A moment of clarity: The Leaning Tower of Pisa and Florence

The danger of going somewhere well known is everyone’s going to have the same image. My images of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Florence were taken on a private photography workshop I was running with a working photographer who wanted to learn my methods. In a small way, it was a defining moment for me – even after 35 years as a professional photographer, they happen now and again!
We had photographed around Tuscany and were leaving to fly home from Pisa; not having seen Pisa or Florence, I said: “why don’t we photograph them?”. The reply was everyone has those images, we don’t want the same images as everyone else. My immediate reaction was agreement. Then I had a moment of real clarity. The fact that everyone has shot Pisa and Florence is exactly WHY we need to shoot them. That’s the whole point of what I’m teaching. My process allows you to create something that looks totally different.
I said to him, look, you want to impress your clients. What better way than showing them, your ve...