Jeanie Micheel

Sunshine. Wine. Grapes. Cheese. Olives. Lemontrees. Love. Those words pretty much describe Italy. I spend a couple of days at Villa Catignano somewhere near Siena, Tuscany & attended The Italy Experience V by Mike Larson – a wedding workshop to define your style as a photographer.

It was my very first workshop & let me tell you, it was incredible. The countryside, the language, the food, the wine & of course the wonderful and kind Mike Larson. He taught me & a bunch of other photographers some essential & inspiring business things. After listening to him for a few days, I feel like I know where I want to go & that I definitely want to take my business to the next level. I feel so inspired & energized right now, with so many ideas floating around my head – it’s just crazy.

One highlight of the workshop was to see Mike work & shoot in gorgeous Italy. Of course we had our share of taking tons of photos. See below for a little teaser :) I can’t wait to show you my take on a beautiful Chianti engagement session & a stunning styled wedding.

Meet Shelley & Antonio. They are already married but the shoot was so sweet. Shelley looked beautiful in this gown. Visit the blog soon for the full session.

The stay in Italy was intense with everyday business talks & two shoots. However, Mike & his team made our time sweet & memorable. They provided the best meals ever. Everyday started with fresh food from the market & ended with typical home cooked Italian dishes.  And the wine…. Sooo good!  Thanks to Emiliano Leonardi, we were always entertained & taken care of :)  I don’t even know how to describe Villa Catignano. It’s a magical place with spacious rooms, high ceilings, frescos everywhere, creaking wooden floors & the charme of an old Italian home. With a big garden, little secret spots & a pool overlooking the hills of Tuscany, the villa is just a dream place for a little retreat. I definitely will be back one day.

Meet Regis Chen - the videographer aka always smiling guy.  He was part of Mike’s team as well. I can’t wait to see the workshop through his eyes.

I have to say that our little workshop group was just great. Everyone was so nice & I felt we all had a really good time. It was wonderful meeting all of you. Rebecca Conte from Fotoperle, Patricia Rademacher, Daniele Pierangeli & Daniele Morgan Rotondo from Jay Studio,  Michael & Stephan Mohr from Hollywedd, Guido Grauer, Martin Naujocks, Björn Pados from Photo Amore, Monika Schweighardt & Reiner Wagenbreth. I hope we’ll stay in touch!

I’m off to a new adventure. I will jump on a plane & fly over to Italy – Siena, Tuscany to be precise. My very first wedding workshop is awaiting me. I’m going to attend the fifth ITALY experience by the wonderful & talented Mike Larson.  I met Mike in Cologne last year & listened to his inspirational talk about the balance of business & life. I was more than happy to stumble upon his workshop a couple of weeks ago when I was really having a hard time & felt like I need to get out of here, go to a new place, see new things & meet new people. Summing up, I’m beyond excited about this trip – living in a gorgeous villa somewhere in Tuscany, learning so much & of course, taking tons of pictures. I can’t wait to share my experience with you! Italy here I come!!!

Love, Jeanie