Marco Secchi

I had a cottage near Ozora, and now I have a different one not too far away, so I drive around there quite often.

I cannot stop thinking about this.

In 1382, a thirteen-year-old boy left a small village near Florence and travelled east. No money. No language. No plan beyond following a merchant through Central Europe.

His name was Filippo Scolari.

You have probably never heard of him.

He never came back to Italy. Not to stay.

Instead, he became one of the most powerful men in medieval Hungary. General. Diplomat. Count. Member of the Order of the Dragon alongside European princes.

The man who controlled the gold mines of an entire kingdom.

And then he built a castle. In the middle of the Hungarian plains. And he made it look exactly like Florence.

I keep asking myself: what does it take?

Not just the ambition, but the psychological weight of leaving at thirteen and never truly returning. Of becoming someone entirely new in a language that was not yours, in a culture that had every reason to reject you.

He did not choose between his two worlds.

He built a castle that contained both.

#hungary #ozora #castle See less

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/the-italian-who-conquered-hungary

Three lenses. Twenty years. No regrets.
35mm insists on context. 50mm insists on honesty. 85mm insists on distance, and turns it into something close to kindness.
New Masterclass on the portrait triangle, and how it shapes your invoice too.
https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/35mm-50mm-85mm-portrait-lenses

#photography #portraits

A little heads-up.

This Saturday I will be announcing a small series of private group photography workshops for the coming season.

These will not be large group tours. They will be small, focused, very personal workshops, with limited spaces, usually a maximum of 4 people, sometimes 6 depending on the destination.

We will be working in some of my favourite places to photograph: Venice, Prague, Istria, Transylvania, and a few other locations where the light, atmosphere, history, and streets still have something real to offer.

The idea is simple: lots of shooting, lots of learning, lots of looking properly. Not just postcard locations, but places where we can work on composition, timing, light, black and white, storytelling, and building stronger photographs in real conditions.

These will be quite special, a little more VIP, and very limited.

Full details will be on my Substack this Saturday.

Keep an eye on Through the Lens.

The mistake that wastes the most time when you only get one pass at a location isn't bad light. It's repositioning too much. Walking around trying new angles feels productive. Usually it just leaves you with fifteen mediocre variations and no strong frame.
https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/the-one-shot-rule-for-travel-photographers

Istria Journey - Morning Departure

The Lido ferry, draped in monochrome and morning mist. A quiet start to the journey as I head towards Istria. The stillness of the water and the silhouette of the vaporetto set the tone for the day's work.

Time Moves Strangely When You Pay Attention
A curious thing happens when you spend long hours photographing.
Time stops behaving normally.

@marcosecchi@substack.com

I’m curating my work and inspirations on @Flipboard@flipboard.social

Join over 30,000 followers exploring Leica photography, black & white, and film — along with travel stories and visual notes from Italy (Venice, Milan), Slovenia, and Budapest.

If you enjoy photography or slow travel, take a look:

@msecchi@flipboard.com

Some mornings, Venice gives you nothing but grey skies and a ghost of a boat.
That's usually when the best photographs happen.
Punta della Dogana, Leica, patience.

#Venice #Leica #MoodPhotography #DocumentaryPhotography #ItalyInBlackAndWhite

Lesson 3 of my Zone System series is out. Every slider in Lightroom and Photoshop is mapped to the zones, with real editing scenarios and a workflow built on intention, not guesswork.

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/zone-system-in-practice-mapping-lightroom

#Photography #ZoneSystem #Lightroom #Leica #Photoshop #monochrome

STARTING PHOTOGRAPHY, PROPERLY Lesson 9: The Narrative Thread and the Art of Visual Silence

Most photographers are terrified of empty space. They try to cram every detail into the frame, the faces, the signs, the clutter. They think more information equals a better story.

They’re wrong.

I’ve learned that the most powerful tool isn’t your lens’s sharpness—it’s Visual Silence. In my latest lesson, we look at how to use mist, shadow, and negative space to "mute" the world so the story can finally be heard.

Stop taking snapshots. Start constructing silence.

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/starting-photography-properly-lesson-9-visual-silence-narrative

#StreetPhotography #MarcoSecchi #PhotographyWorkshop #VisualSilence #LeicaPhotography

This is real photojournalism.

Not cinematic. Not beautiful. Not designed to impress photographers.

Functional.

A Reuters photographer, Mr Phil Noble, was documenting Prince Andrew leaving the police station yesterday. Flash through glass. Harsh light. No attempt to flatter. No attempt to make it aesthetic.

Just the job.

But here is what most people miss.

This photograph was built long before it was taken.

It came from information. From tips. From sources. From knowing where to be, and when.

From doing the legwork.

Real photojournalism is not standing at a scheduled photocall with twenty other photographers.

That is access management. Not journalism.

