and exhibited in galleries. He is also the host of the travel photography podcast The Traveling Image Makers.

In Milan, Ugo brings local knowledge, suggested places and shooting positions, and time in the field to help you find your own photographs. He will also join us on our day trip to Turin.

Pricing

Six days of street photography, editing and constructive critique with Steve Simon, David Brommer and Ugo Cei, limited to eight photographers. Your $6,800 USD tuition includes five nights of private accommodation at Art Hotel Navigli, the scheduled Turin excursion, local transportation and admissions, plus our welcome and closing dinners.

A $500 USD deposit secures your place. The remaining balance is due January 23, 2027, 90 days before the workshop begins. Pre- and post-workshop online group sessions are included.

Tuition

$6,800.00 USD

Deposit: $500.00 USD secures your place
Balance due: January 23, 2027
Group size: Limited to 8 photographers

The remaining balance may be paid by bank transfer, wire, ACH, or credit card (3% processing fee applies to credit card payments).

What's included

Five nights of private accommodation at Art Hotel Navigli
Daily breakfast buffet
Photographic instruction and individual guidance with Steve Simon, David Brommer and Ugo Cei
Guided shooting, lectures, assignments, editing and group critiques
A private one-on-one session during the workshop
Pre-workshop online group meeting and lecture
Post-workshop online critique of a refined sequence of your photographs
Scheduled local transportation
Scheduled day trip to Turin with Ugo
Museum and entertainment admissions
Welcome dinner and closing dinner
On-the-ground support throughout scheduled workshop activities

Our goal is to provide a seamless, supportive experience so you can stay focused on making your strongest work.

Not included

Flights to and from Milan; Airport–hotel transfers; Meals other than those specifically included; Personal expenses; Travel and medical insurance (strongly recommended).

Before you reserve

Deposit & Cancellation Policy

A $500 USD deposit is required to secure your place and is non-refundable. If PhotoEducate, The Passionate Photographer Inc. or Suspect Photography needs to cancel the workshop, your deposit will be refunded. The workshop is limited to eight photographers.

The remaining balance is due January 23, 2027, 90 days before the workshop begins.

If you withdraw more than 90 days before the workshop begins, tuition paid beyond the deposit will be refunded once we receive your cancellation in writing.

If you withdraw less than 90 days before the workshop, a refund is possible only if we can fill your place. If your place cannot be filled, tuition cannot be refunded.

Because hotels, transportation, admissions and local partners require fixed commitments in advance, PhotoEducate, The Passionate Photographer Inc. and Suspect Photography cannot offer refunds or credits for medical or family emergencies, travel delays, illness, weather, transportation disruptions, political events or other unforeseen circumstances. Comprehensive travel and medical insurance is strongly recommended.

A Note on Travel & Medical Insurance

We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance that includes international medical coverage, trip cancellation and interruption protection that can reimburse your workshop fee, coverage for delays, lost luggage and emergency evacuation, and coverage for pre-existing medical conditions when available. Many policies require this coverage to be purchased within a set period after your initial trip payment.

Once accommodation, transportation, admissions and local services have been committed on your behalf, those costs may not be recoverable if you withdraw. Your insurance should reflect the full prepaid cost of the workshop.

We recommend www.squaremouth.com as one resource for comparing travel and medical insurance policies. Please review the terms, exclusions and coverage limits carefully.

A Look at Our Milan Workshops

A look at a previous Milan workshop. This film shows an earlier trip, not the confirmed daily schedule for April 2027.

Photographs and footage from our 2022 Milan workshop.

Testimonials

From Steve’s Previous Workshops

“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!!”
Gary Niederpruem, Chicago

“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!”
Anna Blanco, New York City

“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.”
Anne Dunford, Ithaca, New York

“Steve’s passion for photography is contagious and his teaching abilities and knowledge extraordinary! I highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in photography.”
Paul Lavergne, San Juan, PR

“Participating in the NYC 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.”
Chapman Solomon, Mountain View, CA

“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. 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 your things there, use the facilities, and eat the goodies provided. You know you’re in good hands with Steve! An outstanding workshop!!”
Stephen Sholl, New York City

“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…”
Steve Lavelle, London

“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.”
Oscar Piñeyro, Dallas