Small-Group Photography Workshops
Join a small group of photographers for an intensive, practical workshop in Venice, Budapest, Milan, and other selected destinations.
These workshops are built around observation, composition, timing, and visual storytelling. Each location presents different photographic challenges, but the objective remains the same: to help you make more deliberate photographs and develop a clearer personal approach.
Group sizes are kept small so that every participant receives individual guidance in the field. Choose a destination below to see upcoming dates, prices, itineraries, and availability.
Marco’s long experience photographing Venice gives participants access to a working knowledge of the city that extends well beyond its familiar locations.
Venice Group Photography Workshops
Venice is one of the most photographed cities in the world, but making distinctive photographs here requires more than visiting its familiar locations. This small-group workshop is about learning to read the city, anticipate moments, work confidently with changing light, and develop photographs that feel connected rather than collected.
Over three or four full days, we will move between the historic centre, residential neighbourhoods, waterfronts, and quieter parts of the lagoon. The emphasis will be on observation, composition, timing, and visual storytelling. You will receive practical guidance throughout the workshop while retaining the freedom to develop your own way of seeing the city.
Dates and prices
3 days: 25th 26th 27th September 2026 €1,050. FULLY BOOKED. Sold Out
4 days 22nd 23rd 24th 25th OCTOBER 2026 €1,300. FULLY BOOKED. Sold Out
3 or 4 days 17th, 18th 19th (20) December 2026 €1,050-1300
3 days 4th, 5th 6th February 2027 €1,050 Few places left
3 days March 27th 28th 29th 1,050
3 days 5th 6th 7th October 2027 €1,050
3 days 9th 10th 11th November 2027 €1,050
4 days 7th 8th 9th 10th December 2027 €1,300
Three-day workshop: €1,050 per person
Four-day workshop: €1,300 per person
The group is limited to 6 participants to ensure everyone receives meaningful individual guidance.
Travel, accommodation, meals, drinks, and local transport are not included unless specifically stated for a particular departure.
Day One: Learning to read the city
We will begin 8 am with coffee, introductions, and a detailed briefing. We will discuss camera settings, working methods, personal objectives, and the practical considerations involved in photographing in Venice.
The first day will concentrate on observation, composition, and timing. We will work through several contrasting areas, looking at how light, architecture, gesture, and human activity can be brought together within the frame.
During the day, I will work individually with each participant and review photographs informally as we progress.
Day Two: Beyond the familiar Venice
On the second day, we will start one hour before sunrise and concentrate in the San Marco, Rialto and Accademia and then move away from the busiest parts of the city and explore residential districts or one of the lagoon islands. The specific destination will depend on conditions and local activity. We may use the day for Burano and Murano
The photographic emphasis will shift towards atmosphere, a sense of place, and the relationship between people and their environment. When conditions allow, we will continue into the late afternoon to work with the changing light.
The day will conclude with a group discussion and practical review of what we have learned.
Day Three: Building a visual story
Weather permitting, we will begin early and photograph Venice during the quieter transition from night to morning.
The rest of the day will concentrate on developing a more coherent body of work. Rather than searching constantly for isolated strong images, you will be encouraged to recognise recurring ideas, visual connections, and different types of photographs that can work together as a sequence.
We will finish with a final group discussion and an optional farewell drink or dinner.
Optional fourth day: Developing the work
The four-day version allows more time to return to ideas discovered during the first three days. We may revisit a location under different conditions, explore another part of the lagoon, or concentrate on gaps within each participant’s developing story.
The additional day creates space for a more detailed review of the photographs and for a final, focused shooting session based on that discussion.
For available dates, group enquiries, or advice about whether the workshop is suitable for you, please contact me here
Please check below Budapest for Info and Details!!
Budapest Group Photography Workshops
Budapest offers a very different photographic experience from cities built around a compact historic centre. Monumental architecture, residential neighbourhoods, markets, public transport, the Danube, and the contrasting characters of Buda and Pest create a city with many visual layers.
This small-group workshop is about moving beyond the obvious views and learning to photograph Budapest as a living city. We will work with architecture, light, gesture, human activity, and the relationships that develop within the frame. The objective is not simply to return with a collection of attractive photographs, but to produce images that begin to communicate a personal understanding of the city.
Over three or four full days, we will work in central districts, along the Danube, in residential areas, and in less-photographed parts of Budapest. You will receive practical guidance throughout the workshop while having the freedom to follow your own interests and develop an individual approach.
Having lived and worked in Budapest, Marco combines detailed local knowledge with the perspective of a documentary photographer.
Dates and availability
3 or 4 days 3rd 4th 5th (6th) December 2026 €1,050-1300
3 days 14th 15th 16th January 2027 €1,050
Prices
Three-day workshop: €1,050 per person
Four-day workshop: €1,300 per person
The group is limited to six participants so that everyone receives meaningful individual guidance.
Travel, accommodation, meals, drinks, and local transport are not included unless specifically stated for a particular departure.
Day One: Reading Budapest
We will begin at 8:00 with coffee, introductions, and a detailed briefing. We will discuss camera settings, working methods, personal objectives, and the practical considerations involved in photographing in Budapest.
