No products in the cart.
9. /10
The workshop was perfectly organized. No need to think about logistics, it’s all taken care of!
Below you will find our THE DOLOMITES PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP reports, covering all our Workshops there from 2019 and including our Alumni's Testimonials and photographs. Enjoy!
QUICK JUMP: OCTOBER 2019 (1) | OCTOBER 2019 (2) | OCTOBER 2020 | OCTOBER 2021 | MAY 2023 | SEPTEMBER 2024 (1) | SEPTEMBER 2024 (2) | OCTOBER 2024 (1) | OCTOBER 2024 (2)
In October 2024 we returned to The Dolomites for our ninth Workshop there and the last of four back-to-back Workshop we ran on our 2024 Fall Season. This time, we had a 10-day Private Workshop, 7 full days on the Dolomites and 3 in Cinque Terre with a group of three participants, friends who often travel together.
Working on the Dolomites first and in Cinque Terre right after offered our group the opportunity to tackle some very different landscapes over the course of an intense 10 days of work together. This allowed me to share with them different compositional approaches as well as experiment with a different approach to exposure control, something I found very interesting.
Working with such a tight knit group of friends, used to travel together and to each other's comments and approaches to photography, proved very interesting to me in terms of gaining their ear and attention. Over the course of ten days I have been very happy to see how much ground we covered both with that, and with exchanging knowledge. During our image review and post-processing session I loved to see their work change for the better, even after a relatively short time.
Last but not least, we enjoyed the social side of the Workshop, always important for us, and during these 10 days of Workshop together we enjoyed our conversations on topics ranging from photography to equipment, from art to economy, for a truly enjoyable Workshop!
In October 2024 we returned to The Dolomites for our eight Workshop there and our third back-to-back for our 2024 fall season. This was again an 8-day group Workshop with a full group composed by all returning Alumni, one joining us with his lovely wife for the ninth time, the other two both joining us for the second time, and all wonderful people and a pleasure to work with.
As always, on The Dolomites my wife and I loved seeing our Alumni again, and I truly enjoyed working with them both in the field and during our image review and post-processing sessions. While we had some inspiring weather for most of the Workshop, unfortunately we had to miss one day of photography doing to my having to take a sick day - for the first time ever, in 89 Workshops to date! Of course, I extended a store credit of 1.000 euro to all participants to compensate them for the missing time.
During these 7 days of work together, I was very happy to see our returning Alumni loving the Dolomites, which to me is one of the best mountain ranges in the world for photography, and I loved to share with them my knowledge of this superb area of Italy.
Last but not least, we throughly enjoyed the social side of the Workshop, something paramount for us. During our Workshop together we enjoyed conversations on the most various topics, from photography to economics, from car racing to politics, we sampled some of the finest food the Dolomites can offer and most importantly we had a lot of fun, joked and laughed together, for a truly enjoyable Workshop!
In September 2024 we returned to The Dolomites for our seventh Workshop there. This was the second of four back-to-back Workshops for fall 2024, again an 8-day group Workshop with a full group. On this Workshop we were pleased to welcome back two returning Alumni, one of which joining us accompanied by his lovely wife for the third time overall and the second on The Dolomites, the other for the second time overall after a wonderful Workshop together in Cinque Terre and Tuscany two years ago. As well, we were very much looking forward to meeting our third participant, a gentleman joining us for the first time on the Dolomites but has booked two more Workshops already since.
During these 8 days of work together, I was happy to see our returning Alumnus who was with us on the Dolomites last year being much more confident both photographically and, something very important for him, working at high altitude on the mountains. I was very happy to welcome back our other Alumnus and keep working on landscape photography with him after Cinque Terre & Tuscany. Last but not least, it was a real pleasure meeting our new-coming participant, whom I really enjoyed working with overcoming language barriers too. Most importantly, I was very happy to see everyone going home with some beautiful images and new inspiration!
I couldn't end this report without mentioning the social side of the Workshop, something always paramount for us. During this Dolomites Workshop, some participants got some worrying news from home which risked preventing them from enjoying the Workshop fully; regardless of that we managed enjoying our downtime, enjoying conversations on the most various topics, from the art of photography to equipment, from technical details to politics, for a truly wonderful Workshop!
