There’s something magical about being amongst mountain peaks. Being up in the mountains is to be both awed and inspired, and it feels almost like landscape photography at its most essential.
The Dolomites are among the most stunning mountains anywhere we’ve been. From jagged peaks to alpine lakes with perfect reflections the Dolomites have so much photographic potential that every time we visit we find something new. Join our exclusive workshop, where you will embark on a photographic journey through the iconic landscapes, towering peaks, and enchanting valleys that define this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Our workshop has two bases which allows us to cover the huge variety of landscapes to shoot here without long drives to each location. It also allows us time to hike to locations because we believe the best way to encounter mountains is to hike into them and spend time on the trails surrounded by peaks.
Our first base is on the high alpine meadows of Alpe di Siusi. Here we can shoot an iconic sunrise of gently rolling grass-covered hills spotted with log cabins and pine trees below the jagged, rocky peaks of Sassalungo, but there’s more to this location than that. We’ll spend time hiking out across the Alpe di Siusi seeking out locations from which to capture a different angle of the peaks as well as the view of the jagged spire of Sciliar.
Our second base is in Misurina, in the eastern part of the region from where we can explore the amazing and most photographed lakes of the Dolomites. The Lago di Braies, Lago di Adorno, the Misurina lake of course and also the Passo Giau. From here we can also have a view of the most beautiful peaks of the Dolomites. The iconic towers of Tre Cime, where we’ll spend sunrises and afternoons exploring the trails from the viewpoints over the jagged peaks of Cadini di Misurina to the area around Rifugio Locatelli in the north of the park.
Early June is a great time to visit the Dolomites with sunny days and crisp nights but the height of the tourist season isn’t at its peak yet, with fewer people on the trails leaving the locations much quieter and more peaceful.
This tour is limited to 6 participants, and like all our workshops is designed to ensure that you can focus on photography while we take care of everything else. From the ideally located and comfortable accommodation, great food and of course a tour that’s structured to maximize your opportunities to get great images whilst improving your skills as a photographer. We combine all our photographic knowledge, location know-how and mountain experience to get you to some of the Dolomite’s most beautiful locations in the best light, and in the field we’re on hand to provide as much support, advice or guidance as you want.
PRICE
€2350 (includes 24% VAT)
(The price is for double room with bathroom, single occupancy +400€)
GROUP SIZE
6 (minimum 4 participants)
EXPERIENCE
Amateur, enthusiast and semi-pro photographers.
PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY
EASY MOUNTAIN LEVEL – Most of our locations are situated along roadsides or can be reached by walking a few kilometers on well-maintained trails. However, it’s important to note that we are immersed in the natural environment, so a good level of mobility is absolutely necessary.
WORKSHOP INCLUDES
Landscape photography and shooting in unforgettable mountain locations
Two professional photographers & guides who know the area
Local transportation to and from the locations
All park entrance fees
Theory input sessions on composition and image quality
Post-processing workshops in Lightroom and Photoshop, with screen recordings which the participants can keep.
All accommodation in excellent hotels
All breakfast and dinners
Airport transfer to/from Venice Marco Polo
NOT INCLUDED
Lunches, snacks or alcoholic drinks
Insurance
Flights to and from Italy
ITINERARY
We visit the Dolomites by basing ourselves at two locations. We stay first at Alpe di Siusi, then at the Misurina area. Our time within those dates is flexible so we can decide which locations to visit while we’re there depending on the local weather and conditions. We will however ensure that we visit all of the locations in each area.
Over the years we’ve been running workshops in the Dolomites we’ve refined our daily itinerary to give plenty of recovery time. We understand that over the course of a workshop fatigue can accumulate leaving people with less energy at the end of the trip, so we ensure that after each morning session people have at least 3 hours downtime during which they can either rest, upload their images to their computers or have a walk around the local area (our hotels are located in some beautiful spots).
At this time of year the sunrise is around 5:20 and sunset around 21h.
Our time here is flexible and can vary depending on weather and light, but we’ll make sure we shoot all of the locations in the area:
- Alpe di Siusi sunrise and sunset
- Sciliar mountain
- Chiesa di San Valentino
You’ll be picked up from Venice Marco Polo Airport at 12h30 and transferred to our first base in Alpe di Siusi, a large alpine meadow covered with wooden huts and pine trees that overlooks the almost vertical peaks of Sassalungo and Sassopiato.
The plain itself feels almost like it comes from a picture book with the wooden huts scattered across the rolling hills beneath the two jagged peaks. The location is magical at sunrise and if we’re lucky we may get a layer of mist in the morning which makes for wonderful telephoto abstracts of the huts and trees. We’ll have plenty of time to explore this area and will spend some time hiking amongst the meadows to find different viewpoints from which to capture the peaks of Sassalungo and Sassopiato, as well as the spire of Sciliar to the west at sunset.
