7 days/8 nights in the Cortina D’Ampezzo area of the Eastern Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy, some of the most jaw-dropping scenery in all of Europe.
We have room for only 12 students for this special workshop! Two spaces were gone before the workshop was publicly announced! This workshop will sell out, so don’t wait!
The Italian Dolomites Photo Workshop! 6 full days shooting the dramatic, awesome Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy. We’ll be in the Ampezzo Valley region of the Dolomites (Cortina D’Ampezzo) for some of the most beautiful mountains in Europe.
The weather changes constantly, creating some of the most incredible landscape photography in the world. We only have room for 10 students in this special workshop, with food (breakfast and dinner) and lodging included.
Falzarego Pass, Passo Giau, Lagazuoi, Lago Misurina, Tre Cime, Sesto, and many other shooting locations only a life-long local guide will know. We only have room for a total of 10 students and only 8 spots remain.E
You’ll learn
- Concepts of exposure; the histogram and how to read the graph.
- ISO speeds, aperture and shutter speed, how to ignore the numbers and get GREAT shots.
- Composition; learn the rules and then how and when to break them.
- Use of polarizing filters.
- Use of neutral-density filters.
- “Dragging the shutter”; extended exposures (motion blur), even in full sunlight.
- How to make sure you got “the” shot in any given situation.
- Learn the value of patience; how to read the weather.
- Night photography; shooting the Milky Way, stars, and moonlight.
- Shooting for black and white conversion.
- Wide angle and telephoto lens use.
Dolomites
Tentative Schedule
Special Note;
If you have a fear of heights do NOT sign up for this workshop. We will be shooting incredible vistas from precarious locations, and will be frequently traveling in ski lifts and cable cars, and drive twisting mountain roads at extreme elevations. In order to be fair to the group we cannot accommodate those with a fear of heights.
Day 1 Monday (9/18)
Arrive at Hotel Lavaredo at Lake Misurina, welcome and orientation meeting at 6pm. Dinner at 7pm, independent shooting around the lake afterward if desired. Each student will have his or her own private room! No double occupancy requirements or single supplements!
Day 2 Tuesday
Sunrise shooting beginning at 5am, then breakfast at 8am, 9am first meeting to adjust camera settings and assess weather for remainder of the day. Easy day to allow for jet-lag recovery. Nearby (walking distance) ski-lift ride to Rifugio Col de Varda for lunch and shooting the spectacular grand vista of Croda del Banco and other spectacular mountain peaks. Shooting around Lake Misurina and nearby Lake de Atorno. Dinner after sunset.
Day 3 Wednesday
Rise early for the short drive to Rifugio Auronzo to shoot the sunrise, then back to Hotel Lavaredo. Breakfast at 8am. Most of the afternoon in this area shooting. Possible trip to Passo Giau or Sesto for sunset. Dinner after sunset.
Day 4 Thursday
Post-Processing workshop at our hotel; we’ll cover RAW conversion software, Photoshop, Lightroom and proper storage and archiving practices. We’ll cover preparation for print, internet use, etc.
Day 5 Friday
Excursion to the multiple chairlifts that will take us to Capanna Ra Valles on the west side of Cortina for a mind-bending sunset and/or sunrise plus lunch; there is an excellent pizzeria at this vista.
Day 6 Saturday
Check out of hotel Lavaredo and head to Falzarego Pass for the renowned Rifugio Lagazuoi where we will spend two nights. Pause along the way to shoot various vistas of the town of Cortina and other scenes as they appear. Detour to Passo Giau for the spectacular 360 degree vistas, then on to Passo Falzarego. Board the cable-car for the 90-second, 2,000 foot ascent to Rifugio Lagazuoi. Check in, break, dinner and shooting the sunset at Lagazuoi. NIght shooting!
Day 7 Sunday
Up early (5am) to shoot the sunrise, incredible breakfast, shooting around the Lagazuoi area. Image critique. Touring the WWI tunnels and artifacts, shooting late afternoon and sunset, dinner, then night shooting. It is entirely possible we will spend the entire day shooting from the deck of Lagazuoi; the view is that compelling and the conditions change rapidly.
Day 8 Monday
Up early to shoot sunrise, breakfast, more shooting in and around Lagazuoi. Check out for home by 10am. You may hang out at Lagazuoi on the sundeck until the last cable car goes down at 5pm.
Items to Bring
Bring telephotos as well if you have them; you’ll use them more than you think.
Best tripod you can muster w/ extra clamp plates. You’ll be very disappointed if you lose your one and only tripod clamp plate…
Cable release
Polarizing filter
Neutral density filters; one .6 and one .9 if possible. We will do some motion-blur photography, mostly with clouds. You will need at least 12 stops of neutral density.
Don’t forget your lens shades
Extra memory cards and spare camera batteries
Bring your camera’s owner’s manual; this will help solve problems with settings, especially if you are a Nikon or Sony shooter.
Bring several lens cloths and cleaning liquid; I will have liquid, but bring your own cloths, if possible please.
Be sure you have a wearable photo backpack for daily hiking trips.
Laptop computer with spare batteries. Don’t forget your CF/SD card reader!! People forget these all the time!
Rain and cold weather gear, both for your equipment and for you. Shooting could involve standing out in the rain or snow. Water-proof hiking boots would be very useful.
Special notice about lodging! Please read! VERY Important!
We will be staying at two hotels. The first, for five nights at Lake Misurina, we will be able to give each student his or her private room. But at Lagazuoi you will need to be much more flexible. Lagazuoi is a high-altitude “rifugio”; a small hotel with all he comforts, but lacking some of the privacy you might be used to. Think of a land-based submarine; every square foot of space is designed for maximum usage. For instance, there will be shared bath facilities and showers (located on the basement floor). You might have a roommate, or even two roommates from our group. Some of you will sleep in the dormitory, while very comfortable, well…it’s a dorm and you’ll be roomies with the general public. I have stayed in the dorms several times and the beds are very comfortable. The good thing about the dorm is that you are steps away from the showers…
Who gets what? Preference in rooms will be based on first-come first-served. I will let you know when you register FULLY PAID where you are in the pecking order. The first FULLY PAID registered will get first choice of rooms at Lagazuoi. Even if you are dead last, probably insuring you’ll be in the dorm, you’ll be comfortable and have everything you need. Just revert to your days in college or at summer camp. Your stuff will be safe, just slide it under your bed; there’s plenty of room.
Here is the Lagazuoi website link so you can see what’s what: Rifugio Lagazuoi
Dolomites Registration and Pricing
Sept. 18 to Sept 25, 2023
Workshop Price
Full Payment-
All Lodging Included
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Breakfast and Dinner Included
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Park Fees and Gondola Fees Included
Deposit
Balance Due 6/18/23-
Balance of $2,075 due 6/15/23
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Breakfast and Dinner Included
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Park Fees and Gondola Fees Included
Non-Shooting Guest
Welcome to Join Us Daily!-
All Lodging Included
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Breakfast and Dinner Included
-
Park Fees and Gondola Fees Included