Photography Workshops with Models, in Italy and around the World
Live events, models on tour, tutorials: sign up for free and choose how you want to shoot
workshopfotografico.com is a platform that brings together in one place a whole range of essential services for photographers who want to shoot with portrait, glamour and fine-art nude models, all over the world.
Services for organizing everything on your own
- a directory of models from all over the world, geolocated by city, to contact directly, with no intermediaries
- automatic notification systems that tell you when touring models are in your city
- choosing the outfits before the shoot
- simplified sending of photos to the models
- the chance to be contacted directly by the models
Services for shooting in organized, convivial settings, on your own or with the support of a Master
- Shootouts (events with 30+ international models) of one or more days in TOP locations
- live photography workshops
Services for learning new techniques
- 150+ photography and post-production tutorials
- MaXu's portfolio, with his technical commentary
- remote photography workshops (LiveStage)
The platform was founded in 2010 by the professional photographer MaXu, who also oversees its software development. That's why the services keep growing and improving.
Signing up is free. The events calendar and the model profiles are open to everyone; with the free account you also get alerts when a model is coming near you, and models can contact you for a shoot.
From MaXu's portfolio
See the portfolio →
What you get when you sign up
With your free account:
Workshops and Shootouts
You sign up for workshops and Shootouts from the event page; you book the Shootout private sessions from your own dashboard.
Model profiles
You browse the profiles, with the information each model shows to registered users, and save your favorites.
Models near you
You set your city and get an alert when a model announces a stop in your area.
Models who contact you
If you wish, models looking for a photographer in your area find your profile and write to you to propose a shoot.
The feed
Like Instagram, but better: scroll through all the models' public photos. Thanks to 4 different presentation algorithms, you see them the way you like best.
MaXu's portfolio
His public photographs, taken during workshops and private sessions.
FREE tutorials
Video courses on technique and post-production, ready to watch right away.
What's new
The newsletter with the dates and places of new events, and an alert when one opens near your city.
Continuous evolution
This site is constantly evolving. The goal is to establish itself more and more, and by a wide margin, as the best platform in the world dedicated to models and photographers.
The photographers and models who sign up every day are already many, and their numbers grow at an exponential rate.
Sign up or become a Supporter, tell your friends and come back every day to see what's new.
Live photography workshops
A workshop is a shooting session with one or more models in which a Master designs the set, explains the lighting schemes and directs the model in front of you. Then you shoot, in turn, with your own camera. Each group has a set number of places, so everyone gets their own time in front of the model.
The workshops are designed both for photographers working with a model for the first time and for professionals who want to broaden their portfolio: portrait, glamour and fine-art nude, in the studio and outdoors. Every workshop states its genre on its own page, in the title and in the description, so you always know in advance what will be photographed.
They take place mainly in Italy, but also in other parts of the world. Rome, MaXu's home city, is the usual venue for workshops and other events; in Jesolo (Venice) the Shootout becomes a true festival, across hotels, pools and beaches.
What a workshop is and how it worksWorkshops in RomeWorkshops in Jesolo
Shootout: one or more days, many models, you choose how to take part
A Shootout is a photography event of one or more days that brings several activities together: private sessions (ShootJam), workshops with a Master, seminars, ModelSharing. You take part the way you prefer: every day, a single day, or even just one hour.
In the private sessions you choose the model, the time and the set from your event dashboard, with live availability. The model sets her own fee, the same for everyone, and you know it before you book. If you'd like an experienced photographer at your side, you can book a Master too.
The Shootout was born on shootout.photography and today it lives here: events, registrations and bookings all happen on workshopfotografico.com.
What a Shootout isShootJam private sessionsThe events calendar
International models, geolocated so they're easy to find
The directory brings together the site's portrait, glamour and fine-art nude models: you can search for them by name, by city or by distance from you. Each profile shows the city, whether she poses topless and for fine-art nude, the photographs and the contacts she chooses to show.
Models travel: when one of them knows she will be in a city on certain days, she writes it on her profile and, when she shows her city to everyone, the stop also appears on the Traveling Models page, city by city. If you have set your city, the alert reaches you automatically.
What to show, and to whom, is always the model's choice, item by item.
