Sicily is the land where I was born, where I first opened my eyes to the light. Sicily pulses in my veins; a mixture of its scents, its sounds and rhythms, its people, along with the colors and flavors that I carry inside of me. Sicily is where I began taking pictures. Since childhood, Sicilian Holy Week has fascinated me and been one of my favorite subjects. At first, I took photographs simply for fun, then later as a life choice, the voice of my soul, as a passion. And so it is no coincidence that as my workshops have spread around the world, I now return home, to the places I adored to photograph. After Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru, the next location in my itinerary will be Sicily during the holy week of this year. They will be ten days of intense and stimulating work.
The theme of this workshop is to explore the fascinating island of Sicily in search of those daily moments of passion, pain and joy that have always accompanied Christ’s death and resurrection throughout the centuries. We will photograph religiosity, often lived tragically, and the pagan expressions within the rituals. And we will also photograph daily life in all its different aspects.
Our first meeting will take place on the first day of the workshop no later than noon time at the Palermo International Airport, Falcone Borsellino. Together with my assistants we will travel towards the western part of the island in the province of Trapani. There we will experience and photograph some of the most heart-felt events I have ever witnessed; the live Via Crucis performance in Marsala, the dramatic and unforgettable Misteri procession in Trapani that goes on for over thirty hours starting on holy Friday and ending well after noon on Saturday.
During the other days to our disposal, we will visit other inland little towns where we will be able to document new moments of this week charged with pathos. The last three days will be devoted entirely to the editing and the final selection of the best images taken by each student. The best photos of each participant will be included in the students’ gallery on my web-page.
Coming to Sicily will not simply be a photographic journey, it will also be an unforgettable human and culinary experience. You will find yourself immersed in a melting pot of unique and extraordinary cultures and architectures; you will get to know Sicilians first-hand, you will experience and photograph them in their daily existence, you will savor their delicious typical dishes of Sicilian cuisine including the to-die-for sweets.
Our base will be a 19th century villa by the sea just a few miles away by the famous Trapani salt-pans. Each morning, we will travel by car to the villages and little towns where the sacred processions will take place. Along the way, our eyes will fill up with the rolling hills in the province of Trapani, the harsh mountains in the interior of the island and the magnificent sea that caresses the coast.
As usual, I will only add, that it will be a great learning experience where we will share, as always, photography and life. EB
To receive further info and the cost of the workshop please write to: ernesto_bazan@hotmail.com or bazanphoto@yahoo.com
Air fare to Sicily
All major US carriers have non-stop daily flight to Rome. Alitalia is another good choice. Keep in mind that the earlier you book your flight the cheaper the airfare will be. From Rome you will have to catch another flight to Palermo. Please remember that you have to to arrive to Palermo by the late morning on the day the workshop start. We will be waiting for you just outside the arrival area to pick you up and take you to Trapani.
Accommodation
The first eight students that will enroll in the workshop will stay in the 19th century villa by the sea near the famous Trapani’s salt pans, the others will stay in a nice B&B close by.
Food
I believe that any extra word regarding the deliciousness of Sicilian food would be unnecessary. You should figure between $20 to 40 USD a day. When we will be traveling, we will often eat panini, pizzas and the famous arancine, stuffed riceballs. At night or during the three day editing, we will eat wonderful typical dishes in trattorie and restaurants in the area.
Refund Policy
I rely on your attendance to organize many of the workshops’ logistics, so if for any reason you decide to no longer attend the workshop, please notify me at least 60 days before the start of the workshop. At that time I will refund your fee minus $200 cancelation fee. If you cancel between 30 and 60 days before the start of the workshop I will retain $250 as a cancellation fee. If notification is made less than 30 days before the start of the workshop no monies will be refunded to you.
Please note that in case of exceptional and unforeseeable circumstances such as hurricanes, earthquakes, major floods, tsunami, a war or governments’ change of policies in the countries I teach courses, BazanPhotos will only offer as a refund a new workshop in any of the other venues during that same calendar year. No other forms of refunds will be available.