One of the participants in our The Dolomites September 2024 (2) Workshop kindly sent me a short testimonial together with a selection of images to share with you. See what they had to say about our Workshop together and enjoy their work in Italy!
After a fantastic workshop with Vieri and Zeynep in Tuscany a couple of years ago, my expectations for the Dolomites workshop were really high. And what can I say? My expectations were met, if not exceeded!
The workshop was perfectly organized. No need to think about logistics, it’s all taken care of. Vieri is an experienced photographer and teacher. Besides the technical aspects, his focus is on the artistic side of photography. Vieri does not teach you a single approach to a certain subject. Rather, he is helping his students to find their own approach and to progress their artistic vision and photographic style. With a small group of only three students, he was able to dedicate a lot of time to each of us.
The locations were well chosen, some of them famous, some of them off the beaten track and all of them examples of the beauty of the Dolomites landscape.
In September 2024 we went back to the Dolomites for our sixth Workshop there, the first of four back-to-back Workshops planned for this year. This was an 8-day Group Workshop with a full group composed by two returning Alumni, one joining us for the ninth time and the other for his second trip with us, together with a new participant, a real gentleman whom we very much enjoyed welcoming onboard with us.
During our Workshops, we always enjoy working with returning Alumni. Not only because people coming back for more is obviously a recognition of our Workshop's quality, but most importantly because we love seeing our Alumni again and keeping working on their photography while shooting more of the planet's most amazing landscapes. That said, we are always excited about meeting new photography lovers and we are very much looking forward to sharing our passion for photography and for our beautiful planet with more like-minded people.
During these 8 days of work together, I was happy to keep working with our returning Alumni on mountainscapes, a subject matter that isn't always easy. As well, I truly enjoyed meeting and working with our new participant, whom I found very easy to work with, very receptive and, what is most important, really enthusiastic about landscape photography.
Last but not least, during this trip we truly enjoyed the social aspect of the Workshop, which is always paramount for us. During these eight days on the Dolomites, we had a lot of fun both in the field and during our downtimes, enjoying our conversations on every topic with like-minded people, from the art and craft of photography to economics and politics, for a truly enjoyable Workshop!
Two of the participants in our The Dolomites September 2024 (1) Workshop kindly sent me a short testimonial to share with you. See what they had to say about our Workshop together!
For all those photographers who experienced photo workshops too large for personal attention, where tutors were more occupied taking their shots, and where the last day came as a relief, I can highly recommend attending one of Vieri’s courses.
During my September 2024 Dolomites workshop, I had the pleasure of meeting the two other participants who happened to be returning customers. Vieri and his charming wife Zeynep subtly managed to make us all feel like old friends gathering again. During the photo shoots, Vieri would overlook what we were doing without putting any pressure yet providing constructive suggestions. He took all his time to answer my questions and help me with his knowledge of my camera brand. The post-processing sessions were intense and thorough yet adapted to each participant's level of experience. I did not feel technically outmatched and learned a lot about how to make the light appear with radial gradients. Finally, the experience in terms of accommodation and restaurants was excellent (fabulous Italian food helped!). I cannot wait till my next workshop in Comacchio.
Dolomites is such a photogenic area which offers so many opportunities to those who loves photography. It was a fruitful 8 days for me covering most of the iconic photo spots plus a few “secret” locations.
This was the second time we worked together in Italy. Your expertise made the Workshop shine. Among the many lessons learned, I would like to emphasize the following:
(1) Pre-workshop preparation. Information and last minute advise in view of the changing weather allowed us to better prepare ourselves to handle the weather.
(2) Selection of locations are top notch. Most of them can be reached within couple of minutes from the car park. Hiking is reduced to the minimal to fit all parties. In case we need to hike, you controlled the pace so well that all parties found it enjoyable.
(3) Expert opinion on the field. I enjoyed the creative process in creating our own picture with your general advice to start off with and composition tuning recommendations during the process.
(4) Foreground object manipulation techniques. You showed us not just how to identify foreground objects but also how to manipulate them in our favor to support our composition. By the way, the Viewfinder Mark II app is a useful tool for composition purpose before one sets up his or her tripod.
(5) Post processing to create your own artistic view. The post processing session and photo review session are eye opening and we all ended up having better understanding of the backup workflow, the basic editing techniques on the photo in general, as well as the masking techniques on selected areas.
