When going to an area of the world known for its scenery and distinctive architecture, a camera is a vital piece of equipment to take along.

Sedona resident Dottie Webster planned a trip to Florence, Italy, and a camera was part of her plans, but Webster thought she should learn more about photography and how best to use her new camera to ensure the best photographs.

Webster took a short class in Flagstaff and learned about f-stops, shutter speed, depth of field, lights and shadows, framing and many of the other features and techniques related to taking photographs.

“I’ve been an amateur photographer for a long time. I always used the automatic setting, but my photos were often overexposed. I wanted to learn how to avoid that and how to take better photographs. I did, and I’m still learning,” Webster said.

After the class, Webster went on a one-week, guided trip with Joel Wolfson and his wife, Barb, to the Tuscany region of Italy. Webster has visited the area a few times and took many photographs. Now she wanted to return and use her new skills.

“I received an e-mail that Joel was taking a photography trip to Tuscany and I decided to go,” Webster said. “I love Italy. Everything they do is art.”

For example, Webster pointed to a group of photographs she took of a display case at a pizza restaurant. Different types of pizza were arranged in the case colored by their various ingredients. On top of the case was a bowl of large, red tomatoes surrounded by several bottles of wine and two glasses.

“It was a work of art,” Webster said.

The small group traveled throughout Tuscany, visiting several cities — large and small — photographing and learning as they went. One of the more unusual places was down in the ancient Roman viaducts in Siena. They too were decorated with arches and had water running through them. Wolfson had Webster shoot the viaducts, then showed her how to use the light coming in from one of the openings.

“Afterward I saw the difference. The second photos were better,” Webster said.

After the group went out to shoot, they gathered to critique their work.

“I really learned a lot,” Webster said.

At the beginning of the week, Webster said everything she shot was overexposed, but with Wolfson’s help, she discovered her camera was locked on automatic. Once unlocked, Webster still took photos that were overexposed.

“We figured out I had to learn my camera. Different cameras work differently,” Webster said as she sat in her living room going through the photographs she took on the trip. “I probably took about 1,200 photos then picked out my 17 favorites.”

When she looked at the photographs from the beginning of her week in Italy and compared them with those at the end of the week, Webster said she saw an improvement and was pleased with the outcome.

While in Tuscany, the small group stayed at a bed and breakfast in Pienza, an old town on a hill in the center of the region. Webster took a photograph with the town in the background with a field of wild, red poppies and yellow, clustered flowers.

“The landscapes were fabulous. You could hardly take a bad photograph with the rolling hills, the cypress trees, the vineyards and olive groves,” Webster said, pointing at a photograph of an old stone monastery surrounded by such scenery. She also took a photograph of a house on a hill with a cypress-lined driveway. Many hills undulated in the background, striped with shadows cast by the setting sun.

“The evening light in Italy seems to stay longer than it does here. It makes for great photographs with lots of interesting elements,” Webster said.

Not only the natural landscapes fascinated and inspired Webster, but the architecture of the old buildings as well as the new. She took several photographs of the interesting shapes, windows, arches, doorways and carvings. In one of her photographs, she captured the Siena Duomo. This majestic cathedral has a domed building next to a tall, striped tower topped by a steeple.

In Florence, many of the bridges across the Arno River were stone arches. One, the Ponte Vecchio, had several stores erected across its span. It is the oldest and most famous of the bridges. It was built in 1345 and the overhanging shops have lined the bridge since.

“This was an educational vacation. Now I feel more confident about taking photographs with my Nikon F80,” Webster said. “It was a cultural trip too. We got to meet a lot of the local people.”

However, the trip was also a vacation. The group went to different ristorantes in different cities and villages to taste the foods and wine, and they visited several museums, of course taking photographs along the way.

Webster said the trip gave her the impetus to learn more and not be so afraid to take her camera off automatic.

“You can always take point-and-shoot pictures, but it’s more stimulating to be creative and try different settings and exposures. It’s good for the mind,” Webster said. “When you feel you’re getting stagnant, challenge yourself to learn something new.”