autumn in the dolomites tour

Any word would be superfluous when it comes to describing what shooting the autumn season in the Dolomites feels like.

All we can say is: look at the pictures. Just look at them.

17th-23th OCTOBER 2023

SOLD OUT

6 nights/7 days

17th-23th october 2023

FROM €3890,00 P.P.

all-inclusive formula

moderate WALKING INVOLVED

5 PERSONS MAX.

all skill levels

OVERVIEW

This is it. This is, hands-down, one of the bests (if not the very best) times of the year to explore the Dolomites. Larch trees (conifers typical of this region) will be at the peak of their golden colors – and with a little bit of luck, the first snow will already have whitened the top of the mountains.

We really don’t have a lot of words to explain the feeling of awe, joy and happiness that comes from spending a week surrounded by nature in all its glory: everywhere you’ll turn, you will find a picture perfect scene.

This is one of those cases where we will let the pictures talk for us – there’s no need to add anything else.

workshop itinerary

In a lot of other workshop pages, at this point you usually find a small disclaimer to explain that the itinerary you find down here was created with the sole purpose of giving you a rough idea of the locations we’ll visit and the pace of the workshop: things are a bit different in this case.

We wrote this itinerary specifically for the autumn workshops in the Dolomites – so you will actually get a more specific idea of the locations and the rhythm of the whole tour.

By any mean – don’t think that we’ll stick to the plan at all times (we most likely won’t) as we’ll always work around the weather, the light and all the other variables into play!

If you’d like to get more infos about the locations – you can also visit our Dolomites Location Guide, that should give you an even clearer idea of the places – and if you’d like to know more about the best times to visit the Dolomites, check this Dolomites Season Guide instead!

DAY 1 - ARRIVAL
Pick-up: 10/10:30AM

Time to start our workshop together! On our first day, we will pick you up at the Venice airport around mid-morning, so that we can start our drive to Cortina (our first destination of the workshop, 2 hours drive from Venice) straight away.

Lunch: 12:30PM

After a couple hours drive, we will finally reach the Ampezzo Dolomites, the first part of this mountain range that we will explore and also where we will spend more time: Cortina d’Ampezzo will be our base for these first days.

Before heading to the hotel to do the check-in, we will do a little walk-around downtown for you to get acquainted with the place and enjoy a lovely lunch where you’ll be able to try the alpine cuisine at its best.

Hotel Check-in & Afternoon Break: approx. 2:00/4:00PM

After our tasty lunch together, we’ll return back to the hotel to check in and take a breath before hitting the road again.

Sunset Session: 4/6:30PM

Our first official photography session together! Since it’s our first, we’ll have a longer session so that your workshop leader can assess your skills and give you the necessary notions to capture the golden light in the best possible way given the weather conditions of that day. The location we will probably visit is called Passo Giau, a high-altitude mountain pass which offers fabulous views all over the surrounding peaks. Check the images down here for reference.

Dinner: 7:30/8:00PM

It’s been a long day: finally we will have the chance to sit down and have a warm meal with some beer to end it in the best way!

DAY 2 - MISURINA LAKE, ANTORNO LAKE AND TRE CIME DI LAVAREDO
Sunrise Session: 6:00/9:00AM

An early wake up call waits for us: we will go out when the twilight glow is just starting to appear, so that by the blue hour we will already be set up and ready to shoot! It’s our first sunrise together – and to start the tour in the best possible way, we’ll visit one of the most incredible locations of the area: the two beautiful lakes of Antorno and Misurina – both very accessible and close between each other.

Breakfast & Morning Break: 9:00/11:00AM

By the time we’ll be back at the hotel, I’m sure that you will be very much looking forward to having a nice breakfast and a bit of a break to gain some energies back.

Visit and Lunch at the Landro Lake: 11:00AM/2:00PM

Time to hit the road again and visit another lake, called Lago di Landro!

The light won’t be optimal – but this lake (as well as any other location we’ll visit during this time of the day) is considered not as photogenic as the places where we’ll actually be when the best light hits the peaks. It will mainly be a relaxing, peaceful walk with your camera that will end up with an amazing lunch by the lake’s shore.

Afternoon Break/Editing: 2:00/4:00PM

Depending on how tired we are, we might either take another break or do some post-production on the shots taken in the past couple sessions. Or maybe a mix of both!

Sunset Session: 5:30/8:00PM

Let’s “take the bull by the horns” and face one of the longest hikes of the trip: the walk to the gorgeous Tre Cime di Lavaredo – probably one of the most iconic locations of the entire Dolomites. There are several perspectives from which we can shoot these peaks and the length of the trail will vary quite a bit: your instructor will evaluate which perspective will be the best on that day given the weather, the time of the year and the energy you have left!

