Alaskan & Tuscany Photo Adventures
Offering two traveling photo/videography workshops in Alaska and one Combination photography/videography and culinary workshop in the Tuscan region of Italy
Your Director 
Luca Bracali
Luca has been travelling around the world for more than twenty years to describe different places, cultures and civilizations. He writes and photographs for the leading Italian magazines dealing with sports, travel and tourism. He has received prestigious international awards for his photography from Canon and Fuji. He has made a guest appearance on different television, satellite TV and radio programmes, taking part in live talk-shows, interviews and TV news. His love for adventure accounts for the various journeys he has organized in cooperation with leading car and motorcar manufacturers to reach such extreme destinations as Mongolia, the Svalbard islands, Botswana and Yukon. His assignments have taken him around the world several times and so far he has visited some 115 countries in the 7 continents. He has covered F1 events and motorcycle championships for several years and currently deals with the fashion sector as well. His most impressive reports include a scoop on Michael Schumacher, a reportage on the hole in the ozone layer in the Antarctica and an interview with the last of the cannibals in Papua New Guinea. He is a member of the International Club of Great Travellers, whose honorary president is Prince Albert of Monaco.
In December 2006 his first book I Colori del Viaggio (“The colours of the Journey”) was published and later defined by critics as “one of the most remarkable photographic books of the last decade”. Thanks to this work he received the first award at an international contest and was reviewed by more than 30 newspapers, including the daily Il Corriere della Sera, the monthly magazine Panorama, the National Geographic and the national TV network Rai 1. He signed a story for the weekly L’Espresso and published for the Lonely Planet, while I-Quality magazine describes him as “…one of the few Italian photographers at international level in the art of geographical and anthropological reportage photography”.
In 2007 he began teaching photography at the prestigious university for foreign students “Lorenzo de Medici” of Florence and at the professional school of photography “TheDarkroom”. In March 2008 his most ambitious project “Artic Sun on my path” took place. This enterprise lasted over 30 days during which, at temperatures reaching 50° C below zero, he travelled by snowmobile across the icy land stretching endlessly from Canada to Alaska to follow migrating polar bears and to trace the last existing Inuits, in an attempt to report on the environmental and climatic changes affecting our planet in that region. This human adventure also represented a technological challenge for the media that covered this event through the “live” Iridium/Geomat satellite system, showing the route followed on Google maps. This journey was officially reported by Ansa (the National Press Agency) but it also appeared in many articles published in the most important Italian national newspapers. In addition, the main radio networks followed this enterprise, airing three live interviews conducted via satellite link.
Luca Bracali is represented in Italy and abroad by the International Photo Press Agency, Nazca Pictures (www.nazcapictures.com) and sponsored by TheDarkroom School of Photography (http://www.thedarkroom.it/)
Videography 
Instructor
Diego Nicoletti
A graduate of the University of Studies at Padova, Italy and listed in the National Engineering register. He holds a High Diploma from the National Academy of Art and Cinematography in Bologna, Italy in Video Direction and Production. He is also very knowledgeable with video editing software such as Final Cut, Adobe Premiere, Avid Xpress, Frame Forge 3D and has acquired a professional certificate in After Effects. His experience includes Computer graphics software including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe In-design and Freehand.
Diego has extensive experience in product marketing, promotion and graphic design. He has participated in many projects filling positions such as scriptwriter, production, Steady Cam and photography assistant director, photography director, video/audio editor working on post production and editing in HD and as a camera operator for theatrical performances.
He has been instrumental in the production of several releases for television including Trip of a Life Time in Venice, a History Channel production (for the Discovery Channel), Sensation 2008 - a special on Carnival events in Venice, 2008: The New Year of Love in Venice Italy - an original New Year’s Eve in Venice, Dancalia e ancora Dancalia - a video reportage of the athletic challenge of Amerigo Puntelli, runner and fashion model for The North Face company about his expedition in the desert of Dancalia, The Middle Age a 6 part/ 6 hour documentary and I’m Mestre, a documentary on the city of Mestre.
Most recently he teamed up with Luca Bracali, Fabrizio Antonelli and Jim Trombley as the main videographer, video/audio editor and post production assistant director for the documentary, Artic Sun on My Path. A project that arose from the need to understand, live and report on Arctic life in view of the latest climatic changes that are affecting the northern regions of Alaska and Canada.
Diego will provide instruction in documentary and photographic reportage, video composition and video editing.
Logistics Manager 
Jim Trombley
An Alaskan resident of more than 40 years, will provide his unique perspective on Alaska, its communities, wildlife and inhabitants as you travel to workshop and photography locations around the state.
"Growing up in Alaska was like living in heaven as far as I was concerned. My love of the outdoors was fostered by the Boy Scouts and through those experiences was able to explore many wonderful areas of the state. It only wetted my appetite for more. Hiking, camping, fishing and hunting became some of my most passionate activities. As time allowed I was able explore more of "The Great Land" on my own. I couldn't get enough. Summer days and long summer nights, were spent on the banks of a creek, river or a lake fishing. Even the winter months found me out exploring the countryside."
"It was only a matter of time before photography would become another one of my passions. All the time spent growing up in the outdoors in Alaska brought so many wonderful memories. I not only wanted to share those memories and sights with others but to relive them again and again."
A graduate of the New York Institute of Photography, Jim knows what photographers are looking for and works hard to put you in the right place to fulfill those needs.
Your Chef, Fabio Guelfi
Trained in the culinary arts of the classic and modern Italian kitchen as well as the regional Tuscan kitchen with additional experience producing mouthwatering pasteries and cakes. Chef Fabio brings his skills to life in our culinary program. Fluent in Italian, Spanish, French and English he brings over 25 years of not only working but teaching experience into the kitchen.
A native of Pisa, Chef Fabio obtained his chef diploma from the Instituto Alberghiero Professionale at Montecatini. He gained valuable experience at various exclusive restaurants in Northern Tuscany and Elba. Chef Fabio has travelled and worked extensively throughout Europe and the United States as master and executive chef in many prestigious establishments in London, Geneva and New York including the legendary Daphne’s in Chelsea, London and the Toscana Ristorante in Ridgefield Connecticut where the New York Times rated him as ‘very good indeed’. Chef Fabio has a passion for true Tuscan cuisine, both traditional and contemporary and believes that great regional cuisine comes from an understanding of how to utilize seasonal produce.
Our Italian cooking classes are totally hands-on instruction. Chef Fabio will teach you the skills and techniques required to prepare beautiful Italian dishes. His warm personality will make you feel comfortable and his teaching methods will make you fully capable of producing some of Italy's most famous dishes.
Photography School
The Darkroom School of Photography in Florence, Italy is an official sponsor for Alaskan & Tuscany Photo Adventures. Workshops offered by Alaskan & Tuscany Photo Adventures can include additional classroom instruction for credit from The Darkroom. Additional information about The Darkroom School of Photography and courses of study offered can be found by selecting the link below.
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