The Dolomites and Venice, Italy
Join us on this All-Inclusive Dolomites Photo Tour, visit and photograph the beauty of the Italian Dolomites in October, when Fall colors reach their peak! And, as an optional 4-days extension, take also a chance to photograph the iconic landmark as well as the hidden treasures of Venice, the most beautiful city of the world.
You’ll be expertly guided by Tim and myself, two pros with many years of experience in professional organizing and leading photo workshops in Italy and elsewhere in the world.
Expect to shoot from sunrise to sunset. And even beyond, if the weather allows and the Milky Way is in sight!
As it always happens with our group workshops, everything is included, so just pack up your gear and get ready for an unforgettable photo adventure during our Dolomites Photo tour.
Tour Highlights from the Dolomites Photo tour:
• Full time in the field guide and instructions from two professional landscape and travel photographer with more than ten years of experience in international photography tours and workshops.
• An All-Inclusive treatment: hotel rooms and all meals are included in the price.
• A small group size ensuring the necessary tutors’ attention for each guest;
• Cable-car’s excursions in some of the most scenographic areas of the Dolomites
• Public transportation granted with mini-vans for the length of the tour, for your best comfort and maximum flexibility
• A balanced itinerary where you will photograph stunning landscapes in untouched areas, visit beautiful towns built in the typical alpine style, and have a chance to taste the exquisite local cuisine and wines
• At least one image processing session, where we will analyze in details basic and advanced techniques of post-processing
• Inspiration, fun, and a great time!
Images from the
Dolomites Photo Tour
Itinerary for Dolomites Photo Tour
Day 1 – (October 4th, 2020): Airport of Venice – transfer to Passo Rolle
Plan your flight in order to arrive in Venice not later than noon.
Afternoon: Begin from our Dolomites Photo tour. Meet up at Venice Airport not later than 1:30 pm. We will then pick up our cars at the car rentals and head to the Dolomites. The trip will lead us up to Passo Rolle, a high altitude road pass 9 km north of the town of San Martino di Castrozza in the province of Trento. Check-in at the hotel at Passo Rolle at around 5 pm. This pass is a wonderful viewpoint on the group of the Pale di San Martino, one of the most famous massifs of the Western Dolomites.
Sunset: After checking in at the hotel, we will take the old dirt military road that from the pass will lead us, after 6 km, to Baita Segantini, a mountain hut at more than 2200 meters of altitude, facing the whole range of the Pale di San Martino.
Dinner: at the restaurant of the hotel of our choice at Passo Rolle
Night: After dinner, if conditions are favorable, we could start our photo workshop with a night session directly at Passo Rolle, for photographing star trails and the milky way in the backdrop of the Cimon de la Pala, one of the amazing peaks of the Pale di San Martino group.
Day 2 – (October 5th, 2020): Pale Di San Martino and Val Venegia
Sunrise: Wake up about 1 hour before sunrise and with a walk on an easy trail with a moderate elevation gain we will reach the refuge known Baita Segantini, a mountain hut placed on the shore of a small lake. This is the best location for photographing the Pale di San Martino group either at sunrise or sunset.
Rest of the day during our Dolomites Photo tour: We will shoot in the area surrounding Passo Rolle for the rest of the day, waiting for the sunset in Val Venegia, a wonderful, enchanted valley just below the pass.
Evening: After sunset, we will get back to the cars and drive to Carezza, where we will have dinner and spend the night at one of the hotels in town.
Day 3 – (October 6th, 2020): Carezza Lake, Sella group, Funes Valley
Sunrise shoot at Carezza lake. The Lake of Carezza is a small alpine lake completely surrounded by a wonderful forest of pines and larches, and it’s one of the best locations for photographing the Latemar and Catenaccio groups at sunrise or sunset. We will then get back to the hotel for breakfast.