Journalism happens outside the perimeter. It happens in uncertainty. It happens when you work your contacts, trust your instincts, and show up without guarantees.

The old British press photographers understood this. Fleet Street. Reuters. PA. They did not wait to be invited. They worked the story.

Today, too many photographers wait behind the desk. They wait for accreditation. They wait for permission. They wait for the email.

This photograph exists because someone did not wait.

They went.

And they were there.

"I think this will look better in black and white."
I hear it in every workshop. And it's almost always the wrong instinct.
What's really happening: the colour version isn't working, and monochrome feels like a rescue. It rarely is.
The strongest B&W images aren't converted. They're recognised — before the shutter moves.
Wrote about the three tests I use:
https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/not-every-scene-is-black-and-white

30 years shooting for Getty taught me one thing:
If your photo doesn't have a flaw, it probably doesn't have a soul.
New post on why your best images are technically "wrong", and why that's the whole point.
marcosecchi.substack.com/p/why-perfect-photos-are-boring-photography-philosophy

If you’ve ever stood in front of a crumbling wall in Prague or Budapest and whispered about the 'micro-contrast' or 'texture' while your workshop group looked at you like you were mad... this one is for you.

Photography isn't just a job; it's a dialect.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve pointed at recently?

Most photographers think light makes the photograph.

It doesn’t.

Structure does.

This frame was made in Venice during high water. The gondolier is physically lowering himself to clear a low bridge. Tourists behind him are laughing under bright umbrellas. The water is flat, muted, almost dull. The light is soft and overcast.

There is nothing spectacular about the light.

And yet the image works.

Why?

Because the structure is doing the heavy lifting.

Look at the geometry. The bridge arch compresses the entire scene and forces tension into the frame. The prow of the gondola enters aggressively from the foreground, almost breaking into the viewer’s space. The oar blade cuts vertically through the composition, countering the curve of the bridge. The gondolier’s bent body is the peak gesture, the decisive moment. Without that physical compression, it’s just a canal.

The tourists in the back are not decoration. They are narrative. They add scale, colour contrast, and emotional context. They tell you this is not theatre. This is daily life under constraint.

Good light helps. Of course it does.

But if the structure is weak, beautiful light will not save you. If the structure is strong, even flat light can carry tension.

This is where many photographers get seduced. They chase golden hour. They wait for drama in the sky. They blame the weather when a frame feels empty.

Often the problem is not the light. It is the lack of spatial commitment.

In situations like this, I look for four things:

Foreground commitment. Get close enough that the frame has weight. Physical gesture. Wait for the body to tell the story. Architectural compression. Use the environment to shape tension. Secondary narrative. Include context that deepens the moment.

Light is the atmosphere. Structure is the skeleton.

Without the skeleton, the atmosphere collapses.

I go much deeper in my “Starting Photography, Properly.” we are now at lesson 6

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/starting-photography-properly

When you look at this frame, what do you notice first, the light or the structure?

Most photography critiques are useless.

It’s polite.
It’s vague.
And it keeps you exactly where you are.

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/the-red-pen-professional-editorial

This is one of the most-read pieces I have published.

I am resharing it today because with the price change coming July 1st, it felt like the right moment to remind you what this publication is actually about.

Not tips. Not hacks. Not "how to get more likes."

How photographers build real, sustainable income. The mindset, the decisions, the things nobody tells you because they are either too uncomfortable or too obvious to package into a course.

This one is free to read. The rest of the series is in the paid
archive.

If you have been on the fence about subscribing, start here.

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/making-money-with-photography-part

In my latest article, "The Alchemy of the Small Story," I dive into why the "Grand View" is often a trap for photographers.

I’ve found that the most powerful narratives are hidden in the details we usually overlook.
https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/alchemy-small-story-photography

The Zone System series is done. 4 lessons, from Ansel Adams to your camera to your screen.
Lesson 4 is about pre-visualization: seeing the final image in your mind before you shoot.
Not a talent. A habit.
Here is how to build it.
https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/the-zone-system-in-the-field-how

The Zone System series is done. 4 lessons, from Ansel Adams to your camera to your screen.
Lesson 4 is about pre-visualization: seeing the final image in your mind before you shoot.
Not a talent. A habit. Here is how to build it.
https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/the-zone-system-in-the-field-how

Most photographers aren't stuck on skill.
They're stuck waiting for permission nobody is going to give them.
New piece, with 5 ways to break the freeze:

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/waiting-to-be-chosen

#photography #learning #beginner

I’m curating my work and inspirations on @114870386@x-activitypub-bridge.deno.dev

Join over 30,000 followers exploring Leica photography, black & white, and film — along with travel stories and visual notes from Italy (Venice, Milan), Slovenia, and Budapest.