Dinner: 7:30/8:00PM

After returning back from our hike – we’ll have a short drive back to Cortina (20 minutes) where we’ll go have a warm, well deserved meal!

DAY 3 - FEDERA LAKE, DOBBIACO LAKE AND CADINI DI MISURINA
Sunrise Session: 6:00/9:00AM

The location we will be visiting this morning is an “autumn special”: one of the places that we only visit during this season, and there’s a very special reason why. This lake, called Federal Lake, is surrounded by larch trees, which are the most common trees in the area and the ones that become golden at this time of the year: getting the reflection on the Becco di Mezzodì (the mountain) with the fiery larches is one of the most amazing images you can capture in the Dolomites during autumn!

We will take an off-road taxi to arrive all the way up to the lake’s shore and avoid the walk up hill early in the morning!

Breakfast & Morning Break: 8/10:30AM

By the time we’ll be back at the hotel, I’m sure that you will be very much looking forward to having a nice breakfast and a bit of a break to gain some energies back.

Visit and Lunch at the Dobbiaco Lake: 11:00AM/2:00PM

Another minor location (and yep, it’s another lake!) that it’s worth seeing but probably not worth a golden hour session is the Lago di Dobbiaco – not far from the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. That’s where we’ll have lunch today!

Afternoon Break/Editing: 2:00/3:30PM

Depending on how tired we are, we might either take another break or do some post-production on the shots taken in the past couple sessions. Or maybe a mix of both!

Sunset Session: 3:30/6:30PM

Today we’ll return back to the Tre Cime – but not to shot those peaks (at least, that’s not our goal for the day); we’ll actually walk on a different trail, a 30 minutes walk to an outlook over the impressive Cadini di Misurina – some of the most rugged peaks you will see in the whole workshop.

Dinner: 8:00/8:30PM

After returning back from our hike – we’ll have a short drive back to Cortina (20 minutes) where we’ll go have a warm, well deserved meal!

DAY 4 - BRAIES LAKE, TRANSFER TO SIUSI AND ST. MAGDALENA CHURCH
Sunrise Session: 6:00/9:30AM

One last sunrise in Cortina (ugh!) before moving on to the next area: we definitely will not waste it! On this morning we will visit the world-famous Braies Lake (Pragser Wildsee), a very accessible photogenic lake that basically doesn’t require any hike at all: the picture with the old house on the lake’s shore and the typical boats is one of the classic postcard views of the Dolomites!

Breakfast & Morning Break: 9:30/11AM

By the time we’ll be back at the hotel, I’m sure that you will be very much looking forward to having a nice breakfast and a bit of a break to gain some energies back. Make sure also to pack your stuff as today we will move from Cortina to Siusi – the next destination of the trip where we’ll spend the next two nights.

Transfer from Cortina to the Alpe di Siusi: 11:00AM/2:00PM

Get ready for one of the most epic drives you’ll get throughout the trip: we’ll cross three mountain passes – all of them stunningly beautiful – and in a couple hours we’ll reach Ortisei, the town where we’ll briefly stop by to have lunch and then keep driving for another 30 minutes to the Alpe di Siusi, our final destination for today.

The reason why we’ve picked the Alpe di Siusi as the place to stay for the night is because of its proximity with our main sunrise location (the Alpe di Siusi itself, Seiser Alm): you will thank us later when you’ll get to sleep a little bit more in the morning!

This is another “autumn special”: during the rest of the year we generally don’t stay up on the plateau during the remaining part of the year as the road rules for the area makes it too complicated and inconvenient from a photography perspective, while in autumn they works great with our schedule.

Afternoon Break: 2:00/4:00PM

After an early sunrise and a longer transfer – let’s catch a break and gain some energies for the sunset session.

Sunset Session: 4:00/6:30PM (depending on sunset time)

Our first sunset in this new area will cover one of the most “picture perfect” views of the Val di Funes, called by many “the most beautiful valley of the Dolomites”: the St. Magdalena Church, with the huge Odle mountains in the background. The walk to the viewpoint will take us around 20 minutes.

Dinner: 7:45PM

After returning back down from the church viewpoint – we’ll have a short drive back to Siusi (30 minutes) where we’ll go have a warm, well deserved meal!

