Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Landscape Photography Locations => Topic started by: Hans Kruse on November 07, 2011, 05:47:53 pm
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I have just been in the Italian Dolomites again to run a photo workshop with a group of 10 photographers and thought that the readers of this forum might be interested to see some of the pictures from this great place. Not the western USA, but a great place which happens to be in Europe. The Dolomites are really special mountains. The following pictures were taken in the beginning of October in the Dolomites in the western part of the area including Alpe di Siusi, Santa Maddalena, Passo Sella, Passo Padon, Baita Segantini, etc. I will note in the following what lenses were used and all are taken with my trusty Canon 1Ds mkIII. All post processing was done in Adobe Lightroom 3.
Canon 24-70 f/2.8L
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138622939/original.jpg)
Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138582841/original.jpg)
Canon 24-70 f/2.8L
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138433851/original.jpg)
Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138596011/original.jpg)
Samyang 14 f/2.8
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/139433001/original.jpg)
Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138741014/original.jpg)
Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II + 1.4x TC III
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138824182/original.jpg)
Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II + 1.4x TC III
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138672898/original.jpg)
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Wow... Hans, you make my mouth water. I must absolutely find a way to spend some time there and it's not far away from Switzerland.
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When I went through there at the start of October (4th), there was some kind of stage thing happening next to the church at Santa Maddelena. Was that present when you were there? It kind of spoilt the "traditional" Val Di Funes shot ...
To work around that, I went up to the church and shot from behind it (1st photo)...
... and from the end of October (28th) is a similar shot (#2), only framed lower to pull in the red from the tree in the foreground.
On both occasions I was only there for the afternoon, so I didn't have the luxury of returning for "better sky". Sigh.
p.s. is there a "LR profile" for exporting pictures to be "web ready"? in LR, they're ok on my screen, but I don't know if it is the squeeze for sRGB or the JPEG itself that is just really bad with the shadows when reviewing it on export. The shadows just disappear and turn into black :-(
When I was there I shot from two different positions. The high one shown in the post and the low one in front of the little church/chapel
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138451946/original.jpg)
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It's a lot of fun to see your images. You should be proud. I especially like the 2nd one. Makes me want to go back.
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Thank you Hans and Dreed for the mouth-watering images!
Eric
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Hans, it's enough to make me think again about the beauty of nature, with or without the hand of Man... Beautiful photography that would have made you a millionaire in the heyday of Image Bank and Stone. Maybe you already are a millionaire, in which case, well done twice!
Rob C
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Hans,
#2 is magnificent.
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Hans,
#2 is magnificent.
Yes indeed. If #2 weren't posted, I'd pick several of the others as very special. But #2 stands out in a pretty excellent crowd.
Eric
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It's a real shame that there aren't more people shooting them and providing information about where/when for pictures because I think that it needs something like that to get people saying "I want to go there and see that" or "I want to go there and take a photograph like that."
A perfect recipe for original thinking, then...
Reminds me of the Kodak 'shoot from here' signs I saw in the States. Madre de Dios, what a flattener. Long may some things stay difficult to exploit and to ape!
Rob C
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Yes,
But I may like #4 even more!
Great work!
Best regards
Erik
Hans,
#2 is magnificent.
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Yes indeed. If #2 weren't posted, I'd pick several of the others as very special. But #2 stands out in a pretty excellent crowd.
Yes. Inspirational, all of them.
Scott
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Thanks everyone. I have just come back from Tuscany leading a new workshop there and Abruzzo just before that, so it has been a busy autumn :)
Although the Dolomites are really an amazing place, I love equally Abruzzo and Tuscany. Both are remarkable in that there are many more possibilities to look for the exact compositions where in the Dolomites one is often constrained by trees and roads where you can't stop etc. although getting high enough one can move more freely in the Dolomites as long as one does not fall off the cliffs ;)
Ok, a few more from the Dolomites....
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138167478/original.jpg)
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/138171114/original.jpg)
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/137906475/original.jpg)
(http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/image/139410381/original.jpg)
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Three lovely shots, plus one that breaks the sequence; far better to dump that - it's just a technically excellent record shot, a Kodak moment.
;-)
Rob C
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…Ok, a few more from the Dolomites....
Hans,
The first three shots are beautiful and very nice additions to your Dolomites collections. But the last one (B/W) is stunning, breathtaking. Those wind-swept ridges send chills down my spine. The B/W treatment is perfect here.