Our stay here will be in a 4 star hotel located on the Alpe di Siusi, and we’ll eat our meals at the hotel, which serves really spectacular food.
During our stay here me and my brother Stelios will make time to give some talks on compositional theory and image quality to give participants food for thought for the rest of the workshop.
Our time here is flexible and can vary depending on weather and light, but we’ll make sure we shoot all of the locations in the area:
- Tre Cime National Park
- Lago di Braies
- Lago di Adorno
- Lago di Misurina
By staying at this area we have close access to some of the most beautiful lakes of the Dolomites, the Lago di Adorno, Lago di Braies and the Misurina lake of course. And also from here we are very close to the Tre Cime National Park.
Our stay here will be in 4 star hotel overlooking Lago Misurina, and we’ll eat our main meals at a local pizzaria which has an incredible selection of dishes from both Italy, but also with the more Austrian flavour of Sud Tirol.
The first afternoon will be spent shooting at Misurina. The sunset is around 21:00, so we’ll have plenty of time to explore and find nice locations that will provide great compositions. After the shoot, we will have dinner at our hotel, which offers some of the best pasta you’ve ever tasted.
The first morning will be spent shooting at Lago di Adorno, which is very close and offer great photo opportunities during the sunrise. After the shooting we’ll have breakfast at our hotel.
After the morning rest will be heading to the Tre Cime National Park, where we will spend all our afternoon, venturing and photographing at this beautiful area. The amazing area of Cadini di Misurina, the magnificent Tre Cime peaks, and all the mountainous area offer some great photo opportunities especially during the warm afternoon light and the sunset.
The second morning we are visiting the most photographed lake of the Dolomites. We’ll spend all day there because the place is like a fairytale. There are also boats, that we will rent to venture into this amazing lake and have an experience that you will cherish for a lifetime. After the shoot, we will have dinner at our hotel, and rest.
The final day will be spent again at the Tre Cime National Park, to have more time, so we can visit all the amazing locations up to this mountain.
Finally, during our time here we’ll have a critique session looking at the images we’ve captured on the trip.
DAY 7 – RETURN TO VENICE AIRPORT
8h We’ll have breakfast first thing then check out of the hotel and you’ll be taken back to Venice airport where we’ll say our goodbyes.
WHAT TO BRING
A dSLR or mirrorless camera
The criteria for the kind of work we’ll be doing is a camera that can be operated completely manually to ensure we get the best exposure with interchangeable lenses allowing us to cover a range of focal lengths
A wide angle lens
For some of the locations, particularly the lakes, a wide angle lens really is essential if you want to get those epic landscapes with a foreground that feels you can almost step right into it. 16mm or 17mm on a full frame camera (10mm or 12mm on an APS-C sensor camera) is ideal.
A telephoto lens
We’ll often find ourselves shooting distant peaks or abstracts, which a telephoto is ideal for. A telephoto also compresses the landscape and is great for mountains when shooting from elevation. A range that covers 70-200mm (55-135mm on a crop sensor) is ideal.
A mid-range zoom lens
While these lenses are often the least useful for shooting landscapes, for the kind of locations we’ll be encountering in the Dolomites there may well be some occasions when the zooms listed above are too wide or too long and a mid-range zoom in the 24-70mm (18-55mm on a crop sensor) is perfect.
Tripod
We’ll often be shooting in low light so a tripod is an absolutely essential piece of equipment. A lightweight carbon fibre model is ideal for this kind of trip.
Filters
A neutral density filter of at least 3 stops will help slow down the exposure to blur clouds and remove ripples from the lake’s surface. A circular polariser will sometimes be useful to eliminate haze
Comfortable waterproof walking boots
We’ll certainly be walking over rocky and uneven ground and we’ll also often find ourselves in muddy conditions so warm boots with good support and grip are essential.
Insulated jacket, water and windproof shell and warm clothes
Even though it’s not winter yet it can still get pretty cold, particularly when up amongst the peaks at 2500m so warm clothes will help keep you comfortable while we’re out shooting. It’s best to layer, with a base layer next to the skin and then a fleece or thicker layer on top. An insulated jacket on top of that will keep you warm, and also a waterproof or windproof shell as a final layer because there’ll certainly be times when the wind can be really strong in the mountains.
Camera Backpack
When moving your camera gear for any length of time a backpack can really save your back. A good backpack, one with sturdy hip straps, can safely distribute the weight of your gear and really save you from aches, pains and potential injury.
Trekking Poles
A set of lightweight poles are incredibly useful in the mountains, helping you to both ascend and descend on trails, particularly when the surface can sometimes be a little be loose
Laptop with Adobe Lightroom or Camera RAW and Photoshop
We’ll be shooting RAW, and as part of each day will be dedicated to post processing images a good RAW converter like Adobe Lightroom or Camera RAW is essential. Other converters like Capture One are also fine. Adobe Photoshop is great for more advanced processing as it allows us to be much more subtle and creative in it’s use of layers.