Morning: After breakfast, we will take the car and drive in the Fassa valley up to Canazei and from there up to the Sella pass, one of the most important passes of the Dolomites, linking the Fassa Valley to the Gardena Valley. Along the road that climbs up to the pass with sharp hairpin turns, there are many wonderful viewpoints on some of the most famous groups of the Dolomites, such as the Marmolada, the Sella Towers, Sasso Lungo and Sasso Piatto group, Odle range, etc. We will spend the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon shooting at this location. At around 2 pm we will head back to the cars and from the Sella pass, we will drive to the Funes valley, where we will spend the rest of the day.
Sunset: We will wait for the sunset at the famous Sankt Johann in Ranui’s church in the small hamlet of Santa Magdalena, with the jagged peaks of the Odle range in the background. We will stay overnight at a hotel in Funes.
Day 4 – (October 7th, 2020): Erbe Pass and Sass de Putia, Tofane, Lake Misurina
On our 4th Dau from the Dolomites Photo tour, we start at Sunrise: We will wake at around 5 am, pack up, and head to the Erbe Pass, a high altitude road pass linking the Funes Valley to the Badia Valley. We will photograph here at sunrise the amazing jagged peaks of the Sass de Putia (Peitlerkofel) group.
Morning: After the sunrise shoot, we will drive down to Badia Valley and we will stop in the small town of Badia, where we will have breakfast. We will also buy here sandwiches for lunch.
Rest of the day: After breakfast, we will keep driving south in the Badia Valley and we will stop at the Rifugio Capanna Alpina at the entrance of the Fanes, Valley, a side valley of the Badia valley. We will shoot in this area for about 1 hour and then we will drive up to Falzarego Pass, a high altitude road pass linking Badia Valley to Cortina d’Ampezzo. We will spend a couple of hours photographing in this beautiful area and then, after a quick lunch at the bar at the pass, we will take the cable car up to the 2800+ meters of an altitude of Mount Lagazuoi. This is an amazing location from where it is possible to view and photograph the whole range of mountains from Lagazuoi to Tofane, and also visit the Austro-Hungarian fortified trenches of World War I.
Sunset shoot We will leave the hotel at around 4:30 pm, heading to the Lake of Misurina, a small alpine lake surrounded by a beautiful evergreen forest, where we will photograph amazing peaks reflected in the water. Among these mountains, there is the Sorapiss group, that we will depict while shining in the pink light of the setting sun, and reflected in the calm waters of the lake.
Day 5 – (October 8th, 2020): Lake Landro and Mount Christallo, Rifugio Auronza and Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Sunrise: We will wake at around 5:30 am, and will drive to Landro Lake. Lake Landro is a small lake in the Alta Pusteria valley, and it’s the best location for photographing the Cristallo group at sunrise.
Morning: After the sunrise shoot, we will get back to the hotel for breakfast.
Rest of the day: After breakfast, we will drive up to the Rifugio Auronzo, a mountain hut at 2300 meters of altitude, lying in the prairies at the foot of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Group. From the prairies surrounding the rifugio Autonzo, it is possible to enjoy a 180° unobstructed view on some of the most beautiful massifs of the Ampezzo Dolomites, such as Cadini di Misurina, Cristallo, Mount Piana, Croda Rossa d’Ampezzo. We will shoot from this location for the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon and we will have lunch at the restaurant of the Rifugio Auronzo.
Morning: After the sunrise shoot, we will get back to the hotel for breakfast.
Rest of the day: After breakfast, we will drive up to the Rifugio Auronzo, a mountain hut at 2300 meters of altitude, lying in the prairies at the foot of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Group. From the prairies surrounding the rifugio Autonzo, it is possible to enjoy a 180° unobstructed view on some of the most beautiful massifs of the Ampezzo Dolomites, such as Cadini di Misurina, Cristallo, Mount Piana, Croda Rossa d’Ampezzo. We will shoot from this location for the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon and we will have lunch at the restaurant of the Rifugio Auronzo.
Sunset shoot We will live the area around Rifugio Auronzo at around 4:30 pm, heading down to Antorno Lake, a small alpine lake surrounded by a beautiful evergreen forest, where we will photograph the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Drei Zinnen), probably the most famous massif of the Dolomites, shining in the pink light of the setting sun, and reflected in the calm waters of the lake.
