FRANCE | July 23 - August 1, 2007

Mentors | Rosanne Pennella

RECAP

I knew I was setting out for an amazing trip because you can't beat Provence in the summer; the lavender fields alone were enough to entice me. Add to that a photography workshop and I had to attend. I was happily surprised to meet the attendees and the staff, including Rosanne Pennella, the mentor at JFK airport. We began our week of friendships that would continue for the next ten days.

After arriving in Marseille we headed to St. Remy, our base for the next few days, we stopped in the ancient village of Eygaliers, where we photographed the Chapelle Sixte. Once at the hotel we had an introduction on the outdoor patio and then viewed Rosanne's images, which were very impressive.

Travel with our mentors and try out all of the latest equipment from Nikon! Including world class digital SLRs, Nikkor lenses and the Coolpix line of Digital Cameras.

For the next few days we ventured from one charming village to the next including Gordes with amazing panoramic views, Glanum a sight of ancient ruins and of course Arles where we visited the UNESCO sight Pont Du Gard. I was very impressed with this magnificent bridge as well as the ancient olive trees along the way. The next day, we had an early rise to photograph the lavender fields and were all concerned that they may have all been harvested. But thankfully we located a few fields that had not been cut. As a bonus we even found a field of sunflowers to photograph. These were the pictures I came to Provence to capture and I was extremely happy to have done so.

The next day we visited another UNESCO sight in Orange where the best-preserved Roman amphitheater is located. That afternoon we visited the Palais des Papes to the Pont d'Avignon. We took a tour of the Pope's Palace and photographed the many performers in the square. On the bus we all sang along with our guide, Simmone, who taught us the traditional folksong about Avignon. Every night back at the hotel there were review sessions and/or digital workflow classes offered by our mentor to ensure we were learning and taking the best images we could.

The last days of the workshop were spent in Aix-en-Provence. From there we visited Casis, a small fishing village were we enjoyed lunch and then a boat ride with views of the white Casis stone mountains and the deepest blue colored water. At the end of the workshop we had the final slide show that gave us all the chance to view other attendees work. It was very impressive to watch, especially the self-portraits.

The trip was very worthwhile for me, not just for the photography education I received but the new friendships I made. Thank you all for your contributions, especially Rosanne and the mentor series staff. I hope to see you all again soon on another workshop.

Najat Naba