DAY 5 - ALPE DI SIUSI, EDITING AND SAN GIOVANNI IN RANUI CHAPEL
Sunrise Session: 6:30/9AM

Time to see the reason (at least, one of the main ones) why we traveled in this area of the Dolomites: the incredibly beautiful Alpe di Siusi, with its typical wooden cabins scattered all over the high altitude plateau (the highest in Europe!) and the rugged Sassolungo and Sassopiatto in the background. This place is so special that we will actually visit it twice – given its beauty and the multitude of perspectives. In autumn you will get the sun peaking through the mountains at sunrise, creating one of the most incredible backlit scenes that you’ll ever see!

Breakfast & Morning Break: 9/10:30AM

By the time we’ll be back at the hotel, I’m sure that you will be very much looking forward to having a nice breakfast and a bit of a break to gain some energies back.

Post Production Afternoon (and lunch in Siusi): 10:30AM/4PM

At this point of the workshop every single one of you should already have folders full of pictures ready to be edited – so that’s what we are going to do for the entire afternoon! Your instructor will do one-to-one session with every participant so that he’ll be able to give you specific tips and help based on your skill level and knowledge of the softwares.

Sunset Session: 4:00/6:30PM

Another sunset – another church! Tonight we’ll visit the Val di Funes again, this time to shoot the enchanting chapel of San Giovanni in Ranui, another photogenic spot with the majestic Odle in the background.

Dinner: 7:30PM

After wrapping things up at the church – we’ll have a short drive back to Siusi (30 minutes) where we’ll go have a warm, well deserved meal!

DAY 6 - ALPE DI SIUSI, TRANSFER TO SAN MARTINO DI CASTROZZA AND BAITA SEGANTINI
Sunrise Session: 6:30/9AM

Last sunrise in the Val Gardena – we will dedicate it to capture again the beauty of the Alpe di Siusi from a different perspective compared to the one of the previous sunrise. You can never get enough shots of this place!

Breakfast & Morning Break: 9/10:30AM

By the time we’ll be back at the hotel, I’m sure that you will be very much looking forward to having a nice breakfast and a bit of a break to gain some energies back.

Transfer to San Martino di Castrozza: 10:00AM/2:00PM

The question we always get asked about this location is: is it worth it? Is it worth to do another 2 hours transfer for just one night? And you know what our answer is? A firm, absolute yes. And every single person, even the most dubious ones, after seeing the locations of the area always agree with us. So enjoy one more ride through the mountain passes and brace yourselves for some other marvelous views!

Afternoon Break: 2:00/4:00PM

After a nice lunch along the scenic roads that lead up to this lovely small mountain town, we’ll finally check in into our hotel for the last night and catch a break before heading out again.

Sunset Session: 4:00/6:30PM

One last sunset: the place we will shoot tonight is the area around the Baita Segantini, a mountain hut that around it has a small puddle where you get to see the reflection of the Pale di San Martino in all its glory, as well as many other possible foregrounds.

Dinner: 8:30/9PM

One last dinner to celebrate the amazing time we had together – reminishing all the good memories we made and the amazing shots we took!

DAY 7 - DEPARTURE
Sunrise Session: 6:00/8AM

We are mentioning one last sunrise in the itinerary, even in our very last day: since you’ll probably have to pack things up and get ready for your trip back home, you are 100% free to decide whether you’d like to go for it or maybe just sleep in and get ready a bit later. Our recommendation is to see how the weather looks like, depending also on what conditions we got the previous day and then decide.

Breakfast & Check-out: 8:00/9:30AM

Time to pack everything up, get some “juice” for the trip back home and start our drive back towards the airport!

Drop-off: 11:00AM/12:00PM

After a 2h drive back to Venice, it’s unfortunately time to say goodbye: your instructor will help you take the luggages into the building and wish you a safe flight back home!

You have two different ways to secure your spot on any available workshop date:

– Scroll down, find the “book now” button, fill in your details and follow the process to the check-out. You will be able to leave a refundable deposit (500€ x person most of the times) via credit/debit card, bank transfer or even Paypal.

– Scroll down to the very end of the page to find the contact form or visit the “Contact Us” page to, well.. Contact us! We will be more than happy to help you with any request you have and set up the ideal workshop you have in your mind – and ultimately give you all the details to complete the deposit and secure your spot on the tour.

In either case, we only ask for a 500€ deposit to confirm your spot – we will then reach out around 2 months before your workshop starts with a link to complete the remaining part of the payment. If you booked last minute and need to pay the entire quote right away – we will be in touch as soon as we receive your reservation with the aforementioned link!

All our quotes are always based on a double room occupancy: that means that if you are traveling here by yourself, we will automatically add the so-called “single supplement” to your price.

