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 feels like landscape photography at its most essential.
The Dolomites are among the most stunning mountains anywhere and I’ve been photographing them and leading workshops here for almost a decade. From jagged peaks to alpine lakes with perfect reflections the Dolomites have so much photographic potential that every time I visit I find something new. So join myself and mountain leader Jonas Paurell exploring and photographing these wonderful peaks.
Our workshop has three 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. We’ll spend two nights 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
We’ll spend another two days in Tre Cime di Lavaredo natural park. The iconic towers of Tre Cime can be photographed from almost any angle and 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
And of out third base we’ll spend two days in Cortina d’Ampezzo in the eastern part of the region from where we can explore the high alpine passes of Passo Giau and Passo Falzarego, and we’ll also get an alpine taxi to the picturesque Lago Federa on the Croda da Lago trail where the sunrise illuminates the golden forests and surrounding lake.
Late September is the best time to visit the Dolomites with sunny days and crisp nights but the height of the tourist season is over with fewer people on the trails leaving the locations much quieter and more peaceful. Everywhere you look in the forests you’ll see that some of the trees are starting to turn a beautiful gold which really enhances their potential in images, but there’s still a feeling of life and lushness in the countryside. We may also be lucky enough to witness cloud inversions from up on the peaks as we look down from above at the cloud filled valleys below us.
This tour is limited to 6 participants, and like all my 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. Andy has been visiting these mountains for years leading over twelve workshops here, and during this time has built partnerships and relationships with hotels, restaurants and alpine taxi drivers to ensure we can provide the absolute best all round workshop experience. Jonas Paurelll is a certified and experienced UIMLA International Mountain Leader with decades of experience in the mountains. 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
€5390
(price includes single occupancy in private room with bathroom)
GROUP SIZE
6
EXPERIENCE
Amateur, enthusiast and semi-pro photographers.
PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY
EASY MOUNTAIN LEVEL - See here for an overview of Effort levels, and “A Word About Hiking & Fitness” below
WORKSHOP INCLUDES
Landscape photography and shooting in unforgettable mountain locations
Two professional photographers & guides who know the area
Certified & experienced UIMLA International Mountain Leader
Local transportation to and from the locations
Alpine taxis to reach lesser known and harder to access 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.
Photo critique session
All accommodation in excellent hotels 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 three locations. We stay first at Alpe di Siusi, then Tre Cime and finally Cortina d’Ampezzo. 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 7h and sunset around 19h.
DAYS 1 - 3 ALPE DI SIUSI
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 transfered 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 Jonas and myself 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
DAY 3 - 5 TRE CIME Natural Park
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 di Lavarado
Cadina di Misurina
Forcella di Laveredo
Lago di Landro
The iconic peaks of the Tre Cime Natural Park are one of the highlights of the Dolomites. Wherever you walk in the park there are stunning views and so we’ve arranged this part of the workshop to get the absolute best out of this incredible area. It’s a wonderful place to hike with some stunning trails and we’ll make the most of this seeking out great spots for sunset. The short hike south of Rifugio Auronzo brings you to a viewpoint with uninterrupted views of the stunning peaks of Cadina di Misurina as well as views of the Tre Cime towers themselves, lit from the side as the sun sets. We’ll also hike around the southern side of the peaks and up the saddle to the Forcella di Laveredo ridge, which gives the iconic view facing west towards the Tre Cime peaks with the setting sun behind. We’ll head around the west side of the peaks for a completely different view at sunset.
There really is so much to see in the Tre Cime natural park that we can make multiple trips there, at both sunrise and sunset, and each time shoot a completely different view from another location, but while we’re here a nearby location is Lago di Landro, which reflects Monte Cristallo at sunrise. If there’s time we can even pay a visit to the iconic Lago di Braies where floating row boats contrast with the torquoise waters. It’s an easy location where we can focus on composing shots with the peaks reflected in the perfectly still waters, or work on abstracts of the boats.
Our stay here will be in 4 star hotel overlooking Lago Misurina, and we’ll eat our main meals will at a local pizzaria which has an incredible selection of dishes from both Italy, but also with the more Austrian flavour of Sud Tirol
During our stay here we’ll make try to fit in at least one post-processing session. These will be tailored to suit the differing levels and requirements of our clients and can range from Lightroom basics through to Photoshop Luminosity Masks and more advanced techniques. Because we have such small groups most of the post-processing sessions can be carried out on a one-to-one basis or in pairs, and the sessions will be recorded to give everyone access to them later.
