Maxence Boyer, a French landscape photographer, gives us four awesome locations everyone will love to photograph in the Dolomites, also known as the Italian Alps. I have been pining for a vacation to the Dolomites for about four years now. I was photographing the sunset at the Valley of Fire in Nevada when I met an extremely nice photographer from Italy. We exchanged stories and he told me how much he loves photographing the Dolomites and it sounded magical. Judging from Maxence’s images in this article, it is indeed a magical place every landscape photographer should visit.
San GiovanNi church
The Chiesetta di San Giovanni is one of the most picturesque churches you will ever see. After coming across a handful of images on instagram and the internet of this solitary church with a unique tower surrounding by green at the base of majestic peaks, I needed to figure out where it was, which led me to discovering Maxence Boyer. Not only did her capture magic lighting on this scene, he even managed to get some star trails.
Maxence made the above photo with a Canon 6D and a EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. It was shot at 67mm, 30 seconds, f/4 and ISO 12800. The image was a single shot with very basic post processing, consisting of white balance correction and noise reduction on the photo. The church was lit by the ambient light of the village which is next to the field.
The church is located at 46°38’06.6″N 11°43’26.7″E. While there are a lot of photographs of this great location, most photographers have kept its location secret, as it is pretty difficult to find. Hopefully, these directions work. The location is not far from the city Castelrotto (Kastelruth). From there, you can enjoy a beautiful half-hour trip with lots of castles, church, green fields and scenic mountains. Head north on SP64 until you reach Stradda Passua. Head north on that road until you reach Passua. From there, head north on SS242. At the roundabout, take SS242d and keep going north. Turn east on AuBermuhl, and follow that until you reach the church.
The Church of San Giovanni is a church celebrating St. John. It was commissioned by Michael von Jenner in 1744. The entire inside of the church tells the life of St. John, from the altarpiece that depicts Mary with the infant Jesus and John, to the nine Baroque paintings that narrate the story of John’s life. Even the onion dome made of copper sustains a star that symbolizes the martyrdom of John.
Santa Magdelena church
This beautiful church, once again, set among rolling green hills and towering mountains, is just a ten-minute drive from the Church of San Giovanni. The Santa Magdelena Church is an incredibly picturesque medieval church sitting beneath the Odle Mountain Group of the Dolomites. To get the best vantage point, there is a little path that takes you up a small hill.
Tre Cime national park
Maxence listed the Tre Cime as one of his favorite areas in the Dolomites for anyone that likes to hike. The Tre Cime National Park is famous for the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (“three peaks of Lavaredo”) . The three peaks, named Cima Piccola / Kleine Zinne (“little peak”), Cima Grande / Große Zinne (“big peak”) and Cima Ovest / Westliche Zinne (“western peak”), are probably the most famous of the Dolomites.
As these images from Maxence show, there is much more to Tre Crime than the famous three peaks. The jagged peaks are awesome, but I love the alpine lakes in the first image even more. I can imagine sitting on a boulder, breathing in the crisp mountain air and looking out across the still water.
Lago Di Braie
If you are not into hiking, this last spot is perfect for you. The Lago di Braie (Braie’s Lake) is an amazing scene that can be accessed via a five-minute walk from the parking lot.
Braie’s Lake is apparently also called Pragser Wildsee and is located in the Prags Valley in South Tyrol, Italy. The lake is famous for clear emerald waters, crisp air and beautiful mountain reflections.
maxence boyer
Maxence is a French landscape photographer. He loves traveling the world and making photographs. All the images in this article were taken on his trip to the Dolomites last year. You can find more of his work on 500px, Facebook, Flickr and Instagram.
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Drive to the northern half of Lake Garda, and you won t only leave the tourist crowds behind—you ll enter the Dolomite mountain range. Enjoy the spectacular views, explore the tiny towns dotting the lake, and relax at a vista like this one. No mountaineering required!