Lena and Chantal’s Photography Retreat Vol.8
Join us on our next adventure in Allonne, North France, 6th -10th May!
5 days 4 nights accommodation in a beautiful French chateau
Full programme of teachings & photo masterclasses to inspire you to create and build connections with like-minded souls
Endless, round the clock flow of shooting to enhance your portfolio and improve your vision
Fun exercises and meaningful inputs to guide you
Full board of delicious food
Connections, learning and creativity await you! Read on to find out more!
Hosted by Chantal Convertini and Lena Aires
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting our next photography retreat in Allonne, France from 6th - 10th May 2025 in a beautiful French Chateau which has been in the same family for over 300 years. The castle is bursting with character — colourful rooms, high ceilings and huge windows which will be the most interesting canvas for our photography!
In addition to the charming interiors, the house has a huge garden with wild flowers, trees and a private tennis court. We are thrilled to host a retreat in such a beautiful part of France, and less than two hours from central Paris. We look forward to cooking up some classic French dishes to keep us feeling energised and nourished throughout our stay. We can’t wait to get shooting in this flamboyant castle and stunning grounds! If you decide to join us, this is what will be included in the cost of your ticket:
Full board accommodation in our beautiful chateau (mainly shared rooms and lots of shared bathrooms)
All food and drink for the duration of your stay cooked by our private chef - this includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and some alcoholic drinks.
A full programme of planned activities, masterclass teaching sessions and shoot demonstrations
Special gifts from Chantal and Lena
Discounted film development by Southsun Film Lab
Your hosts..
Lena and Chantal
Lena is a film photographer living in London in the UK. She loves to make intimate, documentary style portraiture and self-portraiture, as well as still life and landscape. She particularly loves to photograph people in a natural and candid way. Lena released her first book in 2024 and is working on several personal projects with an aim to make more. Aside from photography, Lena loves spending her time looking through art books, reading about the cosmos, practising yoga and exploring nature with her camera.
Chantal is a photographer and artist from Switzerland. Her most intimate work is created in a series of self portraits, something she has practised continuously since 2016 as a way to document and express herself. Another central theme to her work is capturing others, mostly those who are close to her, and she enjoys photographing them using the same process and techniques she uses to capture herself. Chantal lives and works in Basel and next to photography enjoys travelling, dance and reading.
What to expect - creativity, inspiration and connection..
In an increasingly digital world, our retreats offer artists the opportunity to actually work together face to face, to collaborate creatively, challenge each other in new ways and create a ton of new work. The retreats offer a fully immersive experience from morning to night.
Over the course of four nights and five days Chantal and Lena invite you to a communal creative space where you can learn, share knowledge and experience, eat homemade meals and come away with new ideas and a fresh approach to your practice. The retreat involves three portrait shooting masterclasses, shoot demonstrations and lots of activities that aim to teach you about the technical side of photography as well as how to delve deeper into your own personal practise.
For those who want to learn more about shooting film and specifically self-portraiture on film, or for those who would like to dip a toe into analogue photography but don’t know where to start, we have a dedicated Fundamentals of Film session and Self-Portraits on Film session with lots of tips, tricks and techniques for you:)
Aside from these inputs, there will be plenty of time to relax, explore the surrounding nature or try out the tennis court and ping pong room. In and amongst all the creative tasks there will be time to enjoy good conversation, eat delicious food and drink good wine. These get-togethers are designed for any level of photographer, film or digital - whether you are a complete beginner looking to learn the basics, or an advanced photographer looking to find new inspiration and meet new people. Our retreats offer time spent away from one’s normal life, to take refuge, to ignite that creative spark and challenge yourself to take a new approach to your own work.
For more information on the vision behind our retreats and to see more photographs and testimonials, check out the ‘retreats’ page at the top of this page and visit Chantal’s webpage.
Location…
Our beautiful French chateau is located near a small town called Allonne in the Oise province of Northern France and close by Beauvais cathedral. The nearest airport is Paris Charles De Gaulle which is only 50 minutes by car.
The house - a flamboyant castle with beautiful light and characterful decor..
We will be staying in a charming French chateau surrounded by acres of private land. The house has a rich history with lots of historical features that give it so much character, colour and charm. Inside the house there is a range of shared bedrooms and private bedrooms, over eight bathrooms, a large kitchen, living area, dining area, games room and free wifi. The house also comes with its own private tennis courts.
