Photography at the Farm: Exceptional Workshop in Tuscany with Sarah Moon and Lorenzo Castore, accompanied by Laura Serani and Niccolò Hébel
Sarah Moon Portfolio
On this extremely rare occasion, Sarah Moon, world renowned photographer and film-maker, famous for her unique and poetic vision, author of several books, exhibitions and films, winner of prestigious awards, will be the keynote contributor to the next workshop held at the Fattoria Poggio di Fiesole, giving an extraordinary character to this session. This week-long class will be led by Lorenzo Castore, one of the most fascinating personalities in contemporary documentary photography who exhibits and conducts workshops all over the world.
They will be accompanied by Laura Serani, renowned curator and teacher and Niccolò Hébel, artistic director and publisher, coordinator of the workshop, who will participate throughout the various workshop sessions and other activities.
The friendship and professional respect between the four will provide participants with an even richer, organic way of understanding photography, and is an important added value.
Photo Sarah Moon
Photo Sarah Moon
The workshop will be held in the Tuscan Hills, at the Fattoria Poggio di Fiesole, agriturismo located in a centuries old farm house, a mere stone’s throw from Florence. The serene atmosphere of the farm provides the perfect setting for this immersive, week-long experience where students will learn, create, and live the small, yet extraordinary moments of daily life together in optimal accommodations.
At the end of the week, a public presentation of the work completed, followed by a lecture and a screening of Lorenzo Castore’s work and an exchange with the workshop team, will be organized with the Fondazione Studio Marangoni, a key photographic institution in Florence. A presentation of Sarah Moon films and a conversation with the artist will also be organized during the week.
Lorenzo Castore Portfolio
Workshop objectives
A unique experience with Sarah Moon and Lorenzo Castore.
Present all the week at the farm, Sarah Moon will introduce you into her visual universe; she will look at your previous and new works produced during the workshop, with Lorenzo Castore who will guide you every day all during the workshop.
An immersive workshop with the objective of helping you to start or evolues with a new project, by finding your visual writing, your way and style of telling a story. Portfolio readings, image analyses, individual and group discussions, daily shooting and editing sessions, with constant attention and listening.
Encouraging the development of personal photographic writing, based on an in-depth exploration of a territory at the center of art history and a jewel of landscape heritage, will be the keys to this stay. The presence of Sarah Moon her unique strong and empathic gaze is a real chance for participants as the opportunity to have her advise on your work.
Lorenzo Castore’s approach, his ability to convey his method and his personal commitment will guide each participant in the search for their own individual originality. Niccolò Hébel’s knowledge of the Italian photographic scene and the region’s terrain who lived in Florence, as well as his fluency in Italian, will allow participants to better understand the places and will facilitate exchanges; his expertise in independent publishing, audio-visual and scenography will help everyone to project themselves into the design and restitution of their work. Finally, the recognized and sought-after experience and perspective of Laura Serani, with her occasional interventions, from the reading of your portfolios to the final editing, contribute to the originality and richness of this workshop.
Photo Lorenzo Castore
Photo Lorenzo Castore
During the week a public event with Sarah Moon will be organized. On Saturday evening, a restitution of the work carried out during the workshop will be presented allowing for a dialogue with the public.
The workshop will take place (mainly) on the hills surrounding the Villa, during the richest and most interesting period of farm life, the olive harvest, practiced here still according to traditional methods.
The diversity of the timeless inspiring landscapes, pristine nature and architecture, the constantly changing light, the activities and life of the farm during the harvest, offer the opportunity to photograph places off the beaten track. Moreover, Florence, only 7 km away, offers all the possibilities that are needless to mention.
Fattoria Poggio di Fiesole, olive groves, Photo DR
PROGRAM
The week will be divided between daily photoshoots and editing sessions. Daily field trips and photoshoots will take place in the morning, with photo editing taking place in the afternoon. Editing focuses on constructive criticism, and advice is provided on how to create a personal photo series. The variety of places and situations will allow each participant to find their own photographic language by transcribing reality according to their sensitivity.
