It´s Closed Gallery
Naples, Italy 2022
® Alexander Rehorovsky
Thank you for allowing me to experience this mystical city in such a beautiful way! I enjoyed the long walks, the unhurried pace, the hours spent in the darkness of the underground, the little trips to well hidden gems of small towns surrounding Naples, the impromptu invitation to eat at their house with that big family in Pagani, sailing to Procida and then cutting all the lines to enjoy the best spaghetti in that small restaurant by the fishing boats, the wind and clouds that came from nowhere and transformed the top of Vesuvius into magical land just when we walked the crater’s rim.
Thank you to my companions for contributing big time to making this a truly special experience – Sue, Regula, David, Lukas, David and Marco.
Alexander Rehorovsky
® David Myers
I have been to Italy and more specifically Naples many times in the last 12 years with Ernesto. Each time the experience opens my eyes to new experiences, seeing old friends, meeting new friends, and new opportunities to look at an often chaotic place and to see something special. Returning to Naples, after an absence of 2 years because of the pandemic, was exciting as I could once again walk among the streets of the city. There is something magical about Naples, and few other cities have the same qualities (and the food is superb, as well). The city and the experience of being with Ernesto draws me back again and again.
David Myers
® David Symonds
Naples as a city to do a photography workshop I found to be quite stimulating as it has a long history with reminders of the past nearly everywhere you go, particularly in churches or palaces, or the underground network of caves. Also there always seems to be a festival or procession to commemorate one thing or another. This was so during our workshop with a visit to the town of Pagani where a local festival called ‘Madonna delle Galline’ or Madonna of the Hens was being celebrated, with a church service followed by much drinking, food and dancing. Our visit was assisted by two local photographer friends of Ernesto that helped our experience.
The workshop process starts with a review of around ten shots from each participant. The group are encouraged to contribute to feedback with Ernesto providing final comments, with maybe two or three shots carrying forward to a final folio decided on the last day of the workshop. Ernesto then shows a selection of his images from many years of travelling, for inspiration and discussion. Ernesto encourages your photography to be a personal exploration or interpretation of a scene rather than simply a postcard shot. To Ernesto the shot should be poetic and emotive without being simply descriptive, however well composed. I found this quite challenging at first as you get easily seduced and distracted by new things going on around you rather than looking for something with mystery or something that evokes an emotive response, but by the end I think new what I was trying to look for, even if not successful all the time. I enjoyed everything about the workshop, especially Ernesto’s inspiring work and that of his talented students.
David Symonds
® Lukas Boesch
Naples is a mysterious city and I had first some doubts if it will be possible for me to capture the essence of this versatile place in photographs in such a short time. But with the guidance and help of Ernesto and the whole group, my vision adapted from day to day of the workshop and my pictures started to get more personal. During the daily
editing sessions we discussed about each ones photographs and I learnt a lot about my own vision, but also about the vision of Sue, Regula, the two Davids, Alexander, Marco and Ernesto. The feedback is rich in detail, very useful and range from small nuances in pictures to pay attention to conceptual inputs to think about. In top of that, Ernesto
shared photographs from his actual work which gave us again new insights. But I also enjoyed the discussions we had during lunches, dinners and transfers. Thank you all, this workshop was a great experience for me.
Lukas Boesch
®Marco Marcone
Dear Ernesto, once again in my life, thank you for this beautiful experience. It was magical and special to stay in Naples with you, with the other students, and last but not least with the Neapolitans.
I still don’t understand if it was the city that shaped the Neapolitans or it was them who gave Naples the face it has.
The food we ate together, the reviews you did every morning with each of us, dedicating the utmost attention to each selected shot, made these days spent together unforgettable, but above all they made my awareness and critical sense grow in me.
In any case my experience was just pure magic. Thank you very much for this gift.
Marco Marcone
® Regula Tschumi
For the third time I was in Naples with Ernesto and explored this fascinating city. This time, however, everything was a little different: Not only did we have storm and rain at the beginning, but also everything else didn’t always go as Ernesto had planned. Covid had obviously left its mark in Naples because many places were either closed or just being restored when we were there. But neither the weather nor other circumstances spoiled the good mood in our great group. And of course, Ernesto always had a plan B that took us to places we might otherwise never have visited.
Thank you so much Ernesto for these wonderful days with you, and thanks a lot to all participants of the workshop for this unforgettable week in Naples! I hope to see you all again soon!
Regula Tschumi
® Susan Foster
Thank you Ernesto for your insights and direction into an approach to photography as art rather that merely images. I have taken so much from your workshop and hope that it translates into my photography.
Susan Foster
