Dolomites Photo Tour Dates
Dolomites | June 27 – July 5, 2025
Arrive: Venice, Italy Marco Polo airport
Depart: Venice
Group Size: 6-10 guests
9 days / 8 nights
$5250/person (Add $650 supplement for private single room)
Included:
Travel
Ground travel by minivan from Venice Marco Polo Airport, returning to Venice.
Hotels
8 nights accommodations in four-star hotels.
Meals
- Luxurious breakfast each day
- 4 dinners or lunches included
-
Wine / beer /soda included with meals
Workshop
Workshop tuition, including instruction in the field throughout the week and on-screen review where allowed by time and hotel space.
Not Included:
- Airfare
- Trip insurance (recommended)
*Also not included are crowds of tourists, slow moving tour guides and lectures on the history of plague 🙂
Dolomites Grand Tour – Summer Edition
Possibly the most photogenic mountains on earth, this is a dream tour for landscape photographers.
Just north of Venice, this region is infused with Italian-Austrian foods and wines, along with Alpine lodge hospitality.
Tour Itinerary
Fly into Venice Marco Polo airport a day early so you have a day to acclimate. Stay on your own in Venice or at a hotel near the airport.
Day 1 | Welcome to the Dolomites!
2:00 PM meet up in Venice.
Travel by minivans from Venice to Pieve di Cadore for vista views from Parco Roccolo.
After lunch, meet some locals and visit the tiny mountain village of Cibiana di Cadore with its famous murals.
Check into your 4 star hotel in San Vito
Welcome dinner
Overnight 4 star hotel
Day 2 | Lakes & Legends
Sunrise will find us at the famous Passo Giau. You can choose to take a short trek for the views or relax at the lodge on the pass.
Enjoy some mid-day free time in the village of San Vito and the in the evening we’ll head for the lakes of Misurina for reflections of the alps in the crystal waters, along with views of the famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo.
Enjoy a typical alpine dinner together in Misurina
Overnight 4 star hotel
Day 3 | Heights & Lights
Today we get a lift up to high altitude Croda da Lago and it’s beautiful Lago Federa.
Workshop your landscape skills with the beautiful reflections, then enjoy a relaxed lunch before returning to the valley for the evening.
Day 4 | Into the Deep Blue
After breakfast take a walk around deep blue-green Braise Lake reflecting the surrounding majestic mountains.
In the evening we’ll return to Passo Giau for sunset and blue hour shooting at altitude.
Day 5 | Beauty & Majesty
Today we take a chairlift to the Cinque Torri formations at Rifugio Scoiattoli. From the rifugio, you’ll have options to trek a mile or two further up into the clouds, or to stay put and photograph the fields of flowers surrounded by awesome peaks.
Sunset and sunrise find us in prime position to photograph the famous Cinque Torri formation and the surrounding mountain range.
Overnight in mountain hut “rifugio” / private rooms
Day 6 | Pillars of the Earth
After a sunrise shoot on the Cinque Torri and a hearty breakfast, we check out travel to Sass Pordoi (9700 ft) Arrive at altitude by tram and photograph this amazing mountain scape.
The Terrazzo delle Dolomiti is an ideal place for lunch and some workshop discussion, before heading to our 4 star hotel in Santa Cristina Val Gardena.
Overnight 4 stat hotel / Val Gardena
Day 7 | Vertical Astonishment
In the morning we’ll head to Ortisei and take the cable car up to photograph Monte Seceda, one of the most spectacular peaks of the region.
Easy trails take you though fields of flowers with all sorts of landscape opportunities at altitude.
If time and weather permit we’ll spend the evening in the serene mountain meadows of the Alpe di Siusi. You’ll have the option of walking these gentle hills in the evening light or relaxing at a lodge.
Overnight 4 star hotel
Day 8 |
Take some well deserved relax time at our beautiful hotel. Workshop editing skills and review our work together on screen. Buy now you’ll have tons of great images to work on. Enjoy some personal time in the village or the hotel spa.
