Photography in the Dolomites
The Complete Guide
The Dolomites are an ideal destination for dramatic mountain photography. You can explore everything from peaceful alpine lakes to spectacular rocky peaks, and it feels possible to access even remote parts of the range with relatively little effort and planning. I’m a reluctant outdoor enthusiast, more motivated by photography than by a love of the outdoors, but it’s hard to resist hiking into the mountains to discover new parts of the Dolomites.
It’s not just photographers who visit the Dolomites - they’re a popular hiking destination in summer, and home to a busy set of ski resorts in winter. That means they’re well set up, with mountain roads, cable cars and clear hiking trails to help you get around, plus great restaurants and plenty of accommodation options to simplify logistics.
However, the Dolomites reward effort, and the more you invest in reaching remote locations in the best light, the more exciting your photography will be. The possibilities are almost endless, and you can shoot everything from a pretty lake by the road to a high-altitude lookout over endless jagged peaks. The biggest difference in your experience will be the amount of research you do and your willingness to hike and explore.
This complete guide to the Dolomites contains all the articles I’ve written about the area, and can help you plan your photography trip in the mountains. You’ll find guidance on getting around and planning an itinerary, and advice about the best places to shoot and how to approach photography.
Travel Guide
When to Visit the Dolomites for Landscape Photography​​
The Dolomites change completely across the seasons, and your experience of both the photography and logistics of exploring the mountains will be heavily influenced by the timing of your visit. I love exploring the Dolomites in the summer and autumn, but there are advantages to other seasons, and this section gives you an idea of what to expect whenever you travel.
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Summer (June - September)
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July and August are peak hiking season in the Dolomites, and you’ll find most facilities and trails open and accessible. You can sometimes find snow in higher spots in early June, so this might not be a great time for high-altitude hiking, but summer is generally the easiest time to explore. It is also the busiest time to go, and you’ll need to book well in advance to get access to more remote rifugios and popular locations.
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The long days and very early sunrises mean that you can still find some quiet time with the camera if you are willing to explore during unusual hours. Summer light in the mountains is beautiful, and you can also find wildflowers scattered around the meadows to include in your compositions. For maximum accessibility, beautiful sunrises, and some of the most colourful scenes in the Dolomites, I recommend prioritising summer even if you need to plan carefully to avoid the crowds.
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Autumn (Late September - Early November)
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Autumn is my favourite time to explore the Dolomites, as I love the colour and conditions as the seasons start to change. The logistics of your trip may be more difficult in October, as many restaurants and hotels close between the summer and winter seasons. Cable cars may not be running, and you need to plan access to high-altitude locations more carefully. That said, it’s a quieter time to visit, and you can often capture incredible locations alone in the landscape.
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The Dolomites are covered in larches, which turn golden yellow in the autumn and fill the landscape with incredible colour. Autumn is also a great time for mist in the mornings, and changeable weather that often creates beautiful light even in the middle of the day. Timing your trip for peak autumn colour can be difficult, but I recommend the middle two weeks of October, when you’ll have the best chance of golden yellow trees around the alpine lakes.
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Winter (December - April)
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The Dolomites are a popular ski destination, with beautiful ski chalets and lifts scattered around the mountains. The extensive ski infrastructure makes it possible to get around the Dolomites in winter, though some of the more interesting photography locations are inaccessible. You’ll find hotels and restaurants, with clear roads that make it possible to reach different areas of the mountains.
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However, photography is more difficult in winter. You’ll need to plan your routes carefully, accept that some places are unreachable, and be patient as you move around the landscape. The reward is a version of the Dolomites that fewer people ever capture, and the stunning atmosphere of a snow-covered mountainscape.
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Off-Season (November and May)
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I prefer to travel in the low season of most destinations, when places can be less busy but just as photogenic. However, off-season in the Dolomites can be very different; many businesses shut completely, and there is a finer balance between the advantages and disadvantages of visiting outside peak times.
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November can be a beautiful month in the Dolomites, when you’ll often find contrasting scenes of autumn colour with a blanket of snow. However, you’ll miss peak autumn colour, and high-altitude locations (like Tre Cime di Lavaredo) will be completely inaccessible. The logistics can also be difficult, with closed hotels and restaurants that limit your options, and most cable cars inactive between seasons.
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May is a quiet month, when the snow has melted enough to mark the end of ski season but not so much that you can hike among the peaks. It can be a very peaceful time to visit the Dolomites, and you’ll have the more accessible locations to yourself, though your options for photography and accommodation will be very limited.