If you enjoy photography or slow travel, take a look:

@msecchi@flipboard.com

Photography is an architecture of moments. 🏗️📸

In my editorial work for Getty Images and various assignments over the decades, I've learned that technical proficiency is just the baseline. The real work is in the composition—managing the "Visual Leaks" that pull a viewer's eye away from the story.

I've launched a new series called "The Red Pen" where I analyze images (including my own) to find the hidden geometry. Today, we’re looking at everything from industrial geometry to the surgical precision required for depth of field in portraiture.

If you’re interested in the "why" behind the "how," I’d love for you to join the conversation.

Full article: https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/the-architecture-of-a-moment

In Venice, you do not always need to chase the grand view....

@marcosecchi@substack.com

The Red Pen is back!!!
#photography #leica #improve

@marcosecchi@substack.com

Istria sits an hour from Venice by boat. Same light, same bell towers, same rooftops tumbling to the Adriatic. Almost nobody talks about it.
I just wrote the first in a new monthly location series covering exactly where to stand, when to be there, and why.
This month: Istria.

#Istria #Croatia #TravelPhotography

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/istria-travel-guide-croatia

Most beginners think macro is about the lens.
It is not. It is about the millimetre.
At 1:1 magnification your zone of sharpness can be thinner than a fingernail. Everything else is blur. Learning to work with that, not against it, is where macro photography actually begins.
Full guide is live. Link in the publication.

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/macro-photography-for-beginners

Most readers only see one third of what I publish here.
After one year and 5,500 subscribers, I wrote a complete guide to everything that lives on my Substack. Articles, daily Notes, Chat, podcast, Red Pen Sessions.
Plus one honest announcement about year two.
https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/you-are-probably-missing-half-of

The mistake that wastes the most time when you only get one pass at a location isn't bad light. It's repositioning too much. Walking around trying new angles feels productive. Usually it just leaves you with fifteen mediocre variations and no strong frame.

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/the-one-shot-rule-for-travel-photographers

The rule of thirds is not why your photos work.

It’s just a training wheel.

Useful at the beginning, yes. It stops things from falling apart completely. But most photographers never move past it, and that’s where the problem starts.

They divide the frame. They place the subject. They feel they’ve “composed” something.

But the image still doesn’t hold.

Because composition is not about where you put the subject. It’s about how everything else supports it, or quietly destroys it.

The edges matter. The background matters. The relationships between elements matter.

You can follow every rule and still end up with a weak photograph.

The photographers who move forward are the ones who stop asking “Where should I place this?” and start asking “What is this frame doing as a whole?”

That’s the shift.

https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/composition-beyond-rule-of-thirds-photography-properly

Most photographers reach for the Contrast slider when their B&W looks flat.
It's the wrong tool. Contrast is a blunt instrument, it crushes your midtones and kills the texture in stone, skin, and shadow.

https://substack.com/profile/23308165-marco-secchi/note/c-231469661

How I built 30k+ followers on Flipboard and a 12k community on Substack, without chasing algorithms.
Now teaching photographers how to do the same on their own platforms.

#photography #socialmedia

https://www.marcosecchi.com/services

Six private photography workshops this year. 4 to 6 people per group, some capped at 4.
Venice, Istria, Transylvania, Budapest, Prague. Plus Venice Carnival in Feb 2027.
My full attention, not a tour bus.
https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/private-photography-workshops-in
#photography #Venice #istria

A small note for those of you on @114870386@x-activitypub-bridge.deno.dev
I am quite active there and I personally curate a few magazines that might interest you.
On the photography side: photography, black and white, film, and Leica. On the travel and place side: Venice, Italy, Slovenia, Budapest, and Istria.
If you are already on Flipboard or curious to join, you are very welcome to follow along here:

www.flipboard.com/@msecchi

No algorithm. Just things I find worth saving.

A gallery is evidence. A body of work is a statement.
Most photographers wait to see what emerges from their shoots. Professionals define the meaning first, then build toward it — one frame at a time.
New post on how to make that shift. https://marcosecchi.substack.com/p/how-professionals-build-a-body-of

New York Café is spectacular.

Bambi is Budapest.

Six authentic coffee houses and confectioneries where locals still gather for coffee, cake and conversation.

No Instagram traps. No brunch theatre.

Just Budapest.

https://www.msecchi.com/blogmarco/real-coffee-houses-budapest

Every Venice guide online recommends the same ten spots.

I've spent years photographing this city for editorial and documentary work, and the Venice worth seeing is almost never on that list. So I built my own guide: 260+ locations mapped on Rexby, each with notes on composition, light, and timing drawn from actual shoots, not tourist copy.

It's for travelers who want more than a checklist, and for photographers who want to know where and when to be somewhere.

The guide is linked below if you're headed to Venice or just want to see the city differently.

Full guide: https://www.rexby.com/marcosecchi/venice

#Venice #TravelPhotography #ItalyTravel