The Last Photography Workshop After 8 Years | Isle of Harris
After 8 years and 24 photography workshops, I’m running my final two on the Isle of Harris this February. More details at the very end of this post.
Isle of Harris Long Exposure Seascape Workshop with Lesley Lintott & Margaret Soraya
February 9th–15th, 2027 · £1350
Outer Hebrides Photography Workshop, with Margaret Soraya and Adele & Max Warner Tate
February 23rd–March 1st, 2027 · £1350
In 2018, after 14 years as a full-time wedding photographer, photographing remote landscapes and seascapes for the love of it, I decided to see if I could make it work as a business and here is how I started. I have added lots of images for those precious memories that will always be there. I ran my first-ever workshop as a trial at the beautiful Oran Na Mara in Harris and was let down the night before it began by the caterers. It was a learning curve right from the start, but Chris from Flavour stepped in one night with a fabulous in-house dining treat and Hotel Hebrides for the other evenings. The light was gorgeous, the people were fabulous, and I got a lovely write-up in the Sunday Times Travel Magazine that kick-started things. However, I am unsure why they used a picture from St Kilda in their article to this day!
I then wrote to Paul Sanders asking him to collaborate, and he said yes, thankfully. So we ran our first workshop at Lews Castle in Stornoway, with stunning apartments, space for private dining and access to the incredible landscapes all around Lewis. We continued working together for the next two years, running workshops in Glencoe, Orkney, Loch Ness and Lewis, with so many memorable moments. Maybe Orkney stood out with its incredible light and Orkney “weather.”
A few of the group shots that I found today whilst looking through workshop images include the most lovely small group on Harris, Penny, Soo and Jack, who I still speak to and see to this day. The famous March group in Harris whern we stayed at Otter and Corncrake lodges at Scarista beach. This group still chats on WhatsApp and has met up most years and remained friends since. And the Islay group, a one-off trip to Islay and Jura and some of the most remote and quiet landscapes I have ever witnessed.
Talking of Islay, if I had to choose one memory from all those years, it would have to be on Islay when we had a forecast of clear skies and possibly the Milky Way. The group were tired and not so enthusiastic about going outdoors again after a long day already. But Colin was; he had wanted to capture the Milky Way for many years, so I said we would just go the two of us then. I had spent time on Islay before, so I had already weighed up possible locations, and this was a very random place, but I suspected it would work, so we set out. We navigated the dark, tricky logistics and angles and then sat back and watched the stunning night skies appear quietly.
Night skies are rarely possible due to rain and cloud cover, but there have been occasions when I have managed to get the group out to see them in Harris.
But most of all, my partnership with Lesley Lintott has been the most rewarding and beautiful. She has helped me organise and figure out locations, poured over maps and weather apps, and watched over groups on some of the most dramatic and wild weather we have ever seen. Most memorable in Orkney, where February can be brutal but beautiful. We had some mad dashes back to the vans amidst hailstorms that literally hurt as we ran and stood on edges of cliffs together as the sky turned steely grey and ominous. She taught in her gentle, encouraging and relatable way all about ICM and using mobile phones in a truly impressive yet fun and low-key way. Maybe that is in tune with her own personality. A truly gifted teacher, and I am grateful she will teach alongside me in February.
And finally there is something about being together through it all, sandstorms, hail, rain, beautiful calm early mornings and the drama that winter on the islands brings with it. We would come together in either a drenched mess, glad for some warm food indoors in cafes together, or in awe of what was in front of us.
And so, onto my last two photography workshops after hitting the approx. count this morning of 24 photography workshops. I am always loath to say I am giving something up, because life changes and things swing around, and I know that. But for now, I have decided not to run photography workshops anymore. I think life is cyclical and always changing, and what we need from life is different at any given time. I have loved my trips, and most of all loved the people I have got to know the way through Scotland’s most stunning areas. I am grateful to those who came along multiple times, as it shows me I was doing something right all along, and my only wish is to give people an incredible time filled with friendship, creative support, inspiration and fabulous places.
You can join me on these two last workshops on the Isle of Harris:
JOIN ME
Isle of Harris Long Exposure Seascape Workshop with Lesley Lintott & Margaret Soraya
February 9th–15th, 2027 · £1350
My own final workshop, led together with Lesley Lintott, who is joining me one last time. A small group, slow-paced days around the coastline, concentrating on capturing the seas in an artistic way, whether that is long exposures or ICM, big cameras or phones. You can even join just to experience the island. We will spend cosy time in my Galerie or the hotel with creative chats and 1-2-1s if you need, plus editing work and advice when appropriate. What we do really well is respond to you as a group and what you need, and make sure everyone is happy and as warm as needed. There is usually cake involved….
Outer Hebrides Photography Workshop, with Margaret Soraya and Adele & Max Warner Tate
February 23rd–March 1st, 2027 · £1350
A week on Harris with three working photographers, Adele, Max and myself, focused on the Atlantic coastline and the extraordinary winter light the islands are known for. We will spend time in both