Full article | 6 minute read
Dolomites
Photography Travel Guide and Map
Explore my guidebook and map for photographers featuring: ​
​
-
A 250-page travel guide designed for photographers, including information, maps and images for planning your photography trip
-
Access to a digital map featuring 170+ pins of photography locations, parking, hiking trails and travel advice
-
60+ Dolomites photography locations with detailed advice on capturing the landscape
-
All designed for mobile to be easy to read and use while traveling
How to Get Around the Dolomites for Photography
Exploring the Dolomites is a great experience, but you’ll need a whole range of transportation to access every part of the mountainous terrain. While you can reach some good locations by driving the network of roads, some of the most rewarding locations require either a hike or a cable car ride deeper into the landscape. Getting on location for the best light often means working both with and around these options.
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Driving in the Dolomites
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You’ll need your own transportation to get on location for the best light, and it’s easy and relatively cheap to rent a car in Italy. The easiest approach is to rent a car at a nearby airport (Venice, Verona or Innsbruck) and drive into the Dolomites, where there are fewer car rental options.
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The roads are well-maintained and mostly wide enough for two cars to pass. There are many steep roads and switchbacks, but they are well-designed with guardrails over the biggest drops. There are plenty of cyclists and other road users, so it’s important to be careful, but driving in the Dolomites is mostly relaxing and fun.
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During peak season, some roads are restricted, and you may need to take a shuttle bus to popular locations. In the winter, you’ll need winter tyres and snow chains to access every area. The easiest times to drive are spring and autumn, but a little planning makes the Dolomites accessible by car at any time of year.
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Cable Cars
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You can hike to most places that the cable cars reach in the Dolomites, but they can be a great way to save energy and get quickly to a high-altitude location. They usually only run in daylight hours, can be expensive (sometimes 50 euros for a round trip), and many cable cars close for the off-season. I always integrate cable cars into my hiking plans for more efficient journeys to remote landscapes, often riding a cable car up a mountain and then hiking back down after sunset.
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Hiking
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The Dolomites are an incredible place to hike, and the extensive network of trails can take you deep into the landscape to reach remote and unusual locations. You can camp or stay in rifugios, or use shorter trails to reach some beautiful spots that aren’t as crowded as spots near the road. If you're planning a hiking day trip, be prepared for a very early start to reach your location by sunrise in summer.
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If you aren’t an experienced hiker, pay careful attention to the elevation gain on hiking trails, which can matter more than distance. Make sure you have solid hiking boots, a head torch, layers of clothing, and enough water and food. Remember also that hiking at altitude can be more difficult, and you may need extra water. Some journeys involve ‘Via Ferratas’, which are fixed-cable climbing paths that require technical skills, and you should only explore these options with the right training and equipment.
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Public Transport
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There is an extensive bus network in the Dolomites, and you can explore the region without your own car. Many buses stop at trailheads, and you can reach most locations in the Dolomites with a combination of buses, cable cars and hiking.
The biggest restriction of public transport is timing, and it is tough to get on location for sunrise and sunset without your own car. However, public transport can be the best option if you are planning multi-day hikes away from the roads, or visiting a lot of rifugios among the peaks.
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A rental car is most useful for new visitors to the Dolomites who are focused on photography, but public transport can work well if you’re combining photography with a bigger outdoor adventure.
How to get around the Dolomites
Full article | 5 minute read
Dolomites Photography Trip Planning
My best advice to anyone planning a photography trip to the Dolomites is to design a flexible schedule that allows you to adapt to the conditions. It’s useful to research the area and decide which places you may want to visit, but you’ll find it easier to work with the mountain weather with fewer fixed points in your schedule. Here is an outline of how to design a flexible itinerary, with more information in the article linked below.
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Length of Trip
For a first trip to the Dolomites, I recommend splitting the region into east and west, with accommodation around Cortina d’Ampezzo in the east and Val Gardena in the west. Limiting your trip to two bases will allow you to plan each day around the weather and visit the right location for the conditions. Booking accommodation in multiple places can lock you into a location, even if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
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I recommend at least six full days to explore the Dolomites, but you’ll get much more out of the journey with ten or more days. You can split your time evenly between east and west, though each has its advantages. The east is better for high-altitude peaks and more intense hikes, and the west has more peaceful alpine valleys and open meadows.
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Research Locations
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For a flexible itinerary to work, you need to understand your photography options. The best approach is to start each day with a list of possible places to explore, with some understanding of how they will work in different conditions. That will allow you to plan each day according to the weather you experience during your trip.
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When researching photography locations, it’s best to focus on the timing (is this a sunrise, sunset, or daytime spot) and the hiking (do you need energy and a good plan to reach the spot). Mountain photography can be more complex than shooting in other landscapes, so it’s important to understand how you will reach each spot, as well as the weather and timing that will suit it.
Forecasting Weather
When I visit the Dolomites, I frequently check the medium- and short-term forecasts to plan my days. Longer forecasts are useful for planning more difficult journeys—you might look for the clearest skies for astrophotography at Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Shorter forecasts help you make decisions on flexible days, such as longer hikes on dry days, or photographing foliage and lakes when it’s cloudy.