Good job and thanks for sharing your images.
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Regarding using chairlifts etc. the problem is that they are not open at sunrise and they close well before the good light at the end of the day, so they are pretty much ruled out for me. I drive around in the Dolomites and I trek from where I can go to by car. During workshops we as a group cannot go far from the cars since we typically will have people attending that are not capable of walking longer distances in the altitudes we are at. So that was basically what my comment was about. I agree there are amazing places that are well worth a trek.
The first two pictures are examples of such. It is a 30-40 minute walk up from Passo Fedaia to Passo Padon. There is a chair lift but it is not operational in the summer and (of course) not in the very early mornings when it is best from there. The last two if the first series were also shot from there. The one with the layers and colors of the sky was on the way up in a particular spot where the lines of the distant mountains are aligned in the way where you see the layers and the depth. The two pictures from the last batch of 4 the first was shot to the north from Passo Padon and the second was shot towards the south. The third with the couple was shot at the base of Drei Zinnen about 45-60 minutes trek from where you can drive up. The distant house is very small on the pictures which are downscaled by the LuLa forum from the original picture linked to. This is a pity since it does not represent the picture as intended. See it here http://hanskrusephotography.zenfolio.com/p888991795/h17b7c54f#h17b7c54f
The last picture was taken to the left of Langkopfel from Passo Sella on the last day when snow had arrived the day before.
But I think the other mountain area that I like very much in Italy, Abruzzo, is vastly underestimated. It is a wonderful place to visit with a camera :)
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The biggest problem I had whilst staying in Bolzano was that the hotel breakfast was good enough that I didn't want to miss out on it. If it had of been Motel 6 quality, I would have been less fussed, alas it was not. And who wants to start the day shooting on an empty stomach? :)
Well, I think this is one of the biggest problems for many shooters ;) They want to stay in bed and not get out early. My best shots are typically around one hour before and after sunrise and the last one hour in the afternoon before sunset in the Dolomites. When I run the workshops we leave the hotel around 4AM in the mornings without breakfast and come back around 8-9AM after the shoots. Often we have to drive 45-60 minutes to get to the right spot from the hotel.
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I really like the work. Nicely done, beautiful colors very nice moments.
Especially like no 4.
George
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wonderful wonderful shots
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Thanks very much for the feedback and comments :)
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It was a pleasure meeting you while in Copenhagen, I can’t wait to work together. The images shown here are amazing. It will make a great PODAS event.
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Thanks Kevin, I was a pleasure meeting you at the Phase One HQ in Copenhagen. I'm really excited about this cooperation and can't wait to show you and hopefully many others the opportunities for capturing fantastic pictures in Italy. Italy is truly one of the most beautiful places on this planet. Also I can't wait to see this landscape through a Phase One camera.
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Amazing shot, can't say more. :o
I live in Tuscany and I visit Dolomites at least once in a year: believe me when I say that you're way above the average. :)
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The first time I went to the Dolomites was in -99 to explore the Via Ferratas of Brenta Dolomites for a magazine article. Since then I have come back 5 times and did a 30 minute TV documentary about the "Iron Ways" in 2005. For those who have no fear of heights and maybe have a bit of rock climbing experience (not absolutely necessary but recommended) the Via Ferrata give amazing vistas not available to those who will not or can not walk more than 40 minutes from their car. There is a great network of rifugios providing bed and food at reasonable prices (also beer, vine and grappa). It is possible to make a nice 5 -6 day hike in Brenta without coming down to towns. The hub of the area is Madonna di Campiglio, a high class winter resort, but nice and quiet during the summer. A few lifts operate during the summer to whisk hikers and Via Ferrata climbers to 2000m and the starting points of the trails.
"Serious" photos are still on Velvia, but here are a few digital snaps. First one was taken from a bus window approaching Madonna di Campiglio in the evening. Second one shows a typical Rifugio, the third one gives some idea what the Ferratas look like. Helmet, full body climbing harness and KISA (Kinetic Impact Shock Absorber) are required for safety and can be rented in town.
Best time to visit these routes are from the beginning of July (depending on the amount of snow on upper routes) to the end of September.
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Every image is a stand-alone beauty. Curious - do you shoot along side the other photographers during the workshop, or are these captured on solo trips?
