SOLD OUT

In a few words:

What is it?  A Photography and videography workshop
Where? 1h45 mins south of Paris – France
When? August 3rd – 7th 2018
How much? 3100€
Availability: 0 spot

After last year’s amazing adventure of my first workshop as an organiser, I’ve decided to do it again. It’s too hard not to succumb to this bubble of creativity, to a few days of pure sorority.

I would like to invite you to the 2018 Photography, Filmmaking and Styling retreat, in France, in my childhood home.

THE PLACE:

One hour and forty minutes South of Paris, in the wine making region of Burgundy, my childhood home is the perfect backdrop for a beauty chasing retreat.

Nestled amongst the woods, in a very rural area of France, the house is surrounded by an old farm and its 3 buildings.

WHEN:

During 5 days and 4 nights: from August 3rd to 7th 2018

WHO:

Anyone who loves travelling and is interested in photography & videography: bloggers, stylists, photographers, or aspiring to be; creatives of all types; people who want to spend a few days amongst like-minded folks in the beautiful French countryside less than 2 hours from Paris. Beginners are most welcome, we will give you a solid basis to start. And for pros, we have a lineup of incredible talents to help you grow. It’s the ideal opportunity for you to build up or refresh a portfolio, add video to your palette of skills, learn how to photograph and direct a model, understand how to better follow an editorial brief and get your hands dirty with spectacular flower styling.

WHAT WILL WE SHOOT:

The French countryside is full of fabulous things to shoot. The veggie patch and the local market will provide beautiful fresh products to cook and shoot. The garden full of flowers, the forest and the ponds will create opportunities for very unique photos. The house is a 19th century old lady who’s the ideal setting for many unique vignettes and typically French scenes.
This year we will also have our own model to improve our portrait and fashion photography skills.

ACTIVITIES:

Weather permitting, we will visit the local countryside market and its stalls laden with hundreds of different sorts of cheeses, ripe and flavoursome fruits & veggies, meters of buttery brioche and many more. You’ll come with me to choose our giant cheese platter for the week.

And because we’re all prop hoarders, let’s not deny it, I’ll take you on a tour of the ultimate French “vide-grenier” (empty-attic) where charming village streets are lined up with tables covered with old plates, cutlery, and forgotten treasures for sale. This one (different from last year) is one of the largest events of this type in France with more than 1500 stalls and 7 kilometres of goodies!!

 

THE TEACHERS

5 incredibly talented women

RUBY BARBER

> Berlin based Australian flower stylist, creative consultant and florist

Styling our scenes and teaching: “How to create a spectacular table installation”

Bio: Ruby has launched her business Mary Lennox in Berlin, named after the character in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel The Secret Garden, a story which celebrates the beauty, mystery and rejuvenating qualities of nature.
With a mother gallerist and a dad photographer, she was bound to a creative carrier. Berlin was a bold move: she didn’t speak the language, she had only the experience of a little flower business operated from home but she hopped over all these obstacles and now thrives under her ultra successful brand. You wouldn’t believe the photos of her work every single person who spends a tad bit of time on social media has seen. It didn’t take long for incredible flower creations to attract the most eminent brands such as Christian Dior, Gucci or dreamy fashion label Lee Mathews…
She will be coming accompanied by her faithful and brilliant right hand Olivia Beattie and together with Annabelle Hickson, they will turn the place into an enchanted garden.

Getting to know her:

marylennox.de  |   @ruby_marylennox

Incredible bouquet created in the style of a painterly still life by Ruby Barber for Knauf Jewels

Work by Ruby Barber – Photography via Ruby Barber

LUCIE SASSIAT

> French fashion and lifestyle photographer

Teaching: How to photograph and direct a model under different lights and within different scenes.

Bio: Lucie works with major French brands such as Adidas, Charles Jourdan, Cire Trudon, and takes meaningful portraits of artists and celebrities.
What defines her is the immense respect and love she has for women and especially women she photographs: her muses. She has a beautiful eye for the feminine side of humanity. She’s definitely not your usual male fashion photographer…
She has accepted to share her very special approach to portraiture and will bring with her one of her favourite models.

Getting to know her:

@luciesassiat

Portrait by Lucie Sassiat

Photography Lucie Sassiat

XANTHE BERKELEY

> British photographer and filmmaker

Teaching: “How to create a dreamy mini-movie”

Bio: Xanthe is a very successful London artist who has created an online film-making school. Her little snippets of life are delightful. Her imagery makes you instantly happy. She manages to capture the essence of precious family moments and transforms seemingly mundane events into works of art, I’m talking vacuum cleaning, tea drinking or London tube riding.
I’ve been lucky to be the student of her “Make Films Course” and will never live my life the same way ever again. I desperately wanted her to come and teach in Burgundy last year and she was a real highlight of the retreat. This time again, she managed to make a little place in her very busy schedule for us.