The workshop will commence with a welcome dinner and will consist of five days where participants fully immerse themselves in their personal projects, either together or separately. Various group outings will also be organized throughout the week, such as a wine tasting at a local winery and meals out at local restaurants. Final activities are still TBD. The final day of the workshop will include a public restitution of the work carried out during the workshop with a public screening and a meeting with Sarah Moon, Lorenzo Castore, Laura Serani et Niccolò Hèbel in Florence.
At the end of each day, exchanges will continue into the evening around the table to discuss the day’s activities and enjoy a well-selected local drink, preparing dinner with Niccolò, a cook in a previous life, nearby using local ingredients.
A sample schedule of each day is below. For a full schedule, please see the drop down box below titled Full Program.
8h30 Breakfast
9h30 Courses or photo shoots
13h Lunch
14h Editing / exchanges
17h Free time
20h Dinner
21h Exchanges and projections (videos, various photographic works, etc.)
* The schedule is subject to change.
WHERE
Fattoria Poggio di Fiesole Gallery
WHO
SARAH MOON
Sarah Moon develops her personal work around three themes: the evanescence of beauty, the uncertain and the passage of time. Fashion, but also nature, are very present in her images, always shrouded in blur. Particularly famous for her Polaroids, her half-tone photographs and her effaced faces, Sarah Moon has published numerous books, including Coïncidences, published by Robert Delpire, 1.2.3.4.5, which won the Nadar prize, Dior by Sarah Moon or Dialogue, created with Yohji Yamamoto.
She has also directed several feature and medium-length films on photography and photographers. Sarah Moon has received numerous awards for her work the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award for Applied Photography in 1985 and the grand Prix National de la Photographie in 1995. In 2025, she was awarded the Grand Prix de l’Académie des beaux-arts in photography. She has been exhibited and recognized throughout the world. In 2021, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris presented PasséPrésenta retrospective of her work.
Sarah Moon currently works and resides in Paris.
Instagram: @sarahmoon_official
LORENZO CASTORE
Lorenzo Castore was born in Firenze (1973) and lives in Rome. After an eventful childhood marked by constant changes of homes and context and an adolescence driven by the obsessive need to find his own way, one day in the early 90’s he stumbled upon photography: as a journey in the exterior and the inner world, he found in such way of expression what befitted his nature. Since then, he worked passionately, restlessly and with dedication, keep searching for an emotional tension which brings a sense of wonder. In 2011 a dramatic event changed his life and his relation with time. From then on, he started to look at what he was doing with new eyes and determination. An imaginary map of belonging was finally showing its shape. The passage of time forms a new alphabet, thus a new language, and stimulates a revelation: memory emerges, experience transforms into something much wider. Through photography he attempts to leave traces of a presence made from encounters and moments in the present, through which he tries to build a feeling of timeless belonging – his own reality. He thought of nothing but structuring his constellation, which should speak about his relation to others as much as about himself. Works born of casual encounters made outside his daily life alternate and are mixed with more strictly autobiographical ones: the latter could not exist without the former. Ultimately, his work is characterized by long term projects focusing on personal experience, memory and the relation between individual stories, history and the present time.
His work is widely internationally exhibited and he published twelve monographic books and he has realised four short films: No Peace Without War (2012), Sogno #5 (2013), Casarola (2014) and W (2022).
Lorenzo Castore teaches and participates regularly in different work-shops in Europe. He is currently represented by Guido Costa Projects, Turin; Galerie Anne Clergue, Arles; Alessia Paladini Gallery, Milan; Spot Home Gallery, Naples.