Day 6 – (October 9th, 2020): Giau Pass, Selva di Cadore, and Mount Pelmo, Lake Alleghe, Cinque Torri
Sunrise: We will wake up 1 hour before sunrise, and head by car to Giau Pass, a high altitude pass linking Cortina d’Ampezzo to Selva di Cadore, where we will have our sunrise shoot. From this pass, the sight is completely unobstructed and we will able to frame some of the most famous mountains of the Dolomites, such as Ra Gusela, Tofana di Rozes, Lastoi da Formin, Conturines, Marmolada, and many others.
Morning: After the sunrise shoot, we will get back to the hotel for breakfast.
Rest of the day: After breakfast, we will drive up to Giau Pass again, and from there we will head down to the small, picturesque town of Selva di Cadore, the perfect location for photographing the Mount Pelmo, another amazing peak of the Dolomites, and also for framing some beautiful Tyrolean style’s buildings.
After a quick lunch at some bar/restaurant at Selva di Cadore, we will drive to Alleghe, another small town that lies by the shore of a beautiful lake just at the foot of one of the most impressive massifs of the Dolomites, the Mount Civetta.
Sunset shoot: we will leave Alleghe at around 4:30, and we’ll drive up to the Rifugio Scoiattoli, a mountain hut placed at the feet of the Cinque Torri group. We will spend approximately two hours for visiting and photographing the trenches and the other vestiges of the World War I, dug in the rock in 1915 by the Italian troops all over this area, and then we will shoot the sun setting behind the Antelao and Lastoi de Formin groups.
Day 7 – (October 10th, 2020): Lake Antorno and Tre Crime
Sunrise: We will leave the hotel about 45 minutes before sunrise, and will drive to the Rifugio Scoiattoli at the feet of the Cinque Torri group. We will shoot the sun rising on the Tofane and Lastoi de Formin groups. We will then spend the rest of the morning scouting the area around and for visiting and photographing the trenches and the other vestiges of World War I, dug in 1915 by the Italian and the Austro-Hungarian troops all over this area.
Afternoon and sunset: We will have a quick lunch at around noon either at the Rifugio Scoiattoli or at some bar at Passo Falzarego. Either way, right after lunch we will get to the Falzarego pass and then with a short drive on the road to Col di Lana we will reach the small village of Andraz, where we will stop for visiting and photographing the beautiful medieval castle, with the Conturines range in the background. At around 2 pm we will get back to the car and head back to the Falzarego Pass, a high altitude road pass linking Cortina d’Ampezzo to the Badia Valley. We will spend the rest of the day in this amazing area, and then about 2 hours before sunset we will drive back to the Cinque Torri for another shooting session in this area, this time at sunset
Evening: As an option, we could have an image processing session at the hotel. In this case, a laptop with Photoshop and Lightroom is required.
Day 8 – (October 11th, 2020): Lake Antorno, transfer to airport or optional extension in Venice
Sunrise: to end our stay in the Dolomites in style, we will wake up at around 5:30 am and will drive to Lake Antorno for our last sunrise shoot, with the Tre Cime di Lavaredo as our main subject.
Morning: After the sunrise shoot, we will get back to the hotel for breakfast
Rest of the day: After breakfast, we will leave the Dolomites heading to the airport in Venice, where we will arrive in about 2h:30′.
Flights out of Venice anytime after 3:00 pm. End of our Dolomites Photo tour.
Questions about this tour?
Email me tim-vollmer@gmx.de
or Tweet @Tim Vollmer
or find me on Facebook
Dolomites Photo Tour
included:
• In the field full-time tutoring and instructions
• 7 overnights in a hotel
• All meals and soft drinks (lunch and dinner)
• 7 days transportation with mini-van
• at least 1 image processing session (a laptop with photo processing software is required)
Not included:
• international air travel tickets
• cancellation and travel insurance
• Local tourists tax (approx 4,50 EUR/night pax)
• tickets to cable cars
• Everything not specifically listed as included
• purchases such as souvenirs, clothing, etc.
