Isle Of Harris And Lewis Photography Workshop (2nd to 7th March 2025)

Description

Join me on a 6-day photography workshop on the stunning and dramatic Isle of Harris & Lewis. The price for this workshop is just £1395 which is one of the most competitive prices out there.

While they are named as separate islands, geographically they are as one but they offer some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, often topping polls and it’s easy to see why. However there are also dramatic landscapes to be captured as well as the classic Callanish Stones. Harris which is the southern island has lot’s of coastal photography to offer and it is where we will spend most of our time but head north to Lewis and the landscape vastly changes becoming more rugged.

The great thing about Harris & Lewis is that even in poorer weather you can quite often capture dramatic and moody images and long exposures on the beautiful white sand beaches and while we all love those beautiful sunset’s and golden light, you can still come away with some amazing images even in poorer conditions.

When I first visited here in 2018, I loved the place so much I extended my stay from 1 week to 2 weeks!

I have booked us a charming self-catering cottage with 4 bedrooms on the golden road and overlooking the sea. We are also a 20 minute drive from Luskentyre. A self-catering cottage is great as it allows us to mingle when we are not out with the camera, do post-processing and is just generally more sociable. We are also not tied to a schedule of a hotel and their breakfast times and serving times for evening food where we could be missing the best light! Feedback from many clients on my residential workshops is self-catering works great. As we are in a self-catering cottage it also gives us much more flexibility to come and go as we please and also cook meals in the cottage (if you wish). A certain amount of flexibility will be required as we may be out shooting during some typical meal times but we will discuss on a day-to-day basis.

There are four bedrooms and two bathrooms in the cottage, enabling you to have a room to yourself and towels & linen are provided. If you would like to bring a partner or friend, then there is a 50% discount available for the second person to those wishing to do so and happy to share a room. There is only one opportunity for this discount as it would raise the number of participants from 3 to 4. The rooms vary in size and bed size and will be handed out on the basis of who booked first for fairness.

The cottage provides WiFi, kitchen facilities, washer/dryer, lounge and dining area.

I have put the start time on the Sunday as 13:00 meeting in Tarbet but the ferry timetable is not available yet. I will adjust accordingly once this has been confirmed. You should make your own way to the Island. You can either get the ferry from Uig to Tarbert, Ullapool to Stornoway or you can fly into Stornoway. If you arrive on the island by foot there is public transport from Stornaway to Tarbet.

Upon booking you will be provided with a questionnaire to fill out which is a requirement of attending. I will also provide a recommended kit list and what to bring.

I run these workshops mainly focused on sunrise and sunset with breaks in the day. However, if the weather is good we may be out for prolonged periods. We take a completely flexible approach and I will inform you on a day by day basis. If the weather is poor for example we may also leave sunrise but spend more time out at the coast in the day. Post-processing can be done in the cottage either during periods of bad weather or in the evening.

I run relaxed workshops that require flexibility. With the Scottish weather, plans can often change and I will advise on a day-by-day basis what we are to do. I aim to take you out and show you how I would work as if I was there on my own. 

Throughout the week we will look at basic techniques such as focusing, using a tripod, use of filters vs exposure blending, composition, working with the light and much more. We will also look at more advanced techniques as the week progresses and there will be plenty of processing sessions where we can showcase our images (if you’re comfortable) to each other.

This course has been listed as easy difficulty but please read the itinerary closely below. Most locations are less than 15 minutes from the car. If you have any health concerns, please contact me for advice prior to booking. Please also check out the photo gallery and video below so you can see some of the locations we will be visiting and what to expect from your experience.

Itinerary:

Below is a rough itinerary to give you an idea of what the trip entails. We are likely to change the order depending on the weather and light. We essentially aim to do sunrise and sunset every day but if the weather is dictates, we may be out in the day for longer.

Day 1: Meet around 13:00 at Tarbert to go onwards to Luskentyre for sunset. We will do a quick meet and greet with everyone before heading down to the coast. This is a nice relaxed day where I will get a chance to know you, teach you some of the basics and play with filters.

Day 2: Sunrise at Manish overlooking the old post office and many lochs. Photograph Scarista Beach before heading to Scarista Salt Flats for sunset.

Day 3: Sunrise at Callanish Stone Circle. Sunset at Huisinis beach.

Day 4: Sunrise on the Golden Road photographing on of the many lochs. Sunset at the stunning and dramatic Mangersta Sea Stacks.

Day 5: Sunrise at Reif Beach and sunset at Stac a’ Phris.

Day 6: Sunrise at the local beach before checking out at 10am.

We will also likely tag on some other costal locations before the sunset spot each day depending where we end up. If the weather is overcast we could spend more time in the day shooting.

The itinerary is subject to change, usually due to weather and more suitable locations may be scouted in these instances.

There is a £400 non-refundable booking fee required to secure your place with the balance due no later than 8-weeks before the start of the workshop.