Slange Var Gallery
Naples, Italy 2016
® Colin Steel
Giant pizza’s, strong espresso, numerous beer emergencies and great company that was Napoli for me. Add in Ernesto Bazan and of course doors begin to open, the mundane becomes extraordinary and the photos we so desperately seek begin to reveal themselves. Thanks again Ernesto for a wonderful learning experience in what was a new city to me but one I enjoyed very much. I am sure I will be back. Colin Steel
® Francesco Pavia
Again with Ernesto! After Brazil and Mexico I find myself in Naples, in my country, in the company of other highly trained students. We photographed in the hidden and unexplored places, such as abandoned factories and psychiatric hospitals in ruins. Without Ernesto these places would have been precluded. We walked around the old streets of Naples, in his heart, trying to savour the atmosphere with every shot. As always the teacher showed us his works and the works of some of his outstanding students, with the aim to inspire and motivate us to squeeze the best of ourselves. I never get tired of repeating how pleasant it is to participate in Ernesto’s workshops.
The only guidance I can give to aspiring participants is this: bring some good shoes, because you need to walk a lot just to make a nice picture! Francesco Pavia
® Harald Classen
® Jessica Crosby
® Konrad Szafirowski
First of all, I know this has been written here many times, but I’ll repeat it: Ernesto is a great person, cares about his students and makes sure that everyone feels good in the group. I had a an impression, that there has been much effort put into preparing the workshop. Everyday was special, we’ve met different people and visited different locations. This would be very difficult if we were on our own in the city. Ernesto has great contacts in Naples, like Salvatore Esposito – a great and talented local photographer, who shared his exceptional work with us.
The main benefit for me, and I know this only now, is that I have the confidence to say that I understand more what great photography is about. The feedback we received each day, helped us understand why a photo works and why not, what is relevant and what ‘destroys’ the image; when a picture is just beautiful and when it goes beyond to become a great photo. In this workshop I also learned what still life photography is about; and I truly enjoyed it! Before I underestimated these type of photos.
What I also like about Ernesto is that he is honest and will not stand for compromise when judging the image. A photo must have content, Ernesto will not accept photography tricks, gimmicks or graphic enhancements that make a better impression. Either it works 100% or not. I really appreciate this approach, as it encourages the student to think more about his work. Yes, It is so hard to make a good photo, but when you get that moment there is a huge satisfaction.
For me it was the second workshop with Ernesto. Just few day’s ago I looked through my photos from the previous workshop and I see that I’ve definitely made some progress in Naples. At the end of the day, it’s not only about having a good time (which I think we all did) and experiencing a great location like Naples, it’s also about coming back home as a better photographer. I want my images to go further, go beyond reality and I feel that Ernesto has helped me a lot with this. Thank you Ernesto!
PS: I will definitely take part in another workshop, maybe even Naples next year as I think there is a benefit of returning to the same location. Konrad Szafirowski
® Regula Tschumi
Discovering the mysterious city of Naples with Ernesto Bazan was an amazing experience, very intense, spiritually and physically! Every day we explored this vibrant and colourful city, walking many hours, always looking out for interesting moments, and we had so many of them! Our daily programs were very flexible, they changed accordingly to what we met on our ways, everything we did was very spontaneous. And of course we never missed a chance when we came across of one of these excellent Pizza places because in Naples you get the best pizzas of the world! Every day there was a lot to discover: churches, underground sites and historical places, busy markets or beautiful parks. We also explored some abandoned buildings and attended religious processions. There was so much variation in what we were able to see and to photograph during this workshop. Every day was a new adventure. But we
had also time to discover the city on our own, walking through the busy Spanish quarters that were just around our hotel, or spending time in the charming harbour area.
In the early morning we usually had our editing sessions and we discussed each other’s daily work. These meetings were a daily highlight, always very interesting and I think they really brought everybody forward. Ernesto sharpened our eyes and made us understand day by day the mystery of a good photograph.
Thank you very much Ernesto for these exciting days we could spend with you, for your
excellent teaching and for all the interesting places you have brought us to! And also a big thank you to the other students, to Colin, Jessica, Francesco, Konrad and Harald, it has been wonderful to share ten days in Naples with all of you! Regula Schumi