Getting there:
You will organize your own travel to and from Venice, Italy to join us the Photo Tour
Images from the
Venice extension
Itinerary for the Extension Venice
Day 8 – (October 11th, 2020): Lake Antorno, transfer to airport or optional extension in Venice
For those who will choose to extend the Dolomites Photo tour with another 4 days in Venice, this is the plan San Marco – Riva Degli Schiavoni
Afternoon: transfer by bus or water taxi to the center of Venice and check-in at around 3:00 pm at the hotel. We will then take a walk on the Calles and Canals surrounding San Marco’s square, photographing some of the most famous landmarks of the Serenissima (San Marco Cathedral and Bell Tower, Doge’s Palace, Biblioteca Marciana), but we will also look for small, intimate subjects such as architectural elements, pavements paths, and textures, shop’s windows, friezes, building facades, etc.
Sunset: From Riva Degli Schiavoni, the large footpath along the San Marco Basin. We will photograph the sun setting behind the island of Giudecca and the dome of the church of La Salute.
Night: if it’s not too cold and the weather is favorable, we could spend about an hour taking night pictures either at Rialto Bridge or San Marco square
Day 9 – (October 12th, 2020): Punta della Dogana, Accademia bridge, theatre La Fenice,San Giovanni e Polo
Sunrise shoot from Punta Della Dogana. We will photograph the sun rising behind the island of Giudecca and San Giorgio, with the church of Redentore San Giorgio in the background. This is the place where Charles Ray’s statue “boy with frog” was until last year when it’s been removed. We will photograph the sun rising over the San Marco Basin and behind San Giorgio Maggiore, with the old-style lamppost that has replaced the statue in the foreground.
Rest of the day: we will have breakfast at around 9 am and then with a short walk we will get to the bridge of the Accademia. From atop the bridge, it is possible to enjoy a beautiful view on the final part of the Grand Canal and the San Marco basin, with the church of La Salute in the background. This is a great spot for shooting long exposures. We will then take a walk along the Calles and Canals in the area surrounding the bridge and the Opera theatre La Fenice, just a few hundred meters away. We will head then north to the Sestiere of Castello, and we will head to Campo San Giovanni e Polo. This is an ideal place for playing with strong ND filters in crowded places. We will visit and photograph the cathedral of San Giovanni e Polo and the Scuola Grande di San Marco, hosting nowadays the civil hospital of Venice, and the surrounding area.
Day 10 – (October 13th, 2020): Murano and Burano
Morning: We will take the ferry to Murano right after breakfast, at around 9 am. We will spend the whole morning visiting and photographing the beautiful views of the lagoon from the quays of Murano, as well as from the bridges across the two biggest canals of this beautiful island. the second biggest one of the lagoon after Venice itself.
Afternoon: After a quick lunch, We will take the ferry to Burano at around 2 pm. We will spend the rest of the day shooting the wonderful, crazily saturated colors of the houses of this amazing, small floating village. Burano is one of those photographer’s playground where possibilities are simply infinite. We will shoot wide vistas, near to far compositions with wide-angle lenses, geometries, and textures, particularly focusing on the wonderful reflections in the canals’ waters.
Sunset shoot from the small harbor of Burano, with sidewalks, lamp posts, jetties, boats, ripples and reflections in the water as a foreground, and the Venice skyline as a background, far in the distance. We will play with Graduated Neutral Density (GND) filters and polarizers to see how the moving elements in the composition change according to the shutter speed.
Day 11 – (October 14th, 2020): Molo, Riva degli Schiavoni, San Marco Square, Giudecca, San Giorgio Maggiore
Twilight shoot from The Molo, the part of Riva Degli Schiavoni that lies beside La Piazzetta and Doge’s Palace. We will be photographing the swinging gondolas at The Molo as well as the city lights at San Marco Square and Riva Degli Schiavoni, as we wait for the sun to rise.
