The Dolomites Workshop
Price range: £1,000.00 through £3,200.00
Dolomites Landscape and Astrophotography Workshop with mountain rifugio stay and a small compact group for guaranteed valuable photographic tuition, offering easier locations than alternative Dolomites workshops (see alternative here).
Description
DOLOMITES PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
Dolomites Photo Tour
25th September – 2nd October 2027
2027 DOLOMITES PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
The Dolomites Photography Workshop focuses on nightscape, landscape astrophotography, and landscape photography within one of Europe’s most iconic mountain ranges.
Tutor: Ollie Taylor
PRICE
Deposit £1000
Full Price £3200
DATES & AVAILABILITY
25th September 2027 to 2nd October 2027
(7 nights)
PARTICIPANTS
Max 6Photographers
Tutor: Ollie Taylor
EXERTION LEVEL
LOCATION
Dolomite Alps Italy
ACCOMMODATION
Landscape Photography Tuition
This workshop includes traditional landscape photography shoots and tuition amid spectacular alpine mountain scenery.
Nightscape Photography Tuition
Night sky and astrophotography tuition is included within this photo tour, with amazing backdrops high up in the Alps.
Expertise
The Dolomites workshop is aimed at photographers at amateur skill level and upwards; participants will need a good understanding of the manual mode in their cameras.
PACKAGE Includes
Accommodation to include Rifugio stay
Transportation
All gondolas and ski lifts used
Structured astrophotography tutiton & PDF handouts
Landscape photography tuition if required
Digital darkroom session & landscape and nightscape planning
In-depth follow up digital darkroom image to print tuition if required*
Pick up/drop off = Venice Marco Polo Airport
PACKAGE Excludes
Flights
Personal travel and equipment insurance
Meals and snacks
Contact Form
DOLOMITES PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
6 nights in THE Dolomites
The Dolomites Photography Tour is aimed at photographers at amateur level and upwards; participants will need a reasonable understanding of their camera’s manual functions to aid the group to work efficiently at altitude when undertaking astrophotography, so therefore, unfortunately, this workshop is unsuitable for complete beginners.
The workshop concentrates on both landscape, and astrophotography offering participants a chance to venture high up into the peaks and shoot landscapes and night photography from awe-inspiring locations.
The original workshop some years back was one of the first offering night photography tuition and astro photographic opportunities within the Dolomites in the world, and there are still less instructors and workshop leaders willing to go the extra mile with planning and logistics to incorporate nightscapes within their Dolomite photography workshops and tours. The group will prioritise some clear nights for landscape astrophotography and nightscapes, however, it also incorporates a substantial amount of landscape, especially as clear skies can never be guaranteed. The group will have ample opportunities to explore and travel through the Dolomites in the daytime, photographing general landscapes throughout the day, especially within the golden hour, sunset, and the blue hour. The group will also undertake sunrises on days that do not coincide with late nights, ensuring there is a balanced mix of traditional landscape photography and astrophotography. Depending on the moon phase, lunarscapes may also be incorporated.
As with most of our workshops, the Dolomites is a region where he has spent multiple months and worked on commission for clients. He will use his experience of the area to select locations on the day prior, guided by the weather as much as possible; this is to ensure the team gets the optimum chance of photographing key locations in the best conditions, day or night.
Locations may include Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Passo Giau, Croda da Lago, Passo Falzarego, Cinque Torri, Selva di Cadore, Santa Maddalena, Lago di Antorno, and more; to include areas less known or frequented by groups of photographers.
The apartments are located within a beautiful valley situated within Alta Badia, in a scene so picturesque you can literally shoot mountain peaks and low lying cloud from the doorstep or room balconies; there is also a picturesque church within the village that provides an excellent “roll out of bed” sunrise subject, with Sass di Putia mountain providing the backdrop.
Dolomites Photo Tour FAQ
Ollie has run Dolomitephotography workshops for the best part of a decade, and was amongst, if not the very first, workshop leader to offer astrophotography tuition and shoots as part of his Dolomites tours, whilst also making sure the tours retain a strong landscape photography element. Ollie has worked two commercial commissions lasting several months in the Dolomites , so knows the region well. Read more about the tutor and workshops here.
He also runs his Dolomites workshops similar to his Iceland tours, whereby the location each day is decided the day prior according to the best possible mountain weather forecasts, thus increasing the chance of successful astrophotography shoots, sunrises with cloud inversion, and utilising potential rainy days for post-production.
The Dolomites Photo Tour is also a workshop, not just a tour, so tuition is on hand for those that require it. For groups that have no nightscape experience, Ollie will teach the group in a step-by-step fashion on the first clear night, looking at beginners to advanced, beginner techniques from single frames to exposure, and blending to stacking.
Landscape photography is usually more diversified with group attendees and, if required, Ollie usually works with the group members individually on different aspects from composition to technique, depending on where they feel they are with their landscape work.
Anyone living within the EU does not require a visa for Italy. Currently UK passport holders can enter any EU country for up to 90 days without a visa, though this is set to change to an ETAS type system in 2024. Travellers from other countries will need a Schengen Visa allowing 90 days travel within Italy and other Schengen countries.
The Dolomites workshops are always based within the very short fall period, meaning winter is looming and the first “big” snow can come at any time.
Days can range from 5°-18° in the sun, with nights dropping to zero on the high passes and mountain trails, and there can be wind chill.
Winter clothing is needed with a mix of some light-weather hiking kit for the warmer days, heavy rain is possible but it’s unusual for the group to get caught out in it.
