The Dolomites A Photographer's Dream Adventure sept 25 -Oct 2, 2024

Day 1 - Arrive

Fly into Marco Polo Airport in Venice and a shuttle will take you to our nearby hotel. We will meet for a welcome dinner and adventure orientation.

Day 2

We will leave after breakfast and head towards the mountains. We will enjoy a two hour drive as we head towards Alleghe Lake. We will stop in some local villages and capture them in the early morning light.

Day 3

Rise and shine for sunrise at the lake capturing reflections and the illuminating the mountains. We will head west further into the heart of the Dolomites, and then to the ceiling of them, taking our first of many gondola rides. Entering the alpine environment is like entering another world. We will have amazing 360 views and enjoying a lunch with a breathtaking views in every direction, as well as be up close and personal with the Marmolada, aka the queen of the Dolomites. It's the only glacier in the mountain range. From this vantage point, we'll be work on compositions, Timelapse's and long exposures as well as gelato and Hugo's, a local cocktail made from Prosecco, Edelflower and fresh mint.

After some downtime at our hotel, we'll make our way in the Val Gardena, perhaps the most scenic valley in all of the Dolomites. Here, we will take you to some of our favorite viewpoints to capture a truly iconic scene, the Chiesa di Santa Maddalena, framed inside the Odle mountains as the sun begins to set.

Day 4

After meeting for breakfast, we will pack our gear into overnight bags and head further into the mountains where we catch a gondola up to our first rifugio. The "mountain huts" are what makes the Dolomites the greatest location in earth for landscape photography.

Once checked in, we will explore the area framing up compositions from a vantage point that will simply take your breath away. A traditional four-course dinner will be awaiting our return, accompanied by the local wine found from this region. At this altitude and climate, it is not uncommon for a cloud inversion to occur as we will be sleeping, and shooting, above the clouds. To witness this under moonlite or before dawn as the sun starts to break through the atmosphere is something you will never forget.

Day 5

Walk right out the door and be greeted by an incredible sunrise with 360 views. Every angle will be amazing and it's only a few steps out of bed. After a warm breakfast, we will enjoy some down time to soak in the early morning sun, or a nap, before embarking on a short hike, downhill, to our next rifugio. We will spend a leisurely afternoon exploring the area, hiking, editing and critique sessions while we await sunset. The sunset will be amazing from this epic skytop perch and best enjoyed with the famous Tiramisu made on premise. Weather permitting, we will have the opportunity to capture the night sky framed by the moonlit Cinque Torri formation, all within footsteps of the rifugio.

Day 6

After shooting sunrise and enjoying a hearty home cooked breakfast, we will relax and enjoy the views. This is the perfect time to launch our drones, to see and capture these mountains from an entirely different perspective. We'll then descend down the mountain, via gondola, to make our way to the next gondola station across the valley to whisk us up to the highest elevation rifugio in the Dolomites where we will spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the rooftop of these mountains and capturing stunning photos right into sunset.

Day 7

Sunrise will find you at a viewpoint that will literally take your breath away. After breakfast and some downtime, we will make our way back down the mountain, via gondola, and continue our journey heading towards Cortina to visit one last iconic location. After a short hike along the backside of the famous Tre Cime, we will switch gears to take you to one of ours favorite, and lesser known locations for our last sunset. With no official name and location the map, we will see much fewer people than the well-traveled Tre Cime loop. A slightly longer hike will reward us with view of the Cadini di Misurina and a viewpoint of the Dolomites could be considered the most dramatic of them all.

We will be staying in the town of Cortina, perfect for picking up souvenirs and local gifts.

Day 8

We will be exploring the mountain towns, lakes and viewpoints one last time as we slowly make our way back to Venice.

We strongly recommend extending your trip for a few days to enjoy Venice before flying home. We are happy to recommend accommodations as well as an itinerary.

Depending on our attendees level of interest, we may host a post-trip excursion, touring you through the canals of Venice and whisking you off to the islands of Murano and Burano during golden hour while reserving the afternoons to host editing sessions and image critiques. The real magic of Venice is best captured and experienced by night, we would show you the way there too :). Simply inquire if you would like to know more.

Logistics

While great care was taken to craft an itinerary that best utilizes a combination of gondolas and rifugios to ensure the best world-class-view-to-hiking ratio, we do recommend you being in moderate physical shape to better enjoy the experience. All hikes are optional and feel free to reach out with any questions.

What's included:

• Lodging Accommodations (double occupancy)
• Breakfast and Dinner (Only at rifugio)
• Transportation throughout the entire trip
• Cable Car/Gondolas
• Two Photography instructors
• Post processing instruction and image critique sessions

What's not included

• Flights to and from Venice
• Lunch, Dinners that are not at the Rifugio,
• Snacks etc (allows for more flexibility for personal dietary restrictions)
• Alcoholic beverages

Lodging

Hotel Accommodations are booked on a double occupancy system. Accommodations range from modern hotels to rustic yet immaculate dorm-style mountain huts. Single occupancy may be arranged for an additional fee depending on the hotel availability. Single occupancy is not possible in the rifugios due to high-demand and limited space.

Personal Gear

• Overnight Backpack to carry your camera gear with room for two nights of clothing and essentials.
• Waterproof and windproof shell.
• Insulated jacket
• Waterproof pants
• Thermals
• Sturdy footwear with ankle support
• Casual clothing for dinners and lunches
• Headlamp
• Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Sun Hat.
• Water bottle