(6) Convenient Hotel selection. Hotels were comfortable and strategically located to minimize the time needed to get to the various spots for sunrise and sunset shooting. We also enjoyed the delicious local foods and wines.
In May 2023 we returned to the Dolomites for our fifth Workshop there, this time a 4-day Private Workshop with one active participant accompanied by his wife. During this short Private Workshop, my wife and I truly enjoyed meeting our new Alumnus, a gentleman who is already scheduled to attend one of our DEATH VALLEY PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP later this year as well, together with his lovely wife. It was a real pleasure to meet them both, and to work together on the Dolomites landscapes both out in the field and during our image review and post-processing sessions.
Weather on the Dolomites in May was beautiful and moody, there still was some snow on the ground at higher altitudes and we enjoyed working there in full solitude, as always the case with our Workshops.
Albeit a very short trip compared to our standard 8-day group Workshop, during our Dolomite Private Workshop we tackled various photographic situations and I was very happy to help our Alumnus overcoming some challenges, both photographic and in the overall approach to landscape photography at high altitudes.
Last but not least, the ever important social side of the Workshop. On the Dolomites, my wife and I truly enjoyed spending time with our Alumnus and his wife, both in and out of the field. We enjoyed our conversations about photography, art, equipment, politics and economy, and most importantly we had a lot of fun during these 4 days together!
The participant in our The Dolomites May 2023 Workshop kindly sent me a short testimonial together with a selection of images to share with you. See what they had to say about our Workshop together and enjoy their work in Italy!
It is difficult to imagine anywhere more scenic and more accessible than the Dolomite mountains of northern Italy. As good a decision as it was to go there, the even better decision was to go with Vieri Bottazzini. We have all been on photography trips lead by a professional, and often the pro is more interested in getting his own shots than his clients. Vieri was all about me; my shooting, my compositions, my post processing, and importantly for me, my safety.
Vieri’s style of shooting, slowing down, tripod, filters, long exposures, and processing in black and white, was exactly what I was seeking to experience. I only had three days available between other commitments, and we squeezed a lot in to those days. Early mornings and evening shoots, with mid-day discussions on post processing and gear.
Vieri and his wife Zeynep were a joy to be with. I especially like that he limits his groups to three clients. It was extra nice that after the trip, he provided a list of places and shoots, as well as some photos and a video of us in action. I was so pleased with the trip and the photographs I gathered that I have already signed up for a week in Death Valley and a September 2024 return to the Dolomites.I highly recommend a trip with Vieri!
In October 2021, we returned to the Dolomites for our fourth Workshop there, this time a 8-day group Workshop with a full three people attendance. All participants in our Dolomites 2021 Workshop were newcomers, and I truly enjoyed seeing so many people excited about photographing the Dolomites after such a long time of Covid-19 related restrictions.
This year, as last year, we still had to face the well-known difficulties introduced by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the related restriction in effect in Italy during the Workshop. As we did during all our 2021 Workshops, we implemented strict measures to keep everyone safe onboard our vehicle and during the whole of the Workshop's activities. During our Workshop together, very unfortunately one of our participants had a death in the family and had to return home earlier than expected. We were all very sad to see him go, and we did all we could to make his trip back as easy as possible.
Photographically speaking, I truly enjoyed working together with our participants, a group of enthusiastic photographers and mountain lovers. After eight days of work, I could see some definite improvement in their way to look at mountainscapes, not the easiest photographic subject to tackle. We boosted people's confidence when needed and noticed a great improvement in their ability to work efficiently and proficiently in the field, as well as in the quality of the resulting images. More, on the Dolomites we could dedicate a lot of our daytime to image review and post-processing work, something I always find extremely helpful.
Last but not least, the social aspect of the Workshop, always fundamental for us. On the Dolomites, Zeynep and I truly enjoyed spending time with our participants, both in and out of the field. Our conversations about photography, art, equipment, politics, economy, the Covid-19 situation and more were always very interesting, and we had a lot of fun during these 8 days together!
One of the participants in our The Dolomites October 2021 Workshop kindly sent me a short testimonial to share with you. See what they had to say about our Workshop together!
In October 2021 I participated in the Vieri Bottazzini workshop in Italy's Dolomite Alps. My experience with Vieri and with the other participants was outstanding. It will be something I remember for a long time, for many reasons.