Website: www.lorenzocastore.com
Instagram: @lorenzocastore
LAURA SERANI
Artistic director and independent curator, Laura Serani has realized numerous exhibitions, most recently Utopia by Georges Rousse at the Abbaye de la Celle, on the program of the Grand Arles Express 2025, and Le Siècle des Vacances, de la villeggiature au tourisme de masse, a collective exhibition from the Fnac Collection, at the Franciscaines in Deauville. Director of the Deauville Festival, Planches Contact, from 2019 to 2024, she was previously co-artistic director of the Rencontres de Bamako in Mali, artistic delegate of the Mois de la Photo in Paris and, in Italy, curator for Fotografia Europea in Reggio Emilia and director of SiFest. In 2016, she launched Omnibus Circus, an open, nomadic and ephemeral gallery and stage. From 1985 to 2006, L.S. built the Fnac Collection and directed the Fnac Galleries in Europe, Brazil and Taiwan. Author of numerous works and books, L.S. has taught at the ENS Louis Lumière, participates since 2018 in Oeildeep masterclasses, is a member of the board of directors of Lux, an Oracle Member, and forms part of various juries and is a nominator for various awards. (Oskar Barnack, Leica Award, Prix Pictet, Prix Niepce, Hasselblad, etc.)
Born in Pisa, Italy, she lives in Paris.
Instagram: @lauraserani
LinkedIn: Laura Serani
Photo by Melina Mulas
NICCOLÒ HÉBEL
Co-founder and co-director of Club Mopasa, a cultural center organizing artist residencies, workshops, and exhibitions in Mexico City, opened in 2023. Niccolò Hébel is the curator of the Biennale FOTOSEPTIEMBRE in Mexico 2026.
Curator, artistic director, scenographer and producer he has collaborated with several realities and institutions, as recently with production and scenography of Utopia of Georges Rousse at the Abbaye de la Celle. From 2020 to 2024, he collaborated with the Festival Planches Contact in Deauville. Previously he was in charged of various exhibitions and multimedia projects, notably for FIAF New York, Milano Photo Week, Milano Digital Week, BASE Milano, the Hamburg Triennial of Photography, the Circulation(s) Festival, the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris, Agence Rumeur, the PX3 Prize, etc. In 2017, Niccolò launched the How Far Now project, in which he invites groups of young migrants to document their daily lives through self-produced images. These workshops, which result in zines and exhibitions, serve as a pretext to foster interactions between established local communities and newcomers. This project also led him to work with young people in situations of social and/or psychological vulnerability during workshops with Minotauro in Milan. In 2016 he founded the fanzine label Zine Tonic (2016-2021) and the traveling bookstore FotoGang (2017-2020), which later opened in Milan. Born in 1993 in Paris, he lives between France and Mexico.
Instagram: @club_mopasa
Photo Alejandra Hauser
FULL PROGRAM
The week will be divided between daily photoshoots and editing sessions. Daily field trips and photoshoots will take place in the morning, with photo editing taking place in the afternoon. Editing focuses on constructive criticism, and advice is provided on how to create a personal photo series. The variety of places and situations will allow each participant to find their own photographic language by transcribing reality according to their sensitivity.
The public presentation of the work produced, in the form of a screening during an evening at the Studio Marangoni Foundation in Florence, allows for exchange and confrontation with other realities and actors in the photographic scene.
* The schedule is subject to changes.
19 October, Monday: Arrival from 15h
Welcome to the farm!
- 17h Farm Tour: The farm welcomes guests with an official tour of the estate, olive groves, and oil cellar to introduce them to the setting for the following week’s stay. A tasting and aperitif follow.
- 20h Dinner: A dinner is organized at the farm, an opportunity to get to know each other and see the details of the program.
20 – 23 October, Tuesday to Friday:
Four full days where participants fully immerse themselves in their personal projects, either together or separately. Each day will include group time, individual time with the team and time alone to work on your projects. Various group outings will also be organized throughout the week, such as a wine tasting at a local winery and meals out at local restaurants. Final activities are still TBD.
At the end of each day, exchanges will continue into the evening around the table to discuss the day’s activities and enjoy a well-selected local drink, preparing dinner with Niccolò, a cook in a previous life, nearby using local ingredients.
