In August 2016, I spent two wonderful weeks hiking and photographing in the famed Italian Dolomites. To plan the trip, I was inspired by the examples of photo tours. Looking at the tour itineraries, I assumed that if the route were good for photography, it would be good for hiking. So, looking at each suggested tour stop, I searched for short hiking opportunities.

I left my tripod and photo backpack behind to take advantage of photo opportunities during my hikes. I carried the minimum for my purposes: two camera bodies, one with a 24 to 80 mm lens and the second with an 80-300 mm (35mm eq). I was ready for almost any opportunity.

I spent a week in the gorgeous Val di Funes village, and on one day, I hiked the Adolf Munkel Weg, an easy trail that goes along the beautiful Dolomites mountains. Again, I was struck by the shape of the mountains, their texture, the jagged peaks, and the colours topped by textured clouds. On that hike, I felt I was in a visual paradise!

During that week, I photographed the famed Santa Magdalena Church in its surroundings.

I returned to the Dolomites in 2018 as part of a photo workshop. It allowed me to discover even more wonderful sites and share the experience with friendly photographers. One of the pictures is published on my VIP portfolio page.