In 2024, between Workshops and personal work, my wife and I spent about a month on the amazing Italian Dolomites. I first visited the Dolomites as a child, visiting multiple times; in 2017, I first went to the Dolomites as a landscape photographer and went back almost every year since, either for personal work or to lead Workshops. Compared to other mountain areas of the world, the Dolomites to me offer a unique combination of beautiful landscapes, variety of shooting situations, variety of weather conditions and options to make the most of any weather. As well, the Dolomites offer incredible photographic opportunities for everyone, regardless of their fitness and physical abilities: from locations very close to the car and easy to reach, to location requiring a moderate hike on mostly flat ground, to locations requiring more strenuous, uphill hikes, the Dolomites has something for everyone.
When it comes to iconic locations, the Dolomites are second to none: from the Tre Cime to Cinque Torri, from little churches such as San Giovanni in Ranui to lakes such as Braies, from mountain passes such as Passo Giau to Passo Valparola, and many more, the Dolomites offer an abundance of famous places to make any photographer happy. Pair all this photographic goodness with the wonderful Italian lifestyle, high quality accommodation and unforgettable food, and you’ll see why I am always looking forward to spending time portraying these wonderful landscapes.
Besides that, however, what makes me come back time and again to the Dolomites is the inspiring combination of being able to portray these iconic locations in a completely different, and personal, way, paired with the possibilities for discovery on lesser known, but not less beautiful, locations.
In the fall of 2024, I went to the Dolomites with my Arca-Swiss F-Line camera, trying my hand at these mountains for the first time with 4×5” film. Weather on the Dolomites during the month we have been there has been extremely variable: we enjoyed early snow, together with stormy and windy days, followed by warmer days; we had rain and low clouds, as well as spectacular sunsets; in short, we couldn’t expect much more, as photographers.
Below you'll find some photographs out of the Portfolio for you to enjoy, click here to read the rest of the article and view the full Portfolio: https://www.vieribottazzini.com/2026/06/the-dolomites-2024-a-4x5-portfolio.html
All photographs have been taken on Fomapan 200 Creative, rated at 100 ISO and developed in Pyrocat-HD for 12 minutes and 30 seconds, 10 inversions at start followed by 3 inversions per minute. The film has been pre-washed in water for 5 minutes prior to developing. Negatives have been digitised using an Epson V850 Pro scanner and processed in Photoshop.
Best regards,
Vieri
When it comes to iconic locations, the Dolomites are second to none: from the Tre Cime to Cinque Torri, from little churches such as San Giovanni in Ranui to lakes such as Braies, from mountain passes such as Passo Giau to Passo Valparola, and many more, the Dolomites offer an abundance of famous places to make any photographer happy. Pair all this photographic goodness with the wonderful Italian lifestyle, high quality accommodation and unforgettable food, and you’ll see why I am always looking forward to spending time portraying these wonderful landscapes.
Besides that, however, what makes me come back time and again to the Dolomites is the inspiring combination of being able to portray these iconic locations in a completely different, and personal, way, paired with the possibilities for discovery on lesser known, but not less beautiful, locations.
In the fall of 2024, I went to the Dolomites with my Arca-Swiss F-Line camera, trying my hand at these mountains for the first time with 4×5” film. Weather on the Dolomites during the month we have been there has been extremely variable: we enjoyed early snow, together with stormy and windy days, followed by warmer days; we had rain and low clouds, as well as spectacular sunsets; in short, we couldn’t expect much more, as photographers.
Below you'll find some photographs out of the Portfolio for you to enjoy, click here to read the rest of the article and view the full Portfolio: https://www.vieribottazzini.com/2026/06/the-dolomites-2024-a-4x5-portfolio.html
All photographs have been taken on Fomapan 200 Creative, rated at 100 ISO and developed in Pyrocat-HD for 12 minutes and 30 seconds, 10 inversions at start followed by 3 inversions per minute. The film has been pre-washed in water for 5 minutes prior to developing. Negatives have been digitised using an Epson V850 Pro scanner and processed in Photoshop.
Best regards,
Vieri
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