Dolomites June 7/8-15, 2019

Sold out.

Sign up here

An 8/9 day photo workshop June 7/8-15, 2019 (with an optional day with no instructor fee) for up to 10 participants in the beautiful Dolomites mountains in Italy at the best time for spring/early summer colors. This is one of the most beautiful areas in Europe. In this altitude of the mountains flowers will blossom at this time of year. The Dolomites are known for their dramatic shapes and altitudes and is a wonderland for photography as well. The weather can be dramatic at times and give wonderful opportunites for extraordinary pictures. The rugged rocks are also beautiful and are emphasized in many different shapes and forms, when the light creates shadows and colors during the day. Notice that there is an optional day before the workshop begins with early morning and late afternoon shoots.

In addition to the morning and late afternoon shoots there are class room sessions with photo critiques, presentations on optimal image quality and efficient shooting techniques. Post processing is really important and mandatory in order to get the potential from the images captured by the digital cameras. The classroom sessions will now focus even more on this area than in past workshops with sessions on image editing from RAW capture to final edits. Also HDR techniques without the HDR look will be presented.

This workshop combines the Western and the Eastern parts of the Dolomites in one workshop. We will start in the west staying in hotel Adler near the beautiful Lago di Carezza close to the village Nova Levante near Bolzano. We leave this hotel on June 12 and checkin to the hotel Argentina just outside of Cortina d'Ampezzo. The drive is about 2 hours. For this workshop it is recommended to also choose the optional day before the workshop and arrive on June 7. This extra day is optional and not included in the workshop price. You pay the extra day accomodation and meals to the hotel at checkout. Covering both the west and the east of the Dolomites we will shoot the highlights of the Dolomites.

The workshop is aimed at giving the workshop participant the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful areas of Europe and get some great pictures. You can find examples of pictures taken at the locations and the time of year for the workshop. Scroll down to see the pictures. The instructor is Hans Kruse, owner of HansKrusePhotography. He is very experienced in landscape photography and in post processing techniques. More of Hans Kruse's landscape photography work can be found here or click here to see the pictures. To see photos shot in June in the Dolomites scroll down on this page and see the gallery of photos following the workshop description.

Schedule

The schedule will be adapted to the weather conditions. The detailed schedule for the 8/9 days is

June 7 (optional day): Arrival and afternoon shoot at 17:00 and morning shoot on June 8th.
June 8 (optional morning): Morning shoot. Breakfast. Afternoon shoot at 17:00.
June 9: Morning shoot. Breakfast. Class room 13-17: Presentation on how to achieve technically good pictrures, composition and how to select interesting view points and pictures from the areas with comments. Working light lunch at 14:00. Afternoon shoot.
June 10: Morning shoot. Breakfast. Class room 13-17: Post processing in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop with editing examples from RAW capture to final edit. Working light lunch at 14:00. Afternoon shoot.
June 11: Morning shoot. Breakfast. Class room 13-17: Critique session. Working light lunch at 14:00. Afternoon shoot.
June 12: Morning shoot. Breakfast. Move to hotel Argentina. Light lunch on arrival at 14:00. Afternoon shoot.
June 13: Morning shoot. Breakfast. Meeting room 13-17: Critique session. Working light lunch at 14:00. Afternoon shoot.
June 14: Morning shoot. Breakfast. Meeting room 13-17: Review of techniques and post processing. Working light lunch at 14:00. Afternoon shoot.
June 15: Morning shoot. Breakfast. End of workshop at 10:00.

To take full advantage of the optional day please plan to arrive on June 7, 2019. The schedule will be rearranged based on when participants arrive.

Prerequisites

There are no specific expectations for the skill level of the participants to get full value from the workshop. You will likely have been interested in photography for some years and have acquired a digital SLR or equivalent mirrorless camera and a few lenses. However less experienced photographers are equally welcome. The workshop will be adapted for the individuals attending such that individuals who need more guidance in certain areas will have the attention of the instructor to get help with the settings of the camera. For landscape photography in this area the focal lengths from 24mm to 200mm in 35mm full frame terms will be adequate (approx. 15mm to 135mm on crop DSLR cameras). A wider lens can be useful and a longer lens also (14mm and 400mm in 35mm full frame terms). It is expected that you are familiar with your camera including the most typical functions, however any question about camera operation and features are welcomed. Bring a manual for your camera too. A solid and stable tripod is essential and a cable/remote release for your camera. It is advised that you have practiced using your camera on a tripod so that you quickly can setup the camera as sometimes the lighting conditions change rapidly. The language of the workshop is English.