In the evening we’ll visit Santa Maddalena in Val di Funes to cap off your stunning Dolomites portfolio.
Final dinner
Overnight 4 star hotel
Day 9 | Time to Say Goodbye
After our farewell breakfast, we check out and drive through beautiful valleys on our way back to Venice.
OR…
Extend with us to beautiful Lake Garda, 4 days/3 nights. See the details below.
The Workshop
One-on-one instruction is offered in the field each day, and on-screen image reviews allow guests to share images and get constructive critique. . This workshop in the Dolomites focuses on aspects of landscape photography, from composition and lighting to post-processing. Daily assignments encourage you to try new techniques and lesson cards help you remember the assignment when you get home.
Photographer & Guide Mauro Riva
Mauro Riva is a professional guide born in the Dolomites. He’ll show you his secret locations with the knowledge only a local can share.
We’re lucky to have Mauro on our team because as a photographer he knows how to get us to the right places in the best light. He is your guarantee of a safe and smooth week of learning.
Mauro will be sharing tips on iPhone and Android camera use for fine art. He’ll show you how to maximize the quality of your phone photo capture and introduce post-processing tips to polish them off.
View Mauro’s work
Instructor Carl Sandquist
Carl Sandquist is a world traveler and experienced landscape photographer who works at Adobe, specializing in new and emerging creative technologies. He holds a Professional Certification in Adobe Photoshop. In his spare time, he immerses himself in landscape photography, capturing awe-inspiring shots from around the globe. Workshop attendees praise his patient and positive teaching style, enjoying the process as their images spring to life with Carl’s expert editing techniques. He loves working with people, making the learning experience enjoyable and rewarding. See some of Carl’s work
What Camera Gear Should I Bring?
Any camera is fine… we’re not gear-heads and won’t be pixel counting.
Phone cameras are welcome, either as your second camera or your primary.
For your digital camera one or two lenses covering 24mm to 200mm (full frame equivalent) is sufficient. A super wide (16mm equivalent) would come in handy occasionally if you already have one.
This may seem simple, but when traveling less is more.
For this Dolomites trip, you could honestly photograph the entire trip with a single 24-105mm (full frame equivalent) lens.
A sturdy travel tripod is a must, since we’ll be photographing into the night occasionally. Travel tripods should fold to fit in your luggage, and extend to your eye level.
Should I Bring a Computer
Participants who are very comfortable with their computer are encouraged to bring it along. Editing your images during the week can enhance your learning experience. We currently use Adobe Lightroom Classic for our on-screen reviews sessions. You will learn new LR editing methods and workflow shortcuts during classroom reviews and critique. Even if you’ve used Lightroom, we highly recommend brushing up before the workshop by watching the free tutorials available on Adobe.com.
If you are not fluent downloading and managing digital images, you might consider leaving the computer behind and just focusing on camera work. You can still submit images daily for review, and perhaps find more time to learn about your camera and develop a discerning eye. (Not to mention sleep happily while others are editing into the night)
All Skill Levels Are Welcome
Beginner and Intermediate Photographers
We enjoy helping you master those buttons and menus on your camera! Short, daily field lessons will tackle one technique at time. Further individual attention in the field helps you lock in the concepts.
Smartphone cameras are welcome!
Non-photographer partners are welcome to sit in on all discussions and participate at their own level of interest. (Beginners often make some of the best images we see!)
Advanced Photographers
As an advanced photographer you’ll be encouraged to:
- Build your portfolio, adding strong images every single day of the trip.
- Focus on style development, lighting and composition.
- Work in “concentrations” to produce a collection of work suitable for a gallery showing or book project.
You will return home with a body of work suitable for a gallery showing or book project that will express your personal style, as opposed to a random collection of travel photos.
Dolomites Photo Tour Reviews