- 8h30 Breakfast
- 9h30 Courses or photo shoots
- 13h Lunch
- 14h Editing / exchanges
- 17h Free time
- 20h Dinner
- 21h Exchanges and projections (videos, various photographic works, etc.)
24 October, Saturday:
All day, final editing in preparation for the evening screening. Public restitution of the work carried out during the workshop during a public screening and a meeting with Sarah Moon, Lorenzo Castore, Laura Serani et Niccolò Hèbel in Florence.
- 8h30 Breakfast
- 9h30 Final editing preparation for evening screening
- 13h Lunch
- 14h Final editing preparation for evening screening.
- 20h Dinner in town.
- 21h30 Final public screening at the Studio Marangoni Foundation in Florence.
25 October, Sunday: Departure
- 8h30 Breakfast
- 12h Check out
**Possibility to extend your stay with a supplement.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN
The course will be conducted in primarily English, French, and Italian. The organizer of the workshop, Niccolo Hebel, also speaks Spanish and can translate when necesary.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Accommodation in a private or shared room on the farm. Each room is part of a full apartment with a living room, kitchen, and private outdoor space.
- All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
- All activities planned by the workshop, including the organization of the final public screening in Florence.
- All transportation during the stay for participants except for arrival to the farm on Monday and departure on Sunday. Please note, participants and individuals accompanying workshop participants, are responsible for their own transportation when not traveling with the workshop group, ie a personal trip to Florence.
Tourist taxes. - A guided tour of the farm and olive groves and a tasting of organic olive oil and honey.
DETAILS ABOUT ACCOMMODATIONS
WORKSHOP FEES
A 30% non-refundable deposit is required to secure your reservation, with the remaining balance due by September 20. Payments can be made by bank transfer or credit card.
SHARED ROOM: 3,000€ per person
This package includes a room shared by two participants with two single beds and a bathroom, the bathroom is shared only with the roommate.
PRIVATE ROOM: 3850€
This package includes a private room and bathroom (This fee is for participants who will have a private room and bathroom, without a guest).
ACCOMPANIED STUDENT: 3,000€ student + 2,500€ for guest
This package is designed for students who will be accompanied by a guest who is not participating in the program. The student and their guest will share a bedroom and a bathroom with each other. The student will have access to the entirety of the workshop package, which includes sessions with workshop leaders, housing, meals, tours, transportation for organized group tours and other amenities. Meanwhile, the guest’s fee encompasses housing, meals (including breakfast, lunch, and dinner), and tours; however, it does not cover participation in the daily sessions with the workshop leaders. The guest fee includes transportation for organized group tours, but does not include personal transportation (i.e. a trip to Florence not organized with the group.) For more autonomy, guests may want to consider renting a car.
REGISTRATION & MORE INFORMATION
A 30% non-refundable deposit is required to secure your reservation, with the remaining balance due by September 20. Payments can be made by bank transfer or credit card.
Please specify:
Full name.
Provenance.
Desired language.
Room preference (private or shared).
A brief summary of the project you would like to work on (you can change projects before the start of the workshop).
Level of experience in photography.
Other information about you, that you would like to share.
MATERIAL REQUIRED
- Your digital camera, a single lens and its accessories (extra batteries, memory cards, image transfer cable to a computer, USB key, external hard drive, etc.).
- Personal computer.
- Between 15 and 20 small PRINTED photos (up to A4 format). Each participant will show their photographic prints at our first meeting on Tuesday.. They will be analyzed, discussed, and will serve as a starting point to better guide future images.
- A notebook or recorder to facilitate note-taking during the workshop as many references on photographers, books, major exhibitions, locations, etc. will be given at all times.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
The number of participants is limited to 8 people, a minimum of 4 participants is required for the workshop to take place.
If there are less than 8 registered students, we can open the course to external students three months before the event to reach 8 students. The fee would be 2500€. These students would not sleep or have breakfast at the farm and would be responsible for transportation to and from the farm each day.