This workshop is now full. If you would like to be notified if and when a spot opens up join the waitlist via email.
Total fee: $8,895, includes workshop fee, and ten nights of accommodations in Venice, Alpe di Siusi and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Download the workshop PDF for a complete description of the workshop, including full itinerary, specific gear recommendations, lodging and travel information and more.
Perched atop Italy along its borders with Austria and Switzerland, the Dolomites are spectacular mountains and a true gem of a photographic workshop location. Easily accessible high alpine meadows, thick golden larch forests, crystal clear streams and waterfalls all nestle beneath unbelievably jagged picturesque limestone peaks. Italian villages and small cities dot the landscape alongside high alpine refugios, crumbling wartime fortifications and ancient castles and churches.
After driving into the mountains from Venice, our first workshop base of operations will be a hotel located directly in the Alps’ highest alpine meadow, Alpe Di Siusi. Perched high above Val Gardenia, this green rolling landscape of farmland, trees and cabins is framed to the north by some of the most breathtakingly beautiful mountains on earth. Sunrise and sunset here have incredible photographic potential right from our doorstep.
Next, we will move on to stay in Cortina d’Ampezzo. This bustling alpine town and host of this year’s winter Olympics lies in the very heart of the Dolomites. It’s the perfect base of operations for us to photograph spectacular locations like Lago di Braies, Tres Cime, Cinque Torri, Passo Giau and Passo Falzarego. As a bonus, the forests and waterfalls just outside town are a joy to explore and photograph.
I’ll be joined on this small, 10-person workshop by Rick LePage, a fabulous photographer, my good friend and our workshop coordinator. Together our group will explore the Dolomites photographing spectacular mountain, village and forest scenery while enjoying the hospitality, culture and food of the Italian Alps. Our priority will be catching the best light available in the most picturesque locations possible. Along the way we’ll share our knowledge of this special region as well as our photographic experience, teaching advanced techniques like panoramic capture, focus stacking, long exposure and time lapse photography. This is a very special trip to a location that Rick and I can’t wait to share and photograph with you.
Meeting and rough schedule
We’ll meet up at a hotel near the Venice airport on Sunday, October 4. On Monday, the 5th, we’ll travel in two vans to Alpe di Siusi, where we’ll spend two nights exploring the region, with sunrise and sunset shoots where possible.
On Wednesday, October 7, we’ll travel to Cortina, photographing along the way. We’ll stay in Cortina for the balance of the workshop, traveling throughout the region for dawn and sunset shoots, using the middle of the days to explore Cortina’s cafés, shops and restaurants and honing our street photography skills.
We’ll head back to Venice on October 13, stopping where the inspiration takes us, arriving in our airport hotel later in the day, so that folks can fly home on the 14th, or pursue other adventures in Europe on their own.
Transportation, Lodging and Logistics
Venice will our arrival and departure point for the Dolomites workshop. Participants will meet up with at the Annia Park Venice Hotel near the airport on October 4. On the following morning, we’ll drive our vans to Alpe di Siusi, where we’ll be staying at the Sporthotel Floralpina. This destination is three-and-a-half hours away from Venice, and is only accessible from sunset to sunrise for people staying in lodging there, which makes it a perfect place for us to stay for a couple of days.
In Cortina, we will be based at the Franceschi Park Hotel, a beautiful, old-world hotel with modern touches. It is centrally located, and will be our base for exploration throughout the region.
All accommodations during the workshop are covered as part of the total fee, and include single-occupancy rooms and breakfast. Participants are responsible for all other meals and any incidentals.
In general, we recommend that people arrive at least a day or two earlier to avoid the potential for flight delays, and to help with jet lag. If you would like us to arrange for other days in the Venice airport hotel, at the beginning or the end of the workshop, reach out to Rick. While it might not be in the heart of the city, there are options for getting into Venice quite easily.
Payment Terms
The Dolomites workshop is priced at $8,895, which includes field and classroom instruction, and all accommodations in Venice, Alpe di Siusi, and Cortina. You can secure your place with a $2,500 deposit. An invoice for the remaining balance will be sent approximately 120 days prior to the workshop. The balance must be paid in full 90 days before the first day of the workshop.
Workshop payments are fully refundable less a 10% fee up to 90 days prior to the first day of the workshop. If you cancel anywhere from 89 to 60 days prior to the workshop, we will make every effort to find a replacement. If we can fill your spot, 90% of the workshop fee will be refunded; if we cannot find a replacement, we will refund 50% of the fee. Any cancellation within 60 days is non-refundable.
Download the workshop PDF for a complete description of the workshop, including suggested lodging info, what to bring, and more.