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Every image is a stand-alone beauty. Curious - do you shoot along side the other photographers during the workshop, or are these captured on solo trips?
Thanks Michael,
Some are taking during workshop preparations, some are taken the day before and after the official workshop where I invite participants to join free of charge (they only need to pay hotel etc. from themselves) and some during the workshop. I shoot together with the participants during the workshop to show how I work and also to show compositions for those who are interested in seeing what I see. I'm (of course) paying attention to who needs help and always available when people walk up to me with a question. I go around checking as well. I also lead the whole group or some into the landscape to find interesting spots. Some like to have a lot of help and some like to work on their own and go and ask or call for help when needed. It's very individual. The day before and after workshop which is for free I take those out for shoots who like this and we sometimes choose more difficult to reach destinations then and some of the pictures shown are from such locations. Almost everyone takes this offer up and it's great to meet in this way before the official workshop.
Sorry a long answer to a simple question :)
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Are there any books (in English) that you would recommend on this topic?
The best route guides are by Cicerone, Via Ferratas of Italian Dolomites Volume 2 includes Brenta.
http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/380/title/via-ferratas-of-the-italian-dolomites--vol-2
There are some websites where VF enthusiasts describe the routes they have done, also pictures of the trickiest spots. Like I said, some rock climbing experience helps, but if you are not afraid of heights (rather enjoy it, like I do), are reasonably fit and nimble they are all doable. That picture with my youngest son on the ladder is actually from Cortina area, as I did not have any Brenta digital action pictures availabe at short notice.
If you need more info about this (or Nepal trekking, have spent almost a year there) send e-mail to "arkienkeli" at the mail service run by Google.
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Thanks for your kind response above. Perhaps one day I can actually afford one of your workshops. Your Dolomites and Tuscany images really sing to me.
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I don't know if you've looked at this location in too much detail, but at Vigo di Fassa, there is a chairlift up to where I took this photo...
... butn there is also a dirt road going up however you need a 4WD vehicle to get up there - there's at least one particular slope going up that's just too steep for a 2WD car when approaching from the south (I found that out the hard way :-/). Have you managed to get up to the top there for early/late shooting? Although it may also be an easier approach up from the north (I didn't notice that until after.)
Thanks and no I haven't been up at the point I think you refer to. I found it on Google Earth and it looks possible to drive up from the north side. Something to try next time I'm there in June for the next workshop. There are still many spots I haven't discovered or been at :)
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Going back through my photos from the Dolomites, I found this that I thought you might find interesting. It's not particularly well framed (and capturing was hard because I only had a light weight tripod and there was a stiff breeze) but what caught my eye was the light/dark contrast.
Time of day? About 11:55am in late October, just down the road from Passo di Fedaia at Pian De Lobbia. In feel, it's similar to one of the early morning "shots" at Yosemite where the sun comes up and during the summer, rises from behind the cliffs on the north, hits the trees first before the cliff face. Here what happens is that as the sun climbs up, it moves behind the mountain and the angle of the hill is such that it is completely in shadow but the trees and huts at the bottom are not. Seeing this kind of shot in the middle of the day was quite unexpected.
It's finding scenes like that which have got me thinking that maybe there's a whole lot more potential in the Dolomites because there are a lot of valleys of varying slopes and angles with plenty of subject material around the bases. When I think of it in comparison to the American (South) West, it's the relative unknown quantity (photographically speaking) that I find quite exciting.
Then again, maybe this is telling me that I should spend more time paying attention to all of the date from ephemeris and to be have a more calculated approach when using the terrain map.
Or maybe that's an idea for TPE - mimic shadow casting from mountains with the terrain map.
I would say the Dolomites have a lot of potential, if you like this kind of light/shadow play. They are so high and steep so the shadows fall even in the middle of the day. However for my taste the light is too strong in the middle of the day for many scenes, but of course there are exceptions when there are clouds that play magic with the light. I use quite often Google Earth and the sun simulation to see how the shades form during sunrise and sunset so that I can make a check on a spot is worth while to check in a real sunrise or sunset (or any other time for that matter). You need to tilt the landscape in Google Earth to really see it. It works really fantastic. I love Google Earth on my new iPad, but there is no sun simulation on it. The high resolution screen and high resolution of the maps in 3D are simply amazing. It's really very good for looking at landscapes that would take a very long time to check in reality and get ideas about where good spots might be. Of course, there is no replacement for being there :)