Actually, my time in the course was shortened because I had a death in my family, and I had to return unexpectedly to the United States. In this regard, Vieri was very sympathetic and most helpful. He helped me to arrange for my early return. He also gave me significant advice about how to navigate through the COVID testing regime at that time.
Vieri is obviously a very accomplished, fine art photographer. From him, I was able to learn much about photography. Of course, my learning took place at one of the most beautiful locations in the world. I also enjoyed the good company. I was associated with some fine individuals, other tour participants, and also Vieri and his wife Zeynep. I must say, that Zeynep had much input into the smooth working of the workshop.
And finally, the Dolomite workshop was well-organized. Vieri and Zeynep navigated some very small roads to some beautiful but remote locations. They really knew their way around. Our lodgings were perfect and we always enjoyed superb food.
I will definitely participate in another Vieri Bottazzini Landscape Workshop!
In October 2020, we returned to the Dolomites for our third Workshop there, this time a Private Workshop with a gentleman joining us for the first time.
Doing a Private Workshop always allows me to fully customise the Workshop on our new Alumnus’ level and requirements, choosing the best locations both for great photography and to face and solve different photographic challenges. More, this year we had to face two unexpected logistic problems. First, the Covid-19 pandemic and the related restriction in effect in Italy during the Workshop. Second, an unusually cold fall season, with a lot of early snow that made it impossible for us to reach some of our planned locations. Thanks to our knowledge of the Dolomites, and to the number of extra locations we always have on every Workshop, we could make sure that everything went smoothly, without any problems either with logistics or with safety.
Photographically speaking, I truly enjoyed working together with our new Alumnus, an enthusiastic amateur with a very good eye. After eight days of intense work I could see some definite improvement in his way to look at mountainscapes, in his confidence and speed of working in the field, and - most importantly - in the resulting images. Since this was a Private Workshop, on the Dolomites we could dedicate a lot of our daytime to image review and post-processing work, managing to go through almost all our images as far as both reviewing them and processing them.
Last but not least, the social aspect of the Workshop, always very important for us. On the Dolomites, Zeynep and I truly enjoyed spending time with our Alumnus, both in and out of the field. Our conversations about photography, art, equipment, politics, economy, the Covid-19 situation were always very pleasant and fruitful, and most importantly we had a lot of fun together!
The participant in our The Dolomites October 2020 Workshop kindly sent me a short testimonial to share with you. See what they had to say about our Workshop together!
Not only did my first workshop with Vieri provide great inspiration, but it was also very educational and a lot of fun. Vieri and Zeynep make a point of organizing everything down to a T. Thanks to his abundant experience and in-depth familiarity with the locations, Vieri can easily and creatively react to changes in weather conditions and re-plan accordingly. I had the pleasure of joining him in a one-on-one workshop, but I am sure that his group workshops provide an equally intense and intimate experience thanks to the intentionally small group size.
Vieri managed to make me feel comfortable with my equipment and composition choices, gently nudging me in the right direction whenever necessary. I never had the feeling that he imposed his instructive suggestions upon me. Instead, he made me think about my choices and helped me come up with even better solutions. I’d say his decades of experience as a teacher definitely show in his unique teaching style, and I am positive he can adapt to every individual’s abilities and help take them to the next level, regardless of their previous experience.
Shooting with Vieri on location always felt like great fun as he shared his own ideas, insights and observations and was quick to lend a hand whenever quickly changing light conditions required us to work extremely fast.
I very much enjoyed how Vieri’s approach during our image review and post-processing sessions helped me better analyze and critique my own work. His post-processing workflow is efficient, solution oriented and focused on the best results possible. His recommendations are always spot on and presented in a way that makes you feel as part of the process.
And last but not least, I took great pleasure in our discussions on photography, artistic expression in general, food, politics and numerous other topics. My week in the Dolomites with Vieri and Zeynep was a truly memorable and inspiring experience.
I am more than happy to recommend workshops with Vieri and Zeynep to photographers of all levels, and I know for a fact that my first workshop with them will not have been my last!