- Comfortable light hiking pants
- Windproof heavier duty hiking pants
- Waterproof overlayer
- Base layers
- Multiple thermal fleeces or underlayers that can be layered over one another
- Lightweight hiking tops
- Hiking socks and thermal socks (feet always get cold first undertaking night photography)
- Thermal down jacket or outdoor wind/waterproof thermal coat (lightweight if possible)
- Gore Tex/waterproof hiking boots/trainers
- Hat/gloves/snood/scarf
Nice to haves!
- Spare pair of hiking boots/trainers in case one set gets wet through
- Hand warmers (throw away or electronic)
- Feet warmers/battery socks
- Micro crampons (Ollie will notify the group the week commencing if snow is forecast)
- Sunscreen
Any Dolomites Photography Workshop advertising the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Drei Zinnen) classic view from Rifugio a.Locatelli (Dreizinnenhütte) as a location within the itinerary requires around one and a half hours walking each way with two inclines 75/100m outbound and one inbound; this isn’t always made clear on tour leader websites.
Our team try and use this location for astrophotography, meaning hiking in with warm clothes for a few hours of darkness, camera equipment, food and drink, so the long day and astrophotography element make this tour a little more demanding than some other Dolomites tours. Sometimes, depending on weather, exact time of year, we also hike some other lesser trodden trails for more rewarding, quieter locations.
Occasionally, Ollie operates less demanding tours without some of the longer hiking trails to order, please sign up to the newsletter for further information, or contact Ollie.
The Dolomites photography workshop is self-catering, and days incorporating astrophotography we prepare our own food for the evening. There is an abundance of excellent restaurants in various areas we visit, and we utilise these on our travels and on evenings with unfavourable weather.
DOLOMITES ACCOMMODATION
We have used the same apartments for over nine years, situated in the beautiful Valley of Alta Badia in the Alpine village of La Val.
Accommodation
The apartments consist of a series of high standard one- and two-bedroom apartments within the same modern traditional Swiss style chalet. The apartments are finished to an excellent standard with a small kitchenette, underfloor heating with separate controls for each room. Balconies on the upper floors and veranda with seating to the lower floor, electric blackout external shutters throughout. Lockable bedroom doors in the two-bedroom apartments, each bedroom having its own en suite.
Local Dolomites Area
Away from the hustle and bustle of Cortina and boasting a traditional picturesque chapel on the hillside for sunrises. The area is a little less convenient for Passo Giau and Lago Misurina/Antorno though these can be reached within an hour. However, the location is central to all the key locations, making Lago de Braise, Santa Maddalena, Ortisei and Seceda, with Sas de Putia only a 40-minute drive.
The location also gives access to the main roads to the north allowing easier access to the E66 and S22 roads, making the Gruppo del Catinaccio region accessible within an hour and a half instead of three, or a hotel switch from Cortina.
This suits our style of workshop where the team move with the weather as best as possible, though there can be a substantial amount of driving on the Dolomites Photo Workshop.
Fieldwork Equipment
Full frame, crop sensor, micro four-thirds, and bridge cameras can be used, alongside larger format cameras. It is recommended that your camera has a minimum of ISO 6400, though ideally 12800 or above for the astrophotography element of the Dolomites Workshop.
- Camera body
- Multiple lenses with a range of focal lengths from wide to telephoto; a fast aperture wide lens is highly advantageous
- Sturdy tripod
- Remote timer or long exposure bulb control built-in on the timer
- Spare camera battery
- Head torch with a red mode (this is not for night vision, it makes it easier to work as a group, and stops us from blinding one another)
- October is bordering the alpine winter and the weather is unpredictable and changeable, some seasons see warm days and cool nights, other snowfall and ice-cold nights. Warm walking clothes may be needed for the day alongside rain and windproofs, hiking boots/trainers, a mixture of normal/hiking and winter socks, hat, gloves, neck warmer, and hand warmers.
Post-production & Planning Necessities
The planning and post-production are absolutely critical elements of astrophotography and certain styles of landscape photography, hence they have been included in our group workshops since 2014. For those that don’t use Adobe and using other post-production software suites, it will be up to you to transfer the workflow to your chosen software suite; the second phase of the workflow requires software with layers (ie Photoshop or similar) though sessions may be very short in the Dolomites if the weather is favourable.
- Lightroom (please make sure this is Lightroom Classic)
- Photoshop (or another suite with layer options)
- A laptop running the above ideally with a minimum of 8GB Ram (though 16GB Ram or over is recommended for advanced post-production)
- This part of the workshop can be undertaken with no laptop and note writing, though following on a laptop is recommended
Recommended apps that will be taught and demonstrated:
- Photopills (paid one-time subscription)
- Stellarium (free on desktop), free mobile version, the full mobile version now costs a fee
- Starwalk 2, Sky Guide or similar “what’s in the sky mobile/tablet application”
FURTHER INFORMATION
We run Dolomite Photography Tours annually late September to October catering for different levels of fitness due to the Dolomites rugged terrain. The workshops are carefully planned around moon phases to enable both traditional landscape, and astrophotography tuition.
Group emails are set up once the group is fully booked, as an icebreaker, and also to serve as a Q&A platform.
Please note deposits are non-refundable and balances are due 120 days prior to the workshop commencing.
Please contact us for further info.
BOOK YOUR PLACE
If there are spaces left, you can book your place on this photography tour below.
If you have any questions please click here to contact Ollie Taylor.
Additional information
| Course Payments | Deposit Dolomites 2027, Full Payment Dolomites 2027 |
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