Register Now! Photo Workshop in Provence June 2025 with Catherine Karnow

National Geographic photographer Catherine Karnow’s fabulous photo workshop in Provence, which will take place from June 1 to 11, 2025, is now open for registration! These workshops have space for eight (8) guests.

Picture Perfect Provence

Catherine Karnow is a talented photographer who designs and leads some of the world’s best photo workshops, including Provence, Romania, Puglia, Kashmir, and Vietnam & Cambodia. Her annual Provence Luxury Photo Workshop takes place in the Var, the wilder part of Provence, with ancient stone walls, olive trees, cypress trees reminiscent of nearby Italy, and the roses of May, grown for Dior and Chanel. Life can feel unchanged from decades ago in the quiet, perched hill villages. From high, you get glimpses of the turquoise Mediterranean, which inspired Picasso and Matisse. This workshop is truly an off-the-beaten-path Provence experience, both rustic and luxurious.

Photo Workshop Program Details

Unpack once at La Bastide, the “home” base for the Provence Photo Workshop. This magnificent luxury villa has a heated pool, all en-suite rooms, and numerous terraces for dining while enjoying stunning views of the perched village of Callian.

No one needs to worry about meals as a private chef, the extraordinarily talented Louise Robertson, prepares scrumptious and super-healthy food.

The workshop occurs in early June, a perfect time of year in the South of France.

Catherine’s workshops run seamlessly. These are highly professional trips with great attention to detail.
 A top-notch teacher, she ensures the workshop provides learning opportunities with on-location guidance, educational classes, group projections, and private critiques.

All levels of photographers are welcome, as are spouses/partners who have a limited interest in photography!

Provence Photo Workshop is a small workshop with a maximum of eight (8) guests. This is small-group luxury travel at its best.

“The Provence workshop went way beyond expectations and I loved that it felt so local and not touristy – a special “peek” into real life in France! Real places. Real people. Thank you for a really fabulous experience in the true French countryside! It was beyond our dreams and expectations!”

Provence Workshop Experiences

Riding in and photographing vintage ‘2CV’ Citroens, then gathering with the drivers for a fun picnic lunch under the plane trees.

Learning about the region’s famous artists, such as Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, and others, from a dynamic English-speaking art expert.

Photographing inside Matisse’s Chapel, where his famous stained glass windows will take your breath away – permission to shoot here is rare.

Tasting the famous rosés of Provence, shooting, and having lunch at a super-photogenic winery with the
 most extensive private collection of modern art in Europe.

Sailing on the French Riviera along the rocky red coast of the Estérel.

2025 cost $9980 per person

Click here for the full workshop details.

Talented Photographer Bio

Based in San Francisco and Provence, National Geographic photographer Catherine Karnow has enjoyed a 35-year career shooting for various international publications.

Catherine’s history with France goes back to her parents. Her father, renowned journalist Stanley Karnow, lived in Paris for a decade, writing for Life magazine. His book, Paris in the Fifties, was published in 1999. Her mother, Annette Karnow, modelled for Dior in the 50s.

Catherine has worked in France for over thirty years. For her first assignment as a professional photographer, in 1984, she spent three months photographing France for the Insight Guide to France. Her photo book on Provence was published in 1991.

A notable life project for Karnow has been her 30 years of photographing Vietnam. Her profoundly personal photo book, Vietnam 25 Years Documenting a Changing Country, is available in bookstores worldwide.

Catherine is married to husband Gilles Portaz and lives part-time in the Var region of Provence.

Soulmates Catherine Karnow (National Geographic photographer) and Gilles Portaz (geography and history professor) spent a year apart due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. They reunited in Provence in November 2020, toured the Pays de Fayence and the Alpes de Haute Provence foothills, and captured the hilltop villages in text and images. The result is a stunning 185-page book filled with 127 photographs—Un Automne en Pays de Fayence, a love letter to this unspoilt region.

Image credits: ©Catherine Karnow

Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

With her camera and laptop close at hand, Carolyne has traded in her business suits for the world of freelance writing and blogging. Her first airplane ride at six months of age was her introduction to the exciting world of travel.

While in Provence, Carolyne can be found hiking with friends, riding the hills around the Alpilles or tackling Mont Ventoux. Her attachment to the region resonates in Perfectly Provence this digital magazine that she launched in 2014. This website is an opportunity to explore the best of the Mediterranean lifestyle (food & wine, places to stay, expat stories, books on the region, travel tips, real estate tips and more), through our contributors' articles.

Carolyne writes a food and travel blog Ginger and Nutmeg. Carolyne’s freelance articles can be found in Global Living Magazine, Avenue Magazine and City Palate (Published Travel Articles).