The Dolomites 2024
The Stunning Alps of Italy, the Milky Way, Florence & Fall Colors
9 days • 8 nights • September 30th – October 8th, 2024
* Workshop full *
Group size 6 • $6,775
single room fee $850
The amazing Alps
In October of 2024, I will doing a new workshop to one of the most beautiful places on earth. The Dolomites of northern Italy are just beyond stunning and we will travel all over by car and look for incredible photo ops everywhere. The natural beauty in every direction is overwhelming and we are going to have a blast every single day in many different locations.
I am only taking 6 people as I want this to be small and intimate in this gorgeous location. This exciting road trip will start out from the beautiful city of Florence where we will caravan in large SUVs to the northern Italian Alps. I have scouted out a perfect itinerary where hiking is kept to a minimum, unlike other workshops, so that we focus on capturing images as often as possible.
Best time of the year
Each hotel is very high end and in the best locations possible as I want this to be a top notch, very special workshop. As a bonus, for those who want to stay a day or two at the end of the workshop in Florence, I will take you to some of my favorite locations as I just love Florence so much. We can make this an even more amazing workshop for those who can stay a bit longer!.
We will venture everywhere, everyday, looking for amazing photo ops including some incredibly stunning lakes. We will get up for sunrise some days to try and avoid crowds and take advantage of the gorgeous morning light. But most importantly, I planned this workshop around fall and fall colors as this is typically the best time of the year to photograph the Dolomites!
Dolomites
Shooting day & night in the Alps
I have timed this workshop for the Milky Way and also a little moonlight. This will hopefully give us some great chances of capturing the night sky above the Dolomites, something I am hoping will work out. The Milky Way will be up early, around 8pm in October, which is nicer than having to stay up late!
A Fun Road Trip
Everyone will meet in Florence where you will book your room before the workshop starts. The hotel I love in Florence is in a great spot and we can have some fun if you come in a day or two early. But also, when we get back to Florence, those that want to stay an additional day or two will have me as their guide to show you some great shooting locations high and low in Florence.
All accommodations are included in beautiful, high-end hotels in different towns. I opted to stay in the best hotels possible, which are pricey but will make the workshop more like a dream! I hand picked every hotel so that they correspond to the best locations and are exactly what I imagined was best for this workshop.
The 2 rental SUVs will be large Audi’s or BMW’s and are included in the workshop but we will all share gas costs in each car. We will also have powerful walkee talkees in each vehicle as on a road trip like this, they are crucial.
Itinerary for The Dolomites 2023 workshop
Arrive in Florence at least one day early
Everyone should arrive in Florence at least one day before the workshop starts. You can take a taxi to the hotel, which is our starting point. You will book a room at my favorite hotel for for all nights prior to the start of the workshop.
All other hotels are included in the price of the workshop. We will hang out that first afternoon & night as a group, and if time permits, maybe go shooting and possibly have dinner together and then explore..
Days 1- 2 -3 Val di Funes •
Santa Magdalena & more
We will leave Florence on Monday, September 30th and head towards the Dolomites. We will head towards the town of Val di Funes and go to one of my favorite bed and breakfast villas I have ever been to. We will stay here for 3 nights in this magical place that will remind you of a fairy tale.
Some of the most iconic areas to photograph will be near our villas and we will hope for great weather and have a blast shooting day and night! Having a small group will be the best part of being here and I cannot stress how magical this part of the Dolomites is!
Day 3 – 4 Majestic Seiser Alm
Thursday & Friday, October 3rd and 4th, we will be at the infamous Seiser Alm. This stunning area is a Dolomite plateau and the largest high-altitude Alpine meadow in Europe. Driving is not allowed in this area for a very good reason as this area is recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site.
For this reason, I have chosen for us to stay atop the mountain in a high-end, beautiful resort so that we will avoid having to drive up the mountain, park and then walk at least a mile to photograph. Staying at this slick hotel wil be an experience and I cannot wait to stay up there. I have only stayed in town and driven up each day so this will be a huge treat! We will have majestic views from our balconies and breakfast and yummy dinners will be included.
I am also hoping that we will possibly be in a good position for the Milky Way over the Langkofel Group mountain range, which is one of the most beautiful ranges in the Dolomites. We will also be next to the infamous Adler Lodge, one of the most stunning hotels you have ever seen. I wanted to stay there but the prices are out of control. We will be staying right next door so we can hang out at the Adler hopefully.