Getting to know her:

xantheberkeley.com  |   @xantheb   |   e-Courses   |   Vimeo

Xanthe’s class during last year’s workshop

Photography Xanthe Berkeley

PETRINA TINSLAY

> Australian photographer

Teaching: Editorial photography, how to follow a magazine brief and tell a story with images.

Bio: Petrina has 26 years of experience in photography. She’s worked with the most prestigious brands and publications: magazines, books, cookbooks. There are so many, I’d better send you there to see what I’m talking about. She is Nigella Lawson’s photographer and many other top chefs and cookbook authors in the world. Because of these eminent clients she’s known for food photography but she’s also been assigned all sorts of stories which involve portrait, landscape, lifestyle, and interior photography. She has a knack to tell the real story hidden within her well chosen frames and she is eager to share that knowledge. And because she is the most adorable, talented and generous woman there is, I’m so happy she accepted to join the crew.

Getting to know her:

Petrinatinslay  |  @petrinatinslay

Photography Petrina Tinslay

Photography Petrina Tinslay

ANNABELLE HICKSON

> Australian journalist, stylist and photographer

Teaching: In the dream team along with Ruby Barber and Olivia Beattie, Annabelle will teach a masterclass in flower arrangement.

Bio: Annie is a super talented “slashie”. She is a brilliant photographer, a journalist for the top magazines in Australia, a book writer and a stylist. Everything she touches becomes gold. Her number one passion is for flowers and her motto is to use what you have around you to make your life more beautiful. You don’t necessarily need to buy expensive flowers to create a masterpiece. I can’t wait to read her soon to be released book about flower arrangements.

Getting to know her:

The Dailys  |   @annabellehickson

Annie cutting large branches of roses for a wedding in Walcha

Photography Annabelle Hickson

 

BEHIND THE SCENES TEAM

Sophie Bellard

She will be our head cook for this session. Sophie is an über-talented London based French recipe developer. The blog she created with her two sisters is a mine of incredibly beautiful and more importantly tasty recipes. She will bring to our little adventure her right hand and British cake expert Julia Rumsey.
Together they will use and enhance the very simple and fresh ingredients found in my Dad’s veggie patch and the local food market.

Getting to know her:

sisters-junction.com |  @sistersjunction

PLANNING

over 5 days – 4 nights

DAY 1 – Friday 3 August 2017

Morning* –  Train at Paris – Bercy – Get off at Joigny station.

Upon arrival* –  Bus pick-up from Joigny Station to the property.

2.00pm – 2.30pm  – Arrivals & Welcome afternoon tea.

2.30pm – 3.30pm – Introductions in the main house.

3.30pm – 5.30pm – Assisted by the teachers, I will launch the retreat by explaining photography basics including camera gear, manual shooting and the magic triangle of aperture, ISO and shutter speed to get the correct exposure.
Then we will go on a tour of the house and the garden.

5.30pm onwards – Time to settle in before a typical French apéritif and a “Table Spectaculaire” welcome dinner in the Barn.

*to be advised closer to the date

 

DAY 2 – Saturday 4 August 2017

8.00am – 8.45am  –  Breakfast in the main house.

9.00am – Departure for the local market.

9.30am – 11.30am – Free time at the market. Meeting point at the bus stop.

12.30pm – 2.00pm – Lunch in the main house.

2.00pm – 6.00pm – 3 groups of 4 people will attend one of these workshops for 4 hours. Groups will rotate and attend every single of the 4 workshops during the whole retreat.

> Xanthe will initiate you on the fundamentals of film-making which include: gear & music, different shooting angles, then slow-motion, time-lapse, how to shoot and edit them.
> Lucie will take you on a shooting tour of the property, hunting for the best spot to take dreamy portrait of her muse and model. She’s teach you how to direct a model and make the most of different scenes or backdrops
> Petrina is going to give you an editorial brief, the type a magazine would give her, and will show you how to tell a story following this brief. The last hours she will share her editing process.

6.00pm – 7.00pm – Time to rest with a local wine dégustation for apéritif, before our dress-up party. Bring your best 1950s outfit. Think the “Mad Men” crew went on a wine tour around Burgundy… Souvenir photo of our little group.

 

DAY 3 – Sunday 5 August 2017

7.00am – 7.45am – Breakfast in the garden with early photoshoot to get the best light!

8.00am  – Departure for the “Vide-Grenier” flea markets.

8.30am – 12.30am – Free time at the market. Meeting point at the bus stop.

1.00pm – 2.30pm – Lunch in the main house.

2.30pm – 6.30pm – 3 rotating groups of 4 people will attend a 4 hour workshop they didn’t attend the day before.

> Petrina, Lucie, and Xanthe will change students once again.

6.30pm – 7.00pm – Time to rest during an apéritif with local cider, wine and beer dégustation followed by a French Candle Light Dinner on the lawn.

 

DAY 4 – Monday 6 August 2017

8.00am – 8.45am – Breakfast in the main house.

9.00am  – 1.00pm  – 3 rotating groups of 4 people will attend each workshop they didn’t attend the day before.