DAY 5 - 7 CORTINA D’AMPEZZO
Once again, 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:
Lago Federa and the Croda da Lago
Passo Giau
Passo Falzarego
This are is one of the most beautiful parts in all the Dolomites, we’re surrounded by the massive peaks of Tofana and Cristallo, and close to the high passes of Passo Giau and Falzarego. While we’re here we’ll head up to Passo Giau for a sunset shoot, which gives us the wide angle panorama of Ra Gusela or more telephoto images of the western Dolomite peaks or towards Cinque Torri.
While we’re here we’ll also visit Lago Federa where the waters are deep and sheltered by trees and the towering cliffs of Croda da Lago, and so are almost always perfectly still. Access here by road is limited but we’re able to get there with an 4x4 alpine taxi to give us plenty of time to be in the best position for the first light of the day rising above the trees.
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 WE DO (AND WHAT WE WANT YOU TO GET FROM OUR WORKSHOPS)
Myself and my partners have a passion for the outdoors, a passion for photography and a passion for teaching. We believe that good photography comes out of great experiences in nature and so our aim is to take you to beautiful inspiring places, and then equip you with the techniques and skills to make images that capture that experience and those feelings of being there. With this in mind we limit the number of participants on our workshop to just six which gives us plenty of time with everyone in the field and from the beginning of your time with us we can identify your photographic level and what you’d like to focus on. We can then tailor the sessions to your precise needs and provide each participant with plenty of one-to-one tuition both in the field, and having two shooting sessions a day means that participants get into a shooting rhythm and can quickly put into practice new skills as they are learned.
I’ve been photographing the Dolomites and leading workshops there for almost a decade and use all my knowledge of the locations and local conditions to the workshop to help you get the best out of your trip. Jonas Paurelll is a certified and experienced UIMLA International Mountain Leader and we put primary importance on safety on the trails and in the mountains so you can feel completely comfortable in the knowledge that you’re hiking trails with an experienced guide who is certified to lead groups into the mountains.
This attention extends to the theory sessions we include in the workshops. During the middle of the day both myself and Jonas will give presentation on different aspects of photography from compositional theory to maximising image quality, as well as having critique sessions on the images taken throughout the tour to help you see where you can improve your technique. We believe that editing is an integral part of getting the absolute best out of an image but we understand that the range of participant’s skill levels and familiarity with post processing techniques varies greatly. Because of this we make the most of having small groups to provide 1-to-1 editing sessions in the morning that are tailored to each participant's skill levels, and which can potentially range from the basics of editing a RAW files in programs like Lightroom to more complex techniques like using layers and luminosity masks in Photoshop. We also do screen recordings of our editing sessions, which are then shared with all the group so you go home with a record of all the post processing techniques we used, and if we don’t have much time during the workshop to focus on editing we’ll set up a Zoom session after the workshop has ended to go over some of the techniques Andy uses to edit his images from the workshop.
Finally, we want to share with you our passion for nature and landscape photography in this incredible place. Travelling in such small groups means we can quickly build a great learning environment where people feel comfortable together and at ease with asking questions and making the absolute most of the trip. We aim to make your experience here in the beautiful landscape of the Dolomites a memorable one and a trip from which, as well as getting some great images from amazing locations, you’ll also go home having had a true adventure with great company in a very special place.
SOME OF THE PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES COVERED IN THIS WORKSHOP
IN THE FIELD:
Understanding the light and choosing the best exposure
Composition. Balance and harmony, leading lines and creating depth.
