I am very privileged to work with some amazing people both in Australia and Italy. Nikole Ramsay is certainly no exception. We are both passionate about sharing our knowledge and giving people an experience that combines food and photography, with two experts in their field. Recently Nikole who has photographed across all three Annie’s Brands came in store to do some head shots for me. One thing lead to another and next minute we were hatching a plan to join forces to offer a very unique and special experience culminating in Nikole providing a photography workshop experience combined with all things food, wine and design in the veneto region of Italy with Annie’s Italy.

That project has now come to fruition and brings together a love of Italy, food and photography.

It is an educational tour where mornings are spent learning together and afternoons are filled exploring bustling markets, wineries and gourmet cooking schools.

The accommodation is a charming guest house set in a rural area with sweeping views located in between the towns of Bassano del Grappa and Asiago.

We have recently been featured on The Design files and also The Geelong edition. Below is a couple of questions recently asked in an interview with Nikole.

What types of photography will you focus on during the week-long tour?
We will focus on food, travel and lifestyle photography, which will include how I approach photographing people/portraits, interiors and food (both finished dishes, raw ingredients and people making the food).

Depending on the experience level of the group, we will also discuss how to shoot stories for magazines and how to pitch stories for publications.

We may also cover some areas of the business of photography and there will be plenty of time for conversations and questions too if participants have particular goals they are working towards in their photography.

Tell us more about what makes the light in Italy so special, especially through the eyes of a photographer.
Yes, the light in Italy has a magical quality! Especially late afternoon light with its golden glow! Also, the colour of the buildings, the old stone and the painted facades all come to life in that beautiful soft quality of light.

Who is this tour ideal for and how much photography experience is required?
The tour is ideal for anyone who is passionate about experiencing travel with a food focus while at the same time learning new photography skills.

Nikole goes on to explain that  the tour is open to people of all levels of photography, although would ideally suit someone who has a basic understanding of their camera and is wanting to learn more, to take more beautiful pictures of travel, food and lifestyle images. I would expect that most participants have a basic understanding of their camera, but you don’t need to be an experienced photographer to join us.

Nikole joined me in 2016 to shoot Annie’s Italy, to capture the true essence of what this tour is all about. Love, connection, food, wine and design are just a few amongst the vast array of emotions this country seems to convey to anyone visiting. The imagery captured was simply mind blowing and Nikole will be joining me and my guests on my Annie’s Italy tour to re shoot and capture more of this incredible region before our Photography and food Tour.

Each trip I allow time to meet with many local artisan heroes in the region to be able to continue to offer more wonderful experiences for my guests. I get such a buzz when I discover a new winery or artisan producer. I recently stayed at a new accommodation I will be using for next years tours not far from the village of my nonna. Set in the Vincenza hills the renovated school house is a wealth of history along with the area famous for its malgas (cheese farms). The malgas dotted throughout the countryside truly are paddock to plate passed down through the generations. The lush green hilly pastures are the perfect ingredient for making the famous Asiago cheese named after the towns namesake.

Our tour in may 2020 will be the first time we will have stayed and ventured into this area of Veneto. I am excited to be offering our guests a road less traveled in Northern Italy and also captured by Nikole Ramsay Photography