> Petrina, Lucie, and Xanthe will change students once again.

1.00pm – 2.30pm – Lunch in the main house.

2.30pm – 6.30pm – Flower Styling and flower arrangement masterclass. First a demonstration by Ruby, Olivia and Annabelle on how to create a spectacular table installation.
Then 3 groups of 4 will have their own flower styling station with Ruby, Olivia or Annabelle.

6.30pm – 7.30pm – Time to rest before our now traditional apéritif and a Spectacular Dinner styled by all the participants with the help of our star stylists.

 

DAY 5 – Tuesday 7 August 2017

8.00am – 8.45am – Breakfast in the main house.

9.00am  – 1.00pm – {QUESTION TIME} Each teacher will answer your questions about shooting, editing, styling, business, social media and whatever comes to your mind.

1.00pm – 2.00pm – Good Bye Lunch

2.00pm – 3.00pm – Post Production demos. Each teacher will be on their laptop editing. Come around and see their process. Ask all the questions you want.

3.00pm – 4.00pm – Xanthe will demonstrate how to create a stop motion mini-movie.

4.00pm – 5.00pm – Time to pack

Bus to Joigny station*

*to be advised closer to the date

COST:

3100 Euros for 5 days and 4 nights, shared room (2 people max per room) all meals, drinks and accommodation included.
3350 Euros same but in a single room with private bathroom (2 available). SINGLE ROOMS BOOKED OUT

The method of payment is BANK TRANSFER only.

For the bank details Contact me.

To pay in two instalments, please contact me.

 

IMPORTANT:

> Transport from where you are to Joigny station and back is not included.
> A shuttle from the station to the house, for the markets tours and back to the station is at your disposal for free.
> Rooms are shared and the accommodation in the farm is quite basic. Bathrooms are shared.
> Sheets, towels, shampoo and soap are provided.
> Food and drinks are provided for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Drinks include wine and cider at dinner. We want you to have a clear mind for the afternoon sessions ;)
> If you have any allergy (food or other) let me know just after booking. We will do our best to accommodate dietary requirements and this will mean a careful preparation, so we need to know as early as possible. The food will be traditional countryside cuisine with lots of vegetables and fruits.
> August is the heart of Summer in France. Weather can be very hot but sometimes also very mild. It is usually dry but can be wet too. Summer clothes with a few light cardigans or vests will be perfect. Don’t forget to bring your costume for our dress-up party.
> There are only 12 spots available.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

Due to the involved logistics, no cancellations or refunds will be possible unless you find someone to replace you. Please make sure you can make it before booking. We also strongly encourage you to have travel insurance to cover the retreat in the event of strikes, natural disasters, health problems, and other unforeseen events.

VARIATIONS:

The program can be subject to variations depending mainly on the weather. But don’t worry, there will always be a great plan B as exciting as plan A but sheltered :)
In the event that a teacher is not able to attend, we will offer an alternative course of equal standard and quality.

Photography Annabelle Hickson

WHILE YOU’RE THERE:

This could well be the trip of a lifetime and you could maybe use these few days as a starting point for a longer French trip. Here are a few ideas:
– Visit the Burgundy vineyards starting from Chablis, Saint Bris le Vineux, Coulange-la-Vineuse, (about 50 mins from the house).
– Spending a few days in the city of light, Paris, is always a good idea…
– Discover France navigating on a barge along its canals. The famous “Canal de Bourgogne” is very close.
– Hop on a train or plane and visit Europe.

TO SUM IT UP:

“FRANCE with the Flo Show & friends” is actually many retreats or workshops in one. We will not talk about 1 style, 1 method, 1 type of photography. It will be a very thorough and intense series of ateliers where you’ll be given a really solid and artistic base by incredible people, each one with very different views, techniques and styles. We chose to create small groups of 4 people so you can properly access your teacher, take a real part of each course and project. You won’t queue to take a photo :) You will get to know these wonderful people who will be your teachers for these five days but also the other passionate attendants who could, who knows, collaborate with in the future.

CONNECT:

You will find more photos of the place on my Mum’s Instagram @marie_s_garden and on my Instagram @the.flo.show.
Feel free to spread the love by sharing this article with our hashtag #francewiththefloshow and by tagging me @the.flo.show.

MORE PHOTOS FROM LAST YEAR:

Our crew last year was absolutely fabulous too. They have published incredible blog posts about the 2017 retreat. Have a look at their own vision of the event: Annabelle Hickson part 1 and part 2, Xanthe Berkeley and our star cook Sophie Bellard.
And see a few mini-films shot in 2017: a general view of the workshop,  the 1920s dress-up party, Dinner at the Barn, Xanthe teaching flower throwing, Xanthe making a mini-movie, Chiaroscuro moments, and the veggie patch just after everyone had left.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

If you have any questions please contact me!

The house during last year’s dress-up party

Mini movie by Xanthe Berkeley which is the best way to sum up the atmosphere of the workshop