INTRODUCTION

I am excited to announce my Photo Workshop in Transylvania, a region where it can feel like time has stopped. In the countryside, people live close to the land, growing their own produce, and raising their own chickens and pigs. We’ll be both in Szeklerland, which is Hungarian, as well as in the Saxon villages in the Romanian region. This is a land of rolling hills, dramatic landscapes, medieval fortified churches, colorful villages, and stately towns. Transylvania is profound and soulful, at once raw and graceful. This workshop will be an immersive journey that will take you deep into the heart of Transylvania.

We have created for you a highly curated thirteen-day photo workshop with hand-picked experiences designed to spend real time with warm and welcoming locals and to experience a Transylvania that you’d never be able to have on your own. This is not a sightseeing tour of Transylvania - we are truly off the beaten path most of the time. We will introduce you to villagers who live in deeply traditional ways, as well as inspiring newcomers, who are working hard to save traditions in architecture, artisanal crafts, and organic farming. The heart of this workshop is the people we meet, who will share with us their hearts and homes.

We'll be there in June, one of the most beautiful times of year, when the meadows are green and full of wildflowers, and the days are warm in early summer.

The workshop officially begins the afternoon of June 21, in Brasov, and ends the morning of July 3rd, an hour from Sibiu. You will fly into Bucharest Airport (OTP) and depart from Sibiu airport (SBZ).

We will start our journey in Brasov, where we will be staying at the new spiffy-cool Radisson. We’ll shoot a dusk view of the famous Bran Castle, known for its Dracula myth, and the next day head to the most luxurious hotel in the region, the magnificent Zabola Estate, owned by Countess Mikes, who lives right on the property.

After three nights in Zabola, we will travel to the village of Miklosvar, with its colorful Saxon houses. There we will stay at the rustic Count Kalnoky Guesthouses. We will end the workshop at the charming Copsamare Guesthouses, owned by Giovanna and Paolo Bassetti. Their welcoming hospitality, excellent taste in decor, and delicious food will make for a marvelous stay.

Food is always an important part of travel. We will be enjoying many homemade meals cooked by local villagers and their families. In this workshop, as in all my workshops, we will be eating healthy and well!

You can expect a seamlessly-run, highly professional trip, with great attention to detail. No drive is over two hours, so time is spent shooting and enjoying, not traveling long distances.

The personal connections we have fostered give our guests deep-rooted local access, which enables us to get uniquely intimate photographs.

Every day will be a photo adventure. As always, there will be real learning both on location and in class and private critiques. You will come home with a set of terrific images and a renewed sense of adventure.

All levels of photographers are welcome. Spouses/partners who have no strong interest in photography are welcome!

This will be a small workshop with a maximum of 8 guests. 

 EXPERIENCES MAY INCLUDE

  • Enjoying a private dance performance and lively dinner party at the home of a Roma-Gypsy family, considered the best dancers in Romania. 


  • Photographing shepherds on a remote sheepfold way up in the mountains.


  • Observing how pottery is made in a 300-year-old pottery village - (with a chance to buy exquisite pieces.) Rosi, one of the potters, will make us a traditional Romanian lunch. 


  • Visiting painted churches, one with ancient frescoes and another filled with beautiful paintings on glass, made by the local priest whom we can meet.


  • Photographing the Bran (Dracula) Castle at dusk.

  • Lunch and “food-lifestyle” photography on an organic farm, owned by an inspiring young woman, who is part of a collective of makers and farmers preserving traditions in the region, some of whom work with King Charles and his trusts.


  • Visiting and shooting the oldest working photo studio in Europe where the master photographer will take our individual portraits and give us personal prints. 


  • Spending a day with local villagers in their homes, (with multiple translators so we can communicate), making beautiful intimate portraits. Lunch with the family of our friend Piroska in a tiny village not even on the map.

  • Exploring the UNESCO town of Sibiu

COST

Doubles $9950 (friends and couples only)
Single supplement $980

Early sign-ups may get upgraded rooms at select hotels.

WHAT IS INCLUDED


A thirteen-day workshop with National Geographic photographer Catherine Karnow

Plenty of on-location teaching as well as in-class group projections and private critiques

A small group of maximum 8 guests only

Comfortable private transportation for all workshop activities

Unique workshop experiences carefully curated by Catherine Karnow exclusively developed to give guests the best possible photo opportunities

Special access to locations and private homes

All admission fees

All breakfasts, most lunches and dinners

All accommodations

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED

Some meals

Alcoholic beverages outside of pre-arranged menus during organized meals

Travel Insurance

Optional tips & gratuities

Airport transfers from the Bucharest Airport to Brasov and from Copsa Mare to the Sibiu Airport