Why? So that you to get your own room for yourself without having to share it with anyone else. The single supplement is something we add at cost price (if not less), and as annoying as it might be, that’s something that unfortunately we can’t avoid.

That’s also how we manage to guarantee every workshop departure, even if you are the only participant for that date.

Of course you can opt for the single supplement even if you are traveling with friends and you like to have your own personal space.

– Digital Camera (preferably a DSLR or mirrorless camera, APS-C, micro 4/3 and FF will be more than fine);
– An ultrawide lens (e.g. Nikon 14-24mm, Canon 16-35mm, Tamron 15-30mm, Tokina 16-28mm etc); we recommend a lens with a wide maximum aperture (like f/2.8) in case we might do some night photography.

– A standard zoom lens (e.g. Nikon/Canon/Sigma 24-70mm or 24-105mm);

– A telephoto zoom lens (e.g. various Nikon/Canon/Tamron/Sigma 70-200mm);

– A super telephoto zoom lens (e.g. Sigma/Tamron 150-600mm); this lens is not necessary but we recommend it anyway since it allows to capture the far away details of the landscapes;

– A sturdy tripod that permits to do some long exposure photos, specially at twilight;

– A set of ND filters; these are the only filters we feel to recommend, since they become useful when you need to stretch the exposure time a little bit during some difficult light conditions;

– A camera remote to avoid blurry shots.

A few weeks before your departure, we will contact you suggesting the best clothes to bring with you based on the weather forecasts and the current temperatures, so that you will be perfectly equipped by the time of your arrival!

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

  • accommodations (4* or better) (double occupancy)
  • ALL MEALS (Breakfast, lunch, dinner)
  • All transports
  • gas, tolls, road taxes, etc
  • pick up/drop off at venice airport
  • editing sessions
  • assistance and guidance by a professional local photographer 24/7

WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?

  • AIRFARE TO/FROM ITALY
  • SINGLE SUPPLEMENT (500€)
  • VISA (IF NECESSARY)
  • TRAVEL INSURANCE
  • personal expenses
  • everything is not mentioned in the "what's included" list

