Photographing Dolomites Tre Cime di Lavaredo from surrounding mountains

Preface

By Thomas Milton

The famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo mountain range it’s one of most scenic mountain ranges in the Italian Dolomites, one of the great spots for Outdoor and Landscape Photography in Europe.

In the winter, when the region is covered by snow it requires a certain degree of preparation and fitness to hike and reach the start point of the three peaks, the Refugio Lavaredo is the start point of several hikes with immense landscape photography opportunities featuring the three famous peaks, hiking routes and World War I fortifications.

The alternative photography hike

During a sunny winter day in January 2023, I planned to hike and towards the Refugio Lavaredo early morning, and spend the next six hours ascending and photographing the mountains on my way up to the Refugio Lavaredo, however, my plans drastically changed because the main driving road towards the hiking starting point was closed due to heavy snow, it was a setback, and required a fast thinking, adaptation and resetting my photography planning.

I am flexible photographer, and I do embrace change of plans but Tre Cime di Lavaredo was at the top of list of mountains to hike and photograph, it was a letdown , the photography planning is absolutely necessary, especially on paid assignments, but unexpected changes due to environment and weather changes requires flexibility,, in this situation I could not reach any of the photography spots and locations that I have been planning for the past three months, still thinking about the daylight time, the solution was pull Google Maps, look for the nearby hike paths and move fast.

I ended up parking in this open ski area, found the nearby hiking trails, and set up my map with a new location, the Refugio Angelo Bosi, which is on a plateau overlooking the right side of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo mountains, in ten minutes I was on my way up getting startled by the scenic mountain range views surrounding the Tre Cime di Lavaredo mountain range.

This black & white photography series is about a photography trip to the Dolomites Tre Cime di Laverado that never happened, but the alternative photography trip was visually worth it, and I can always go back, but with better planning next time.