Hopefully this information will answer your questions but please email if you have more.
Fitness level 3/5 - We’ll be working in the mountains, near waterfalls and on beaches. This will involve working on uneven ground and some inclines. A general level of fitness is required with the ability to walk a few kilometres with your camera equipment. If you are unsure about this please have a chat with us before booking.
Please refer to our TERMS AND CONDITIONS and our PRIVACY POLICY in addition to this information.
Price
£1420 per person.
Non-refundable deposit payable on booking £420
Balance of £1000 due 30 days before the workshop.
Where
Your base will be at our home near Fort William in The Highlands of Scotland. We will be photographing at locations very close by and further afield. The furthest locations we may visit being Kilchurn Castle (1 hour 30 minutes) and The Silver Sands of Morar (1 hour 10 minutes).
Our itinerary will depend on weather but could include any of the following:
The Great Glen
Glen Nevis and Steall Falls
Corpach Wreck and Loch Linnhe
Loch Lochy
Loch Arkaig (with opportunities to photograph the stags).
Glen Roy
Loch Tarff
Glen Loy
Creag Meagaidh
Laggan Loch
Glencoe Lochan
Glen Coe
Glen Etive
Rannoch Moor
Ardnamurchan
Glenfinnan Viaduct and Loch Sheil
Loch Ailort
Castle Stalker
Port Appin
Cuil Bay
Loch Leven
Kilchurn Castle
Loch Morar and Morar Beaches
Accommodation
You will be staying in our newly built home which has been designed with workshops in mind. All rooms are ensuite. We have 1 double, 1 twin and a self catering unit with a double bed. During this workshop food will be eaten in the main house as a group. We have a purpose built studio for wet days and for processing images and there is a large drying room and a cosy lounge where you can relax at the end of the day.
The house is between Spean Bridge and Fort William with great access to so many places in The Highlands. There are fabulous views from all bedrooms out across The Great Glen to The Nevis Range.
Numbers
Minimum 3 (if all wanting single rooms) and maximum 6 if there are 3 couples booked.
Food
All food included with an evening meal on arrival day, then breakfasts, packed lunches and two course evening meals days 2 to 6 and breakfast on day 7. Please notify us of any special diets, gluten free is a speciality! Food will be good home cooking. I'm sorry but we cannot cater for vegans or people with severe food allergies due to the nature of our kitchen. It may be possible for you to cater for yourself in the self catering unit though with a discount of £10 per day.
Alcoholic drinks not included but please bring your own.
Please bring a flask and/or a cold drinks bottle.
If people request a café break (there are some amazing coffee and cake opportunities) guests are responsible for own purchases.
Transport
Transport between locations is provided in two cars.
Itinerary
Day 1 arrive late afternoon. Settle in and have an evening meal together so we get to know each other.
Days 2-6 dependent on weather conditions and locations. Sunrise is around 6:30 and sunset about 20:15. At this time of the year it isn't sensible to be out from dawn to dusk, we can be flexible with meals but people generally don't want to be eating after we get back after sunset. We accommodate this in various ways, sometimes having a sunrise shoot and then coming back for breakfast and at other times having a meal before the evening shoot. We may decide to have our main meal at mid-day and a lighter supper after sunset. The key is responding to the conditions. There is nothing worse than watching the sun set as you are eating and wishing you were out with the camera.
On bad weather days we will assess if a trip further east may find better weather (e.g. Glen Affric) or review images, do some processing and use the studio for some macro/botanical photography.
Day 7 is departure day and the workshop ends after breakfast.
Getting here
Once booked we will give clear directions to the house for those driving, we are between Spean Bridge and Fort William . If you want to come by train the Glasgow line runs very close by with stations at Spean Bridge and Fort William and we are happy to collect you and drop you off. If you want to fly to Inverness we can transport you for a fee but please discuss times with us first as very early or late pick ups will not be possible.
Tutors
Claire Carter and Andy Askey
Claire has been running photography workshops in the UK and abroad for over 10 years and in recent years in partnership with Andy. We aim to give a relaxed and friendly, highly individualised experience. We are both passionate about our photography and enjoy sharing our knowledge with others. Our move to Scotland in 2022 was born out of a desire to offer photographers an all inclusive package and good value for money. We were already very familiar with the area where we now live but wanted to immerse ourselves further, getting to know all the nooks and crannies that can only be discovered by living somewhere.
Claire has been winning awards since 2006 (see CV here), has written articles for Outdoor Photography Magazine, given hundreds of talks to camera clubs across the country and has been running workshops for over a decade.
Andy has recently been awarded a CPAGB and has had images accepted in national and international exhibitions including a PAGB silver medal in the landscape section.
Tuition
With two tutors and a maximum of 6 people there is plenty of opportunity for everyone to get as much support as needed, at your own specific level. If you are more experienced and just want to get on with it, that is fine. During the first evening we will discuss what you specifically want to get out of the workshop and we will work hard to meet your requirements, whether that is help understanding the technical aspects of using a camera or developing a more artistic approach.
"Claire, your combination of a) artistic intelligence b) technical knowledge and explanation and c) stunning photography, all articulately explained is just about unique." J Freeman
Equipment
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Camera bag - ideally a rucksack as the ground can be very wet.
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A sturdy tripod is essential for landscape photography. You can borrow one if needed.
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Lenses from wide angle to 300mm - basically bring everything you have. One of my talks is about using different focal lengths in landscape photography and whilst a wide angle lens shouldn't be left at home all focal lengths offer possibilities.
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Filters if you have them, especially neutral density filters (such as the big stopper) and graduated filters.
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A cable release for bulb exposures.
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Camera rain cover, this can be a simple plastic bag to protect your camera from the element. I use a shower cap.
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Lens cloths.
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Torch.
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Spare batteries and plenty of memory cards.
Clothing
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Warm and waterproof clothing, layers you can put on or remove recommended. Having a bag of spare clothes in the car is a good idea in case you get wet at the start of the day.
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Hat, scarf and gloves. Even in September you can get very cold standing around.
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Jeans or any cotton trousers are NOT recommended unless you have good waterproof over trousers which are recommended for everyone.
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Sturdy waterproof walking boots. When near water or in boggy areas we both wear a form of neoprene wellie. This enables us to keep our feet warm and dry and also lets us to get IN the water to take photographs. We use Arctic Sports knee length Muck Boots.