The instructor uses Canon 5DSR and Nikon D850 cameras and have detailed knowledge of these cameras, however photographers with any camera are welcome. It is expected that you are familiar with the camera and menues since it is not possible for the instructor to know every variant of even Canon or Nikon cameras. For post processing the instructor will use and show Adobe Lightroom and with additional processing in Adobe Photoshop. For HDR Lightroom will be used to show this as well as a blending method in Photoshop when needed. It is highly recommended that the participants bring their own laptop for post processing. For critique sessions you will need a laptop to process your own images.

On location conditions

The temperature can fall to around the freezing point at this time of year in the morning, so please bring warm clothes and good, comfortable footwear for the time we will spend outdoors. Waterproof or almost waterproof and warm boots are highly recommended as grass is often wet in the morning and it is good to be able to walk into the landscape to find the best spots. Also headwear and gloves are essential as well as wind proof clothing. Although afternoons are generally nice and warm the early mornings can be cold and especially in windy conditions. Most shoots will not have much walking tog et to the shooting locations from the cars, however there are a couple of locations that require up to 45 minutes of walking at 2200 meters and up. In these cases it is possible to stay lower and still get good shots, if your ability to walk is limited. It is always discussed with the workshop group participants about what compromise will work for the group in case many will not be able to make the walks.

Pricing, accommodation and travel

The cost of the workshop is 1895 Euro which include hotel, meals and beverages (breakfast, lunch time refreshments and evening dinner, water, wine and coffee). A single room for each participant. For a shared double room the price is 1815 Euro per participant. If you decide to come early and stay after the workshop you will pay these extra days directly to the hotel. Any extra shoots outside of the workshop is free of charge and is made as a service to the participants.

The price does not include transport to and from the hotel (air fare, rental cars, etc.) and transport in the area. It is planned that the up to 10 participants and the instructor will drive in 2-3 cars for the shooting (the instructor in his car and 1-2 cars from the participants depending on group size). Since we will start in hotel Adler near Bolzano and end in hotel Argentina near Cortina d'Ampezzo the best airport for arrival and departure is Venice (Venezia). The driving time from the Venice Marco Polo airport to hotel Adler is about 3 hours and the return trip from hotel Argentina is about 2 hours. If Venice is not practical then Milan is the alternative but the driving time is considerably longer. From hotel Argentina it is about 5 hours and to hotel Adler it is about 3.5 hours.

To share a car e-mail addresses will be exchanged among the participants such that sharing of rental cars can be planned in advance. A booking sheet including arrival and departure dates are sent to the participants of the workshop to help finding a match in sharing a rental car. A rental car no smaller than a Fiat Punto (midsized car) is assumed for 3-4 photographers per car including their equipment (please do not choose a Fiat 500 or similar small car not suitable for 3-4 photographers). The plan is that every day it is changed who is driving together in order to get the most value of discussions among the participants. The reason for not including transportation is that it would add substantial extra cost to the workshop to include this and most participants would likely combine a workshop with a stay in the area. If you would like to bring a spouse or friend to the workshop, then please indicate this in the registration e-mail. A spouse or friend cannot participate in any of the workshop activities, but are welcome to breakfasts and dinners. The lunch is a working lunch so it is only for workshop participants. A GPS unit or navigation app on a smart phone is highly recommended and mobile phones to get reconnected, if getting lost. The instructor will have a mobile phone operational at all times and walkie talkies in the cars.

Booking

Sign up here

Please book space on the workshop by sending an e-mail to Hans Kruse at hans@hanskruse.com or if you would like to ask additional questions about the workshop. If you are not able to join this workshop or it is sold out, then please consult the workshop schedule or contact Hans Kruse. As the time of the workshop approaches (4 weeks in advance) you will get updates on the detailed schedule and meeting times and additional relevant information. You are welcome to divide the payment of the 1895 Euro into a deposit of 445 Euro at sign-up and payment of the 1450 Euro April 1st, 2018. In a shared double room the price is 1815 Euro per participant and the final payment is 1370 Euro. Please find the cancelation policy on the workshop overview page.

Please see feedback from previous workshop participants.