Dolomites Tre Cime di Lavaredo - How a Closed Road Led to Unique Views
Dolomites | Italy
The Dolomites Tre Cime di Lavaredo mountain range is one of the most scenic mountain ranges in the Italian Dolomites, one of the great spots for outdoor and landscape photography. This photo series covers a photo hike in the surrounding mountain range capturing this unique mountain range in black and white.
Copy & Photography by Thomas Milton
Published on 10 Dec 23, updated on 5 Nov 25
The famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo mountain range is one of the 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 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 fast thinking, adaptation, and resetting my photography planning.
I am a flexible photographer, and I do embrace change of plans, but Tre Cime di Lavaredo was at the top of my list of mountains to hike and photograph — it was a letdown. Photography planning is absolutely necessary, especially on paid assignments, but unexpected changes due to environment and weather requires flexibility. In this situation, I could not reach any of the photography spots and locations that I had been planning for the past three months. Still thinking about the daylight time, the solution was to pull up Google Maps, look for 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 Lavaredo that never happened, but the alternative photography trip was visually worth it, and I can always go back — but with better planning next time.”
Gear used:
Sony A7IV camera body
Lens Sony G 24-105 f/4.0
Sigma 100-400 f/6.4
DJI Drone Mini 3