Shooting remotely, with LiveStage
With LiveStage, an app for iOS and Android, wherever on the face of the earth you are, you follow MaXu's fine-art nude sessions live, in the studio and outdoors. With the shutter button you take your own photographs, and at the end of the session you'll find them all in your smartphone's gallery, saved at the full native resolution of MaXu's smartphone, an iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Learn: tutorials and MaXu's portfolio
The tutorials are video courses on photographic technique and post-production: lighting schemes, using flash, directing the model, retouching. The FREE ones are ready to watch right away; as a Supporter you see them all, with the lighting schemes and the sample files to download.
MaXu's portfolio collects his photographs taken during workshops and private sessions.
For Supporters, the shots also come with “The story behind this shot”, the technical commentary, full shooting data and the chance to see the fine-art nude photographs as well.
Registered for free, or Supporter
Registered
Registration for Workshops and Shootouts, model profiles with what the models show to registered users, favorite models, alerts for models near you, contact from models, the feed, MaXu's public portfolio, FREE tutorials.
Supporter
All of the above, plus:
- reserved prices and discounts at live events;
- the contacts and photographs that models reserve for Supporters;
- all the tutorials, with the lighting schemes and sample files;
- MaXu's complete portfolio, with the reserved fine-art nude photographs and “The story behind this shot”;
- a place at the top of the results when a model searches for a photographer in your area, if you let models contact you.
workshopfotografico.com · Supporter
BECOME A SUPPORTER MEMBER
Special priceor 6 months for 49,95€
⏳ Offer valid until October 30, 2026
SUBSCRIBE NOWSecure payment via PayPal or bank transfer.
The subscription doesn't renew automatically: you pay each time, and only if you're happy with the service.
Reserved Discount on Live Events
Immediate access to live workshops and large international shootout events with exclusive, members-only discounted rates.
Contacts, Photos & Reserved Community Features
Access to EXCLUSIVE community features, with the ability to view photos and direct and mutual contacts between photographers and models.
Full Access to All Tutorials
Unlimited playback: 150 high-definition educational video courses complete with written guides, detailed lighting setups, and downloadable high-resolution sample files for practice.
Full Access to MaXu’s Portfolio
Full-screen high-resolution photos with the model name and direct links to her personal page, complete with all reserved details: MaXu’s “behind-the-scenes secrets” on how the shot was conceived and executed, and complete technical data. You can also view fine-art nude galleries not visible to others.
Registered
Model profiles with what models show to registered users, your favorite models, alerts when a model is near you, the feed and MaXu's public portfolio.
Sign up freeSupporter
Everything in the free account, plus the contacts and photographs models reserve for Supporters, all the tutorials, MaXu's complete portfolio and reserved prices at live events.
Sign up as a SupporterThe subscription doesn't renew automatically: you pay each time, and only if you're happy with the service.
What photographers say
Ho partecipato un po' per caso per ricominciare un po' a scattare. Ho trovato un'ottima organizzazione che ha strutturato molto bene il tutto dalla location alle modelle ai professionisti che lavorano con te durante la giornata. Ho imparato molto e mi sono divertito.My 500px account exploded after MaXu Shootout… The result is clear. I never had a 97/100 “Pulse” score before. Thank you MaXu! That was a great event! I learned so much!Provato per la prima volta. Atmosfera gioviale e accogliente, nessuno ti giudica, ho fatto tante nuove amicizie e le foto? Spaziali… modelle TOP!!!!Ottima occasione per incontrare sia modelle che fotografi con cui scambiarsi consigli e aneddoti per un fine settimana. Organizzazione molto curata, ho già partecipato tre volte e spero di rifarlo alle prossime edizioni.Organizzazione impeccabile. Location stupenda, modelle professionali, e i seminari mi hanno dato spunti che uso ancora oggi.Mon premier workshop et vraiment c'était super ! Bravo pour l'organisation, je recommande vivement ! J'ai passé un super week end !Partecipo da 3 anni. Il rapporto qualità-prezzo imbattibile. In un weekend fai più esperienza che in un anno da solo.Questa è la mia seconda esperienza allo ShootOut, confermando sempre l'ottima organizzazione dell'evento, altissima qualità delle modelle presenti, master che ti aiutano al meglio quello che intendi sviluppare e non di meno ottimi compagni dell'evento con cui condividere questa passione creando nuove amicizie. Sicuramente sarò ancora presente per ShootOut futuri.La organización fue impecable, los seminarios del Master resultaron muy interesantes, la ubicación era preciosa y las modelos, todas profesionales. Gracias a MaXu por hacerlo posible.Ho partecipato allo shootout di Torino. Evento interessante, con master preparati e disponibili (ed anche simpatici, il che non guasta mai) e modelle internazionali molto brave. Ci ritornerò sicuramente.Having had such a long trip, I took advantage of the opportunity to spend several days shooting all the models. It all went so well that I decided to ask MaXu to help me organize one in India too.Evento eccezionale!!! Posto stupendo, masters coinvolgenti e bravissimi, modelle fantastiche! Da provare assolutamente e da rifare!The photographer behind it: MaXu
MaXu is a professional Italian photographer, born in Rome and active since 2007. He has worked in portraiture, commercial photography, glamour and fashion; fine-art nude is one of his main fields of research and teaching.