The first day will concentrate on observation, composition, and timing. We will explore contrasting areas of Pest, working with its streets, public transport, architecture, and everyday activity.
The scale of Budapest presents particular compositional challenges. We will look at how to organise complicated scenes, use architectural elements without allowing them to dominate, and recognise small human moments within a much larger urban setting.
During the day, I will work individually with each participant and review photographs informally as we progress.
Day Two: People, neighbourhoods, and public life
The second day will move beyond the most familiar parts of central Budapest. Depending on conditions and local activity, we may work in residential neighbourhoods, markets, transport hubs, or areas where older Budapest meets the contemporary city.
The emphasis will be on making photographs that communicate a sense of place rather than merely identifying a location. We will consider how gesture, detail, light, architecture, and human activity can work together to describe the character of a neighbourhood.
When conditions allow, we will continue into the late afternoon or early evening to work with changing light and the transition between daytime and evening activity.
The day will conclude with a group discussion and a practical review of the work produced so far.
Day Three: The Danube and the two sides of the city
Weather permitting, we will begin early and photograph Budapest as the city moves from night into morning.
During the day, we will work around the Danube and explore the visual relationship between Buda and Pest. Bridges, riverbanks, trams, pedestrians, reflections, and changing weather can all become part of the work, but the objective will be to interpret these elements rather than produce predictable city views.
The final part of the day will concentrate on building a more coherent body of photographs. Instead of searching only for isolated strong images, you will be encouraged to identify recurring subjects, visual connections, and different types of photographs that can work together as a sequence.
We will finish with a final group discussion and an optional farewell drink or dinner.
Optional fourth day: Developing the story
The four-day workshop provides more time to respond to ideas that emerge during the first three days. We may return to a location under different conditions, explore another district, or concentrate on subjects that need further development.
We will review the work produced so far, identify gaps and repetitions, and consider what additional photographs could strengthen the developing story. The final shooting session will then be shaped by that discussion.
The extra day is particularly valuable for participants interested in documentary projects, editing, and producing a connected series rather than a collection of unrelated images.
For available dates, group enquiries, or advice about whether the workshop is suitable for you, please contact me here
INFO and DETAILS:
Who is the workshop for?
This workshop is intended for photographers who understand the basic operation of their camera, including exposure and focusing, and want to make more deliberate and personally distinctive photographs.
Previous experience in documentary or street photography is not required. Because the group is small, I can adapt my guidance to different levels of experience. You may be learning to photograph people and public spaces with greater confidence, or you may already be working on personal projects and want to bring more structure and consistency to your work.
The approach
This is not a conventional sightseeing tour with photography added to the itinerary. Each day will be structured around particular photographic challenges, including working with complex backgrounds, controlling perspective, anticipating movement, recognising gestures, and bringing people and place together within a single frame.
Budapest is a large and constantly changing city, so the precise itinerary will remain flexible. Weather, lighting, public events, and street activity will influence where we work. This allows us to respond to what is actually happening rather than follow a rigid list of locations.
Before the workshop
Participants will be invited to join an informal dinner on the evening before the workshop begins. Attendance is optional and the cost of dinner is not included.
This will be an opportunity to meet the other participants, discuss your photographic interests, and establish individual objectives before we begin working together.
What is included?
Three or four full days of small-group photographic instruction with Marco Secchi
Individual guidance in the field
Daily discussions and practical image reviews
Guidance on composition, timing, light, visual storytelling, and editing
Pre-workshop advice about preparing for the workshop
Follow-up and critique after the workshop.
What is not included?
Flights, accommodation, meals, drinks, travel insurance, and transport are not included unless specifically mentioned in the confirmed itinerary.
Participants are responsible for bringing suitable photographic equipment, comfortable footwear, and clothing appropriate for the forecast conditions.
Travel and accommodation
Participants arrange their own travel and accommodation, allowing them to choose based on their preferred comfort level and budget.
Staying within city centre itself is strongly recommended, particularly when the itinerary includes early-morning or evening photography. Once your booking is confirmed, I can advise you on practical considerations and how to reach the workshop meeting point.
You should obtain suitable travel insurance when booking. Your policy should cover medical needs, personal equipment, travel disruption, and cancellation.
Your workshop leader
Marco Secchi is an Italian editorial and documentary photographer whose work is represented by Getty Images and Alamy. He has extensive professional experience photographing people, places, and public life, and leads photography workshops in Venice, Budapest, and Istria, Prague, and Transylvania
His teaching concentrates on the decisions behind successful photographs: where to stand, what to exclude, when to wait, and how to recognise when separate images are beginning to form a story.
Booking
A deposit of € 200 is required to reserve your place. The remaining balance is due 90 days before the workshop begins.
Please read the booking and cancellation terms before paying your deposit.
These workshops can be booked only directly with me and are not sold through Tripadvisor, Viator, or other booking platforms.
I recommend starting with a short email to discuss availability and whether the workshop is right for you. You can also use the reservation form or schedule a quick online chat.