Photography Workshops 2025 are now open for bookings:
Allonne, France: 6-10th May (SOLD OUT)
Kamari Corinthias, Greece: 17-23rd September (SOLD OUT)
to be added to the waitlist or register your interest for our 2026 retreats, send an email to: lenachantalphotographyretreats@gmail.com
Photography Workshop Retreats
Join Chantal, Lena and a group of like-minded creatives on our five day photo retreats where we invite you to take that step further with your photography practise, connect with new people from around the world and get inspired! Our workshop retreats offer dedicated time to create, build new friendships and make meaningful photos in a relaxed and beautiful setting.
Come and join us! ♡
Our vision
Come and join Chantal Convertini and Lena Aires on their photography workshop retreats where they curate a warm and creative space for you to learn, connect with others, share your passion of photography and feel inspired.
Chantal and Lena host their workshop retreats all over Europe and welcome all levels of photographers from beginners to those who are more advanced. At the retreats they share their knowledge and experience of photography (with a particular focus on portraiture) teaching you a series of masterclasses that run through all the tips, tricks and techniques to help you make photographs you love.
There are currently two retreats running each year - one around in May to catch the early Summer and one in the Autumn in early October to enjoy the last light before Winter sets in.
An intensive programme which aims to teach and inspire..
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 and come away with new ideas and a fresh approach to your practice.
The retreats offer a fully immersive experience from morning to night! The programme includes three masterclass sessions which include practical portrait shooting demonstrations, activities and exercises which focus on the technical side of photography as well as how to find inspiration and delve deeper into your practise. For those who want to learn more about shooting film and specifically self-portraiture on film, we have a dedicated Fundamentals of Film session where we teach you everything we know about getting the most out of film, and a self-portrait masterclass. We also cover topics such as how to work with models, how to use lighting to create specific effects, perfecting exposure and how to use props, space and style to create the photographs you want.
The retreats are designed for all photography levels, film and digital - whether you are a complete beginner looking to learn the basics or you are an advanced photographer looking to find new inspiration and meet new people.
Aside from a jam packed programme, we set aside ample time for spontaneity, improvisation and social time! As we tailor each experience according to the group, location and everyone’s energy/mood, each retreat is often very different and we are always blown away by the creativity that comes out of them!
Food, wine and good conversation..
During the retreat you will no doubt create relentlessly and be filled with ideas but around the constant sound of shutters firing, there will be plenty of time to rest, relax, have good conversation, eat delicious food and drink good wine (all of which are included in your ticket :)
The house - a beautiful space with charm, light and comfort
For each retreat we spend a lot of time finding the right location to host our group. We look for houses that serve as the perfect back drop for photography —a space that has lots of natural light, charming decor and enough outdoor space such as a big garden and/or pool so we can fully relax and enjoy the pleasures of nature. The house has to have character and atmosphere, somewhere we feel comfortable and somewhere we feel inspired to make photos.
Previously we have hosted our retreats in a medieval Portuguese villa, a traditional French chateau, a mountainside villa outside of Rome that was once an ancient monastery, and in 2023 we spent our days in a seaside villa in Greece that came with its own private beach. For each retreat we have our own personal chef who makes us lunch and dinner (usually a cuisine that is authentic to our location) and for breakfast we offer a continental style buffet with cereals, fruits, eggs, bread and local meats and cheeses.
Connecting with like-minded creatives
People who have attended our retreats have travelled from all over the world to join us, many of whom have only picked up a camera once and others who have been shooting for years. It’s always so heart warming to see a group of strangers travel from afar, gather in one corner of the world and become close companions over the course of a few days simply through the shared passion of photography. Check out our testimonials at the end of this page to learn more.
What’s included in the retreat?
Four nights of accommodation in our beautiful villa (usually a variety of single and shared rooms)
Full board of nourishment - this includes three meals a day - breakfast, a homemade warm lunch and dinner and an afternoon selection of tea, local cakes and biscuits. We also supply some alcoholic drinks for the first night.
Full programme - this includes three masterclass sessions on portrait shooting, fundamentals of film and self-portraiture. We also teach several demonstrations and a range of curated exercises and activities to get you shooting, modelling and creating with others.
The opportunity to have a one-on-one shoot with Chantal and Lena individually and have your portrait taken by us.
Discounted film development and scanning at Southsun Film Lab
Gifted film
Additional gifts from Chanti and I
(Not included: your airfare and any transportation to and from the villa)
Upcoming Retreats
6-10th May, Allonne, France: (SOLD OUT)
17-23rd September, Kamari Corinthias, Greece: Women’s Only Retreat (SOLD OUT)
Previous retreats
2024 - Tuscany & Sweden
2023 - Malaga & Thessaloniki
2022 - Normandy & Rome
2021- Porto.
Come and create with us at our next retreat!
For more information on our 2026 retreats send an email of interest to: lenachantalphotographyretreats@gmail.com or you can subscribe to Chanti’s newsletter where you’ll be the first to know about the retreats before we officially launch on our social platforms.
See below for photos and testimonials from our previous workshops.
We hope to meet you soon!
Lena and Chantal xx
Testimonials
“Living in such an amazing creative bubble with so many special humans has been incredible. Thank you all for your kindness and company and love and for creating a safe space to simply be ourselves.”
“What an amazing weekend; I’m so grateful to Chanti and Lena for having this workshop and for all you beautiful people being so amazing!”
“I loved our crazy little world and it changed my perspective on so many things..didn’t think I end up at the brink of crying after such a short time!”
“So many memories, photo lessons and life lessons. This was really priceless.”
“I can’t thank you enough Chanti and Lena for getting us together, and everyone for their beautiful energy, beautiful souls.. thank you for trusting me in my craziness, you made me feel loved, creative, alive and happy!”
“I am so happy with so many pictures, I didn’t expect that…It’s all thanks to you guys. You and Chanti showed me it’s possible. I never thought I’ll be taking portraits of other people and now I know I can and I’m not particularly bad at it!”
“What a weekend…still overwhelmed by all the emotions. I’m sure the energy I got from you all will keep me going for weeks!!”
“It was so amazing learning from you all and being in this creative wonderland! Thank you Chanti and Lena for creating this beautiful safe space for us to take photos!”
“This weekend reminded me of how beautiful humanity is, how there is connection and hope and joy right at our fingertips when we choose to reach for it”
“Thank you for these days of letting guards and masks down, hopping out of comfort zones, thank you for touching my heart..I am so grateful that I had and am still having this short, endless, enormous, little tiny universe with you all. It made me feel seen, loved and so alive!”
“I haven’t felt this fulfilled in a while..it was like being children again, asking all the questions, digging deeper into one another, eating together, laughing together, making art together..I thought I’d only learn about film but I got so much more. ”
“I find it hard to connect with people, and to have had such deep, meaningful moments with everyone personally at the workshop, and all at once, it’s hard to let that go!”
“I’m still not able to find words for what I’m feeling since we left the beautiful villa. This weekend was exactly what I needed!”
“The experience of meeting all of you and being photographed by kind, accepting, non-judgemental people is very healing. To be surrounded by beautiful souls who don’t judge and just see you as you are.”
“A constant exchange of trust mixed with encouragement, appreciation, common goals, shared passion, and a very similar taste in beauty. And a lack of judgement or rejection. And it helped that we were also in a photographer’s playground!”
“I feel like we were all in a big bubble of enormous empathy..”