In 2010 he founded workshopfotografico.com, one of the first Italian platforms dedicated to online photography education. Alongside online teaching, he organizes and leads live workshops with professional models, mainly in Italy but also in other parts of the world. He then created the Shootout, the large multi-day events with models and photographers from many countries. He is a LiveStage Ambassador.
Upcoming events
How to sign up
Confirm your email
On “Sign up” you enter your email and confirm it with the code you receive.
Complete your account
First name, last name, date of birth and password. It's free.
Set your city
It's what brings you alerts about models and new events near you. In the same step you choose whether models can contact you.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to sign up?
Signing up is free. Supporter is an optional subscription that adds reserved contacts, photographs and tutorials, plus reserved prices at events; the price is in the Supporter box.
I'm a beginner: is this for me?
Yes. Workshops and Shootouts are designed both for photographers shooting a model for the first time and for professionals. You learn by doing, with your own camera and the experience you have.
Where do the photography workshops take place?
Mainly in Italy, but also in other parts of the world, in the studio and outdoors. Rome is the usual venue; in Jesolo (Venice) the Shootout becomes a true festival. The dates are in the events calendar and, with your city in your profile, you get an alert when one opens near you.
What's the difference between a workshop and a Shootout?
In a workshop a Master teaches: he designs the set, explains the lighting and directs the model while you shoot. A Shootout is an event of one or more days with several activities inside it: ShootJam private sessions, workshops, seminars and ModelSharing.
How do I find a model to photograph in my city?
In the models directory, searching by city or by distance from you, or on the Traveling Models page, where every stop is listed under its city. With your city in your profile, the alert reaches you automatically.
Can models contact me?
Yes. In your personal area you set your reference city and choose to be contacted, via Instagram, email or both: models looking for a photographer in your area find your profile.
Do the events include fine-art nude photography?
It depends on the event and the model. Every workshop states it on its own page; at Shootouts each model's card tells the participants what she does at the event, and on her profile every model states whether she poses topless and for fine-art nude, choosing who can see it. As a simple precaution, access is reserved for adults.
Can I publish the photographs I take?
Yes, in your personal portfolio: your website, your profiles, photography magazines, with the release the models sign at the event for the shots from your own sessions and activities (for LiveStage, releases are handled in the app). Commercial use is agreed separately, and the model is credited by her stage name.
I speak English: can I take part?
Of course. The site is in English too, and photographers and models from many countries come to the Shootouts.
What happened to shootout.photography?
The Shootout has moved to workshopfotografico.com: this is where you find the upcoming dates, sign up and book your sessions.
Registered
Model profiles with what models show to registered users, your favorite models, alerts when a model is near you, the feed and MaXu's public portfolio.
Sign up freeSupporter
Everything in the free account, plus the contacts and photographs models reserve for Supporters, all the tutorials, MaXu's complete portfolio and reserved prices at live events.
Sign up as a SupporterThe subscription doesn't renew automatically: you pay each time, and only if you're happy with the service.