Dates and timings…
We will officially start our adventure on Tuesday 6th May at 2pm but you are welcome to arrive anytime between 12 and 2pm to get relaxed and unpacked in the house or explore the grounds and get shooting! The first day we’ll start with some gentle introductions to get us into the shooting mode and we’ll then start with our first masterclass session later in the afternoon. The official end of the retreat is Saturday 10th May when we are all required to check out in the morning by 10am sharp.
Food
All food and drink is included with your ticket price. We have a private chef cooking for us so expect a delicious and French inspired lunch and dinner. For breakfast we will prepare a help yourself style continental style brunch of cereals, fruits, bread and local meats and cheeses. We will provide lots of vegetarian options and some meat dishes to ensure all needs are catered for. We supply a small amount of alcohol for each evening meal but we usually suggest that those who would like can bring a bottle of their choice for the group and we all share. Please let us know of any allergies or dietary requirements you may have in advance so that we can plan the menu accordingly.
Cost and how to buy your ticket..
The cost of the retreat is 1750CHF / £1550 per person and includes shared accommodation in the villa and breakfast, lunch and dinner during your five day stay.
If you are ready to book you will need to make a deposit of either 750CHF (with the remaining 1000CHF to be paid 4 weeks prior to the retreat) or you can pay £550 (with the remaining £1000 to be paid 4 weeks prior to the retreat). To do this please send an email to lenachantalphotographyretreats@gmail.com telling us a bit about yourself, your photography journey and why you would like to join us on the retreat. Once you are ready to book your ticket we will send you a private payment link where you will be able to securely pay either in GBP or CHF via bank transfer, PayPal, ApplePay, credit card or bank transfer depending on which currency you decide to pay in.
Once we have received your deposit, you will get a confirmation email from us and your place is confirmed! This amount will then be deducted from the final fee (please bear in mind that the deposit is non-refundable - Ts&Cs will be sent to you along with the payment details). You can also pay in instalments if you would like, just let us know, we are happy to accommodate your needs.
We hope you can join us in France in May!
Much love,
Chantal and Lena xx
FAQs
I am a beginner when it comes to analogue photography, can I still join?
Absolutely! Our retreats are created for all levels of photographer, from beginners through to advanced. There is a dedicated Fundamentals of Film session where we go through all the basics to help you get set up. Alternatively, if you are advanced you can skip this session and join in with the others ones we offer.
What cameras / gear do I need to bring to the retreat?
All we ask if that you bring at least one working camera (it’s important that this camera has been tested and you know 100% works) and possibly a second spare camera if you have one just incase! We welcome all kinds of cameras and gear, it is totally up to you - film cameras, digital cameras, video cameras, super 8s, medium formats, polaroids, point and shoots - whatever you feel comfortable using or even some new gear you want to experiment with.
Will I have to share a room in the house?
We try our best to find houses that have private rooms but usually most of the houses have a selection of shared rooms with some private rooms. Most of the time you will be sharing with one other person (we always put women together and men together). In a shared room you will have your own single bed or occasionally you will have to share a twin bed. We try our best to accommodate everyone and if you don’t feel comfortable sharing we’ll try our best to make sure you have your own bed or your own room. So long as we know in advance, we can organise the rooms etc according to your preference. Usually we never have any problems and sharing a room can also invite closer connections and friendships.
Will I be asked to model for others?
Yes! but only if you feel comfortable. Our workshops are very fluid with constant creation and collaboration. Shooting with others, both in front of and behind the lens are fundamental to our vision for the retreats as we believe it is only through this interplay that you can really gain knowledge and experience and also make meaningful connections with others. Our workshops are always a safe, inclusive space with open communication and you will never be asked to do something you’re not comfortable with.
Do I have to be a certain age / gender to join your retreats?
We welcome all genders and ages and we strive to be inclusive and diverse when creating our group of participants. We have had people from all walks of life join us of all ages and backgrounds.
Is there a set programme for the retreat and when will I receive more information on this?
Yes we have a full programme of teachings and demonstrations that we plan for each and every retreat. We also allow time for relaxation and spontaneity so you will have plenty of time to yourself as well as our guided sessions. Once you book and pay your deposit you will receive the full programme, the full address, itinerary, packing list, location and travel instructions as well as an invite to our private what’s app group so you can travel with others to the house.
How do I get to the house from the airport?
Your ticket does not include transfers to the house so you will have to make your own way there, however, usually for every retreat the participants communicate via our what’s app group and end up travelling to the house together - either by sharing taxi’s, car rides or buses/trains etc. If you don’t manage to travel with someone because of a late flight etc, then we will always find a way to get you to the house so no worries about that!