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You can often get the best forecasts using local services, and there are also websites that focus on the unusual characteristics of mountain weather. Finding a source that displays the cloud in three levels (I use the app Clear Outside) is also a great way to understand cloud cover among tall peaks.
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Structure Your Days
I often find that photography trips are more successful if I work out a good structure that matches the light and conditions. I don’t always follow the structure, but having a rough plan helps me maintain energy and find a balanced approach between visiting known spots and exploring new areas.
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The right daily structure will depend on when you’re visiting, but here is an approach to splitting up a day of Dolomites photography:
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Sunrise. The Dolomites are full of great sunrise locations, and this should be a priority if the weather is clear. Aim to be on location at least 90 minutes early for the rich colours of twilight.
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Post-sunrise shoot. This can be a good time to visit another location, refresh your energy and make the most of the morning light. Or you may want to remain at your sunrise location and explore it in more depth.
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Midday. During the long days of summer, it’s important to rest and reserve energy for the early starts and late finishes. I often return to my accommodation or find somewhere to rest. However, on shorter days in winter, you may want to move straight onto the afternoon shoot.
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Afternoon. This is the best time for exploring and finding new locations. You may get some great shots, especially if the sky is full of broken clouds and light shafts. Even if the conditions aren’t ideal for photography, scouting new places may uncover somewhere to return for a sunrise or sunset.
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Sunset. Plan to be on location at least an hour before sunset to find a good composition and use the low angle of the light. I also like the 90 minutes of twilight after sunset, and usually plan my days to remain in the landscape into darkness.
Planning a Dolomites Photography Trip
Full article | 8 minute read
Photography Guide
Landscape Photography in the Dolomites
Photography in the Dolomites can be more challenging and more rewarding than other locations, and you may need a different approach to capturing these mountains compared to photography in other destinations. A successful photography trip to the Dolomites isn’t just about knowing where to go, it’s also about understanding the climate and landscape so that you get the most out of each day of photography. This section contains some of my best advice about photographing the Dolomites, and you can find even more in the article below.
Be flexible and driven by the weather. Making each place we visit work in different conditions is one of the best ways to learn and grow as a photographer, and it’s important to shoot learn to adapt to what we find on location. However, the extremes of altitude and variable climate of the Dolomites means that picking your location based on the conditions will give you a much better chance of a good photograph. Avoid high locations on cloudy days, look for calm weather to visit alpine lakes, use clear skies for astrophotography, and plan your big hikes around any difficult conditions.
Plan each journey carefully. The Dolomites are easy to explore, but we can’t rely on driving straight to our location and shooting the moment we arrive. Some of the best spots involve a hike, cable cars have daily and seasonal opening times, and there can be road restrictions during peak periods. Even if you are used to researching spots for photography and planning when to go, you may need to do extra research in the Dolomites to make sure you can access each place at the time you want to visit.
Look for original locations. There are some iconic photography locations in the Dolomites, and you can build a trip around well-known spots that are easy to research in advance. However, the changeable weather and huge variety of landscape around these mountains will give you plenty of opportunity to find original compositions and more unusual photography locations. Make sure there is time in your schedule to scout and explore for something new.
Full article | 9 minute read
Dolomites Photography Locations
Photographers, hikers, and mountaineers have studied the Dolomites in detail, and there are some well-established locations and incredible spots for nature photography. The Dolomites combine dramatic scenery with accessibility, and many of its photography locations are famous for good reason.
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Unfortunately, the fame of these places can mean they often get crowded, and we need to be aware of our impact on the landscape and how we can protect it. Popular viewpoints can sometimes be busy from the early hours of the morning, and the bustling feeling on location is often hidden by the peaceful atmosphere of published photographs.
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With a little planning, you can still capture even the most popular locations at their best. Visiting at sunrise (especially in summer when it’s very early), arriving late in the afternoon, or finding less obvious angles can give you space to shoot away from the crowds.
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There’s plenty of information online about Dolomites photography locations, but I’ve put together a detailed guide to some of my favourites. It goes beyond simple recommendations, with guidance on timing, access, and environmental considerations at each spot. These spots are the best starting point for planning your Dolomites photography trip, and help you make informed decisions about where to spend your time.
Dolomites Photography Locations
Full article | 15 minute read
If you're eager to research locations in more depth, I've also produced a set of free guides to some of these places. They include more photographs from each location, guidance on how to shoot them, and travel advice to help with your journey. The full set of guides is below.
Full article | 8 minute read
Full article | 8 minute read
Dolomites
Photography Travel Guide and Map
Explore my guidebook and map for photographers featuring: ​
​
-
A 250-page travel guide designed for photographers, including information, maps and images for planning your photography trip
-
Access to a digital map featuring 170+ pins of photography locations, parking, hiking trails and travel advice
-
60+ Dolomites photography locations with detailed advice on capturing the landscape
-
All designed for mobile to be easy to read and use while traveling