CHECK OUR OTHER UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

customers reviews

what people say

Kelly redacted
Kelly redacted
2023-06-04
Cinque Terre is a MUST see location in Italy! Our experience there was incredible for many reasons, and Leonardo with Tuscany Photographic Tours played a huge part in making this the experience of a lifetime.Leo speaks perfect English and he's very easy to understand. He likes to keep groups small so he can spend more individual time with everyone. Our group included my husband, myself, and a good friend. With our group size of three, each of us having different levels of photographic experiences, as well as some mobility issues (Leo has unending patience!), Leo helped us find the best compositions in each Cinque Terre village that we visited! He also recognized that we are tourists and gave us plenty of opportunities to explore or shop (although we preferred to take more photos!).Leo is very knowledgeable about photography, and has experience using various types of cameras which really helped when we needed to change camera settings. He coached us on how and why to change our camera's settings for different shots. I love that he taught us a new skill or two at each village. For example, Leo taught us to quickly adjust to rapidly changing light conditions during sunset. We learned why and how to merge photos to get crisp focus on subjects separated by distance, and how to use ND filters and bracketing! All in just one day!Leo is very friendly and open, has a great personality, and is a very good teacher. It's quite easy to become fast friends with him! He is able to effectively coach people of all ages and photography skill sets. He loves what he does, and it really shows. After the workshop was over, Leo welcomed us to contact him if we have any questions or need any help while processing our photos!We learned more about photography in one day with Leo than we've learned from any other workshops, books, or online videos! We are already planning to return next year to accompany Leo on a photography expedition in beautiful Tuscany!
David Havlik
David Havlik
2023-05-30
Three of us spent a day with Leo who provided a crash course in Cinque Terre photography. It was an interesting dichotomy of sorts being that the three of us has just completed a different week-long photography workshop covering other parts of Italy. Based on shared feedback among our small group, we feel the instruction we received from Leo over a single day was far superior to that we experienced over the previous week. Leo was very attentive to our needs and tailored his teaching to our level of photography expertise. He was very patient and did not mind repeating concepts to be sure we had a good understanding. He was determined to make sure we made the most of the time we had with him, but he in no way pushed us to the point of exhaustion. Two specific photography techniques I learned from Leo that day were bracketing and the use of filters. I highly recommend Tuscany Photography Tours to photographers of any skill level. You will learn something new from Leo!
Sue Barrell
Sue Barrell
2023-05-24
My husband and I cannot speak highly enough of the wonderful experience we had, both photographically and personally, with Leonardo in Venice on his Classic Venice Tour. His extensive familiarity with Venice meant that not only did he take us to parts of the city that we would never have discovered otherwise (and where few other tourists lurked), but we were there at the right the right times of day to capture the ambience and atmosphere of this amazing city. We also benefitted from his deep photographic knowledge and generous advice on technique - he taught us things about our own cameras that we didn't know! On top of this, he was a personable and entertaining host and guide, adding to our overall experience. Leonardo dedicated all his time with us to ensuring our images were the best we could capture on the day.
Samuel Kwok
Samuel Kwok
2023-05-07
I was so happy to be with Leo of Tuscany Photography in Tuscany. He led our group to visit all the beautiful places Shot in good timing and shared his professional experiences. Trust I will follow him in the next trip in Italy soon.
Vicki Anton Athens
Vicki Anton Athens
2023-05-06
I spent a week with Leo and 3 wonderful photographers. I’ve been on many photo tours. Leo is a consummate excellent tour leader and photographer. He spent a considerable time, one on one in the field and on post processing in Photoshop. He knows his stuff, easy to follow and kind. He knows where to go according to the weather so that you get phenomenal images. Looking forward to more tours with him!
Ronnie James
Ronnie James
2023-05-05
Leonardo’s Classic Tuscany tour was simply amazing! As promised, we visited all the best locations in the area, at the right times and in the best lighting conditions. We did city walks as well, to include the very scenic towns of Pienza and Montepulciano.Leo is an extremely accomplished award winner photographer. Landscape photography is a new genre for me and I gained so much from his instructional teaching style that I saw my compositions and the overall quality of my images improve dramatically in just the first two days. Take his constructive criticisms and recommendations to heart and you’ll come away with images you will be proud to post, print, enter into contests and even sell.Obviously, the food in Tuscany is amazing and Leo took us to all the best local restaurants. The food, the desserts, the wine…all outstanding.Leonardo is friendly and easy going, but at the end of the day the group I was in booked with him to come away with great images. I know those are the types of images everyone on this tour produced. I wouldn’t hesitate going out into the field again with Leo. I highly recommend joining one of his tours.
anand Nirgude
anand Nirgude
2023-05-04
Leonardo is amazingly punctual and knowledgeable guide for this trip. I am going with him to Iceland
Kathy Phipps
Kathy Phipps
2023-05-01
We are two wildlife photographers that, while in Italy, decided to give landscape photography a try. Luckily we found Tuscany Photography Tours and were able to spend 3 great days with Leonardo. We learned so much, captured some wonderful scenes, and had great conversations about photography, food, wine, and life in Italy and beyond. If you are interested in landscape photography, I would recommend a trip with Leonardo!
John Crifasi
John Crifasi
2023-03-26
Leonardo far exceeded my expectations of a photography tour through Tuscany! I only had a limited time frame, as I was on the back end of my stay in Italy; however, Leonardo crafted the perfect itinerary for my available time. From meeting me at the train station in Firenze, to our final shooting and outing through the Tuscan countryside, it was a dream come true experience! Wanted to take advantage of the full essence of Tuscany, I opted for the upgraded level, which included all meals. Pro tip: opt for the upgrade! Breaking bread, while immersed in the Tuscan life, was almost as enjoyable as photographing the winding cypress trees and hills and valleys of Val d’Orcia! Wholeheartedly endorse using Leonardo and Tuscany Photography Tours for your expedition through Italy!! John F Crifasi
Ena Singh
Ena Singh
2023-03-11
I had the pleasure of visiting the Dolomites last fall, and I can confidently say that it was an unforgettable experience. Leo is not only an incredibly talented photographer but also an amazingly knowledgeable guide. He took me to some of the most picturesque locations in the region, allowing me to witness stunning sunrises and sunsets while capturing breathtaking shots of the landscapes.Leo's expertise didn't stop there; he provided me with valuable tips and tricks to improve my photography skills and shared his extensive knowledge of the region's history and culture, adding an extra layer of depth to the tour.Right from the start, Leo's communication was exceptional, making sure everything was taken care of, and he continued to be incredibly patient and accommodating throughout the tour. He went above and beyond to ensure that I had the opportunity to capture the shots I wanted and was attentive to my needs.Overall, I highly recommend Leo and Tuscany Photography Tours to anyone who loves photography and wants to explore the beauty of Italy while learning from a skilled and passionate guide. Thanks to Leo, I came away from the tour with some incredible photos and unforgettable memories, and I can't wait to go back!
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