Lens choice. From the wide-angle vista to shooting landscape abstracts with a telephoto lens
Photographing lakes and reflections
Shooting multiple image panoramas
Controlling light in scenes with a wide dynamic range using graduated filters and/or multiple exposures
Shooting stars and night photography
PROCESSING:
Using Lightroom to apply contrast
Using local adjustments to shape and sculpt the light
Using Photoshop layers to build up image adjustments
Using luminosity masks in Photoshop
Different techniques for blending multiple exposures of the same image
Stitching multiple panoramas together
Sharpening images
A WORD ABOUT HIKING & FITNESS
We believe that the best way to experience the mountains is from being on the trails and up amongst the peaks themselves and so there is a hiking component to this workshop. Reaching the locations on this tour should be well within the capacity of anyone with a good level of fitness who’s used to hiking with their camera gear but it’s worth taking a moment to point out that we will be photographing at altitude in the mountains and a certain amount of hiking will be required to get from where we leave our vehicle to some of our shooting locations. For example:
Reaching Forcella, the ridge at the eastern side of Tre Cime de Lavaredo requires around 50 minutes of walking, most of which is flat and along a very good trail, but there is an incline to the ridge at the end with an altitude gain of around 200m. Additionally, any altitude gain means that we’ll have to descend when we return, and after sunset this will be in the dark and using torchlight.
Reaching the viewpoint at Cadini di Misurina is short hike of about 20-30 minutes up a trail that steadily gains around 200m of altitude, starting at 2300m
As all of these hikes are done at altitudes of around 2000m, sometimes a little more, so everything is a little more demanding and you will feel fatigue much more quickly than at sea level.
The hikes are all done on good, well maintained trails and there is nothing technical on any of the hikes. As explained above, we’ll be with a certified mountain guide and anyone with a good level of fitness and hiking experience will be able to manage it, but if we feel that you’re not able to complete one of the planned hikes, while it may sometimes be possible to alter the plans to visit an easier to reach location, this isn’t always the case and so we may ask you to sit out the session for your own safety.
The hiking should also have a bearing on what camera equipment you bring with you as you’ll sometimes be carrying it for a couple of hours while we make these hikes so heavy packs should be avoided as much as possible. We’ll be able to advise you before each hike if there’s any particular item you don’t need to bring.
You can see more information on the levels of fitness required for this workshop on the site of my workshop partners, Terra Photography here. This workshop is classed as EASY MOUNTAIN LEVEL. On application to participate in the workshop we’ll ask you about your levels of fitness in order to make sure this is the workshop for you. If you have any doubts at all, don’t hesitate to contact me via email.
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.
If you have any questions about what to bring, don’t hesitate to contact us.
THE GUIDES
ANDY MUMFORD is a Lisbon based professional landscape and travel photographer. Andy grew up in the UK loving nature and travel and took up landscape photography over a decade ago. Since then he has travelled extensively photographing all over the world and his photography and articles have featured in publications and books worldwide. He is a passionate photographer teacher and has been leading both group and one-to-one workshops for five years.
He is a Fuji X Photographer and a brand ambassador for Fujifilm in Portugal, although he also has extensive experience with Nikon and Canon cameras.
JONAS PAURELL is the founder of Terra Photography Expeditions. He has been a photographer for well over 20 years. He is a certified International Mountain Leader (UIMLA) that has spent a lifetime exploring the world's wild areas.
Jonas loves working with developing photographers to strengthen their technical foundation and support them to unleash their inner creativity. Jonas achieves this through engaging lectures, educative assignments and hands-on teaching in the field.
WHO WE WORK WITH
As I said above we’ve spent years working in the area and building partnerships there, from alpine taxis and snow mobile operators to hotels, rifugios and restaurants, and this allows us to provide the best access to locations and the best all round experience for our clients.
We also partner with F Stop Gear backpacks, leaders in their fields and can offer the discounts on their products for any of our workshop participants.
OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PLEDGE
We aim to make our workshops as close to carbon neutral as possible and partner with Sustainable Travel International to ensure that our carbon footprint is offset and our environmental impact is reduced. Sustainable Travel International works with local communities, governments and businesses, and invests in projects which aim to conserve ecosystems, reduce tourism’s carbon footprint and lesson the amount of waste and pollution from tourism.
We also believe in working with local suppliers as much as possible so the costs of our workshops go towards supporting the local economies, and we also practice a “leave no trace” policy to ensure that the beautiful landscape and natural environments that we spend time in are left exactly as we find them.
READ TESTIMONIALS FROM MY WORKSHOPS BELOW
REGISTRATION
To register for the workshop we require a deposit of 30% of the total amount.
The workshops is run through Terra Photography, my partner Jonas Paurell’s workshop company . You just need to complete the booking form on my his site by clicking the button below. Jonas or his wife Veronica will then get back you with details on how to pay the deposit.
Terra Photography’s terms and conditions can also be viewed by clicking on the lower button, and if you have any questions at all you can contact me via email here