“Spirits of the Mountains” by Kelly Needleman

“Spirits of the Mountains” by Kelly Needleman

The Italian Dolomites are one of the most beautiful areas in the entire world to explore. Going into this adventure, my crew and I had the intentions to film and document stories and moments that we can take with us forever. Overall our experience was outstanding and I was able to capture the most serene footage ever. The last day we decided to go on a hike to the most beautiful mountain in all of Italy (in my opinion) to capture sunset. The way up was absolutely stunning and relaxing. Viewing this location in real life was always a dream and it was almost unreal to finally see it. The elevation of the mountain is 8,264 feet. The weather conditions forecasted lightning and thunder storms, yet when we got there it was blue skies with little clouds in the horizon. After time-lapsing, flying the drone, and filming clips of video for my movie for around 2 hours, the weather took a turn for the worst. Storm clouds developed quickly across the entire sky and the sounds of thunder filled the air. Instead of rain we were pelleted with marble size hail. Luckily right before the storm I was able to create this image. After packing up, we started our path down the mountain. The hike was steep, slippery, foggy, and dark which made it hard to navigate down the hill. Moments later, I loss control of my drone bag and it tumbled down the mountain. Thank god for my @loweprobags which saved all of the equipment. If it was any other backpack the impact would have destroyed everything! Even though we had a bump in the road, it still was an extraordinary experience. I would recommend putting the Dolomites high on your bucket list.

Kelly Needleman: Photos