In October 2019, I returned to the Dolomites for our second back-to-back Workshop there, this time a 6-day Private Workshop with two participants, both returning Alumni. Longtime friends, they joined us in Glencoe & Isle of Skye and in Tuscany & Cinque Terre; one of them also joined us alone in Asturias & Northern Spain. This time, for another complete change in scenery they decided to join us on the Dolomites for respectively their third and fourth Workshop with us.
Doing a Private Workshop with returning Alumni allowed me to fully customise the Workshop around our Alumni’s level and requirements, choosing the best locations both for great photography and to continue along our learning path together. Working together again was very enjoyable, and after six days of intense work I could see some definite improvement in their way to look at mountainscapes, a subject that not everyone finds immediately easy to face. As on previous Workshops with them, part of their expectations for our time together were set towards streamlining and simplifying their post-processing workflow, making it as non-intimidating as possible. On the Dolomites, we could dedicate a lot of our daytime to image review and post-processing work, and they left with renewed confidence in their post-processing abilities.
Last but not least, the social aspect of the Workshop, always very important for me. Knowing both participants already, together with their being long-time friends, made for a relaxed atmosphere both in and out of the field. As during our previous Workshops, sharing common equipment in the Hasselblad X1D (and in the Leica SL I previously used for years) made our gear-related conversation very focussed on extracting the most out of our equipment. Overall, a truly fun and rewarding Workshop!
One of the participants in our The Dolomites October 2019 (2) Workshop kindly sent me a short testimonial to share with you. See what they had to say about our Workshop together!
For the fourth adventure with Vieri and the second one for 2019 we had the great Dolomites in front of us. Wow, what is better than being in this environment together with your great teacher!
All the travel, hotels and where to photograph was well planned. Vieri never takes you to a place he doesn't know as his own back yard. To travel with Vieri will give 100% photographic experience together with great discussions about the topics that you love and inspires you!
The Dolomites have many great places to photograph. Vieri will bring you to both very well known, iconic places, and to lesser known places. This is perfect as you are able to capture images that not everybody has. In the times of social media this is more and more difficult, but with Vieri's planning everything is possible. :)
Again, a great trip with lots of new photographic experience in my backpack! Thank you Vieri for the adventure and the great walks in the Italian mountains!
In October 2019, we had the pleasure to lead our first Workshop on the Dolomites, a 9-day Workshop with a full group of three participants. Two of them were returning Alumni, one on his second trip with us and the other one on his third.
During our Dolomites October 2019 (1) Workshop, it was great to continue developing the work previously done with our returning Alumni, and I really enjoyed meeting our new participant and sharing my knowledge with him. As always, I have been very pleased to see some of our Alumni coming back for more. Previously knowing them helped me tailoring my tutoring on their specific level and requirements, continuing the work we started on previous Workshops together. I have been intrigued by our third participant’s workflow in the field, since he exclusively shot panoramas. That posed a new a challenge for me as a tutor, since I had to figure a way to help him with compositions and exposures without ever seeing a single finished photograph, neither in the field nor during our post-processing sessions.
During this Workshop, I loved to work with participants so enthusiastic about landscape photography, and who truly appreciated the beauty of the Dolomites - sometimes even despite the photographic challenges the Dolomites’ landscapes posed them, challenges they didn't always find easy to overcome. After nine days of intense work, I was extremely pleased in seeing how everyone improved their skills, all learning something new either in the field or during our image review sessions, and all going home with some great images!
Last but not least, the social aspect of the Workshop, which is always very important for us. On the Dolomites we very much enjoyed our social times and our conversations on the most varied topics, from photography to equipment, from technique to art, for a very pleasant Workshop!
One of the participants in our The Dolomites October 2019 (1) Workshop kindly sent me a short testimonial together with a selection of images to share with you. See what they had to say about our Workshop together and enjoy their work in Italy!
The one in the Dolomiti was my 3rd workshop with Vieri, as usual the organization has been flawless, given the wide area over which the Dolomiti mountains are spread we stayed in 3 different locations in order to take advantage of as many shooting places as possible.
All the hotels selected were of a very good standard, the locations were around the most iconic places in the Dolomiti, but the shooting places were a little bit "off the beaten track", to give us the possibility to capture images different than everybody else. Again, the fact of being only 3 participants had great advantages in terms of comfort, logistics, organization and time dedicated to image review and critic.
I can only say: Thanks to Vieri for another wonderful experience and see you again in the next Southwest USA workshop next year!
