Recently, I was summoned to Italy by Scott Kelby and Mimo Meidany – both well-known shooters and excellent instructors – to attend their 10-person travel photography workshop. Toscana was, in a word, bellissima.

Each day started with a pre-dawn excursion to catch the sunrise, followed by a scrumptious vegetarian-friendly breakfast, and then classroom time to post-process and share images for critique. After a little free time for lunch, we headed out for an afternoon and sunset shoot.

The early morning landscape shoots were the most memorable. Getting set up in the dark to position ourselves for where the sun would peak over the horizon, we photographed quietly as if not to disturb the morning fog and the majestic atmospheric perspective it created.

Cyprus trees make great architecture; as leading lines drawing the viewer into the scene, like the photos above or these marching across the picture plane, below.

We visited the San Galgano Abbey, an architectural gem built in the 13th century. In the late 1700s, a lightning bolt struck the bell tower and made the roof collapse, and it has never been rebuilt. Anna, a violinist with Florence’s symphony orchestra, was there to play in this magnificent historic setting.

On an excursion to the medieval town of Montepulciano, we were instructed to select subjects to photograph as if on assignment for an Italian travel magazine. Here is my magazine spread, below, with dummy text and one of my black+whites for a cover shot. (Yes, I’m available for editorial assignments. Contact me here.)

For a few more images from this trip to Tuscany, enjoy this slide show.