Sunrise shoot at Riva Degli Schiavoni, we will photograph the sun rising behind San Giorgio Maggiore, with San Marco Square, Doge’s Palace, and gondolas in the foreground.
Morning: we will have breakfast at around 9 am and then we will have another shooting session in San Marco square. Of course, if we have acqua alta, the tide that in winter regularly floods many areas of Venice – and particularly San Marco – we will focus more and spend more time on this amazing phenomenon, as San Marco square is simply gorgeous with acqua alta and the related reflections.
Afternoon: we will have a quick lunch at some bar or trattoria nearby San Marco square, and then we will take the waterbus heading to Giudecca. This is one of the only two “sestieri” of Venice (district, the other one is Cannaregio) where the majority of people who live there are real Venetians. It’s probably the most peaceful part of Venice. If it is foggy or simply hazy, as it often is in Venice in winter, we will take advantage of the fog looking for simple subjects suitable for strong, minimalistic compositions, as this place is simply a gold mine for such subjects.
Sunset: From the Giudecca, with a short transfer with the Vaporetto, we will get to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. We will spend the rest of the day visiting the small island and the cathedral, we will climb atop the bell tower from where we will enjoy an unobstructed view of the whole city, and then we will shoot the warm light of sunset gently tingeing with reds and oranges the whole skyline of Venice from the wonderful vantage point provided by the island of San Giorgio Maggiore
We will then get back to the hotel for a long image processing session. A laptop with Photoshop and Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom is required
Night: as an option, we could still shoot approximately an hour after dinner, either at the Accademia bridge or Riva Degli Schiavoni
End of the workshop: at around 10:30 pm – Flights out from Venice airport anytime after 9 am on October 15th
Day 1 – (October 15th, 2020): Venice
Flights out from Venice airport anytime after 9 am on October 15th
end of the Dolomites Photo tour and Venice extension.
Questions about this tour?
Email me tim-vollmer@gmx.de
or Tweet @Tim Vollmer
or find me on Facebook
Venice extension
included:
• In the field full-time tutoring and instructions
• 4 overnights in a hotel
• All meals and soft drinks (lunch and dinner)
• at least 1 image processing session (a laptop with photo processing software is required)
Not included:
• international air travel tickets
• cancellation and travel insurance
• Local tourists tax (approx 4,50 EUR/night pax)
• tickets to cable cars
• Everything not specifically listed as included
• purchases such as souvenirs, clothing, etc.
Getting there:
You will organize your own travel to and from Venice, Italy to join us the Photo Tour
Photography Instructors
Tim has devoted his life to photography. Photography has been his long-held hobby and great passion. Tim has always felt drawn to the power and beauty he finds in nature. Tim has been leading photo tours and workshops in Iceland and many different countries over the years. He has had the world as his workplace. He is Photographing everything from the dramatic landscape in Iceland, to the native people in the remote corners of the world and the culture that is unique to each country. His journeys have taken him around the world in pursuit of memorable travel experiences and the creation of compelling images. His work has been featured in international publications. His images and stories are shared on various internet outlets. As a driven artist, professional, entrepreneur, and adventurer, Tim is eager to share his passion, knowledge in photography, and travel through the tours he designed on his own, or through his partnership with professional photographers from around the globe. Tim and his family lived 11 years in Iceland. Now they are based in the Czech Republic.
Call Tim Vollmer Now : (00420) 732 203 764
Paolo De Faveri’s Italian and European Landscapes is the online photo portfolio of the landscape, nature, and architecture freelance photographer Paolo De Faveri.
Paolo is aimed to produce appealing images with stunning natural and man-made sceneries as a subject, and the website showcases a professional selection of his works, taken in some of the best and worldwide renowned places of Italy, France, and other European countries, displayed and organized within thematic galleries.
Paolo’s photographs have been extensively published on a large variety of media such as tourism advertising brochures, magazines, calendars, books, home decor, and wall art reproductions.