Day 6 Lago di Braies
After amazing Seiser Alm, we will drive to one of the most beautiful lakes in the entire Alps. If the wooden boats are in the water at sunrise we will go to the lake early and try to capture some very powerful images. Being a huge tourist area, we will have to be lucky to get shots without people around, but we will try our best!
We will stay nearby in Dobbacio, a cute town that is very close to Lago di Braies so that we have a short drive at sunrise. This is the only place on the workshop where we will stay for only one night so as to be at the lake at sunrise. Hopefully, it will be worth it! The 4 star hotel is pretty hip with a huge heated swimming pool, Finnish Sauna and Turkish Bath and the 5 course homemade dinner should also be a treat!
Day 7 and 8 Beautiful Cortina
After sunrise shooting in Lago di Braies, we will take a picturesque journey to the super cool town of Cortina. I just love this town so much as it feels like you have gone back in time. This is the quintessential European ski town and will be the site of the 2026 Winter Olympics. The town has been busy getting ready to host the Olympics and I bet you will fall in love with Cortina, a very special city.
This is one of my favorite areas in the Dolomites and we will have a ton of great shooting from sunrise to sunset. From lakes to mountain tops, this will be one great location to end our workshop and I am hoping this is might be a perfect spot to capture the Milky Way and night sky.
Our hotel in the middle of town is one of my favorite hotels on earth. I cannot imagine staying anywhere else and although crazy pricey, it is just off the wall amazing. Everyone will also get a free visit upstairs in one of the most beautiful spas I have ever been in. I promise it will blow you away!
Massage is also available and the restaurant is filled with incredibly tasty delights. This hotel for me is one of the highlights of this trip and I bet you absolutely love it too! This will be a great way to end our fun time in the Dolomites!
After the workshop • Shoot in Florence
When we drive back to Florence after our time in Cortina, I will stay for at least a couple of days and we can extend the workshop to capture some of the most photogenic parts of this gorgeous city.
From Michelangelos’ David in the Academia Gallery to the one of kind Pontevecchio, a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno to the stunning panorama views from above Florence at the Michelangelo Piazza to the best food and shopping in all of Italy, this is one hell of a city! We can keep the workshop going and have a blast before leaving for home!
WHAT TO EXPECT
This workshop includes a reasonable amount of walking or hiking and requires an average level of physical fitness. You can leave some camera gear in the hotel room as you might not need everything all the time but when we are in vehicles, you can bring it all with you.
HEALTH
As I mentioned earlier, it is a good idea to be in shape as we will be walking & hiking all over the place throughout the workshop. Sometimes, our hotel rooms will be up a flight of stairs and being in shape will help with this.
This is why I also recommend carry on size luggage as they are easier to manage. We will be at altitude up in the Alps so this will also play a part on your oxygen levels so make sure you are in tip top shape!
TRANSPORTATION
As I wrote above, we will be driving in two large SUV’s with myself and my friend Paul as the other driver. This will be a fun road trip but everyone is encouraged to bring small size luggage if possible. I will go over this with everyone who signs up but smaller luggage will be a huge bonus for going in and out of the different hotels and also making sure all of our luggage and camera backpacks fit into the SUV’s.
LOGISTICS
The workshop will start on September 30th, 2024 in Florence, Italy at one of my favorite hotels in Florence . This is the only hotel that guests will have to book and pay for themselves during and after the workshop. You can come to Florence early and stay late as we will go shooting in Florence after the Dolomites for a day or two as I just love this city so much!
We will stay at four other stunning hotels during the workshop, all in close proximity to many shooting locations. Dinner is included in two of the hotels and breakfast is included in every hotel. These hotels are some of my favorites in all of Europe and we will have a blast including the beautiful spa in our hotel in Cortina.
CLIMATE
The climate at this time on the Dolomites is usually pretty nice but it can get cool and also can rain during this time so be prepared for anything. The average highs are around 68 degrees and lows averaging 46 degrees.
Most of the time, it should be pretty mild and enjoyable although we will be hoping for clouds as much as possible. We will also be out late after dark shooting at times, so it will be cold! I am hoping for great skies for Milky way shooting so let’s keep our fingers crossed!
CLOTHING
Shorts or long pants are good to wear most days but the weather can change anytime and nights can be pretty chilly so it’s also good to have fleece & maybe also a warm down jacket to layer with. Long Johns might be a good idea for cold nights when we are out late plus gloves and a warm wool hat!
I would wear hiking shoes if you can as there will be a lot of walking over all kinds of terrain. A light rain jacket is a must also as the rain can pop up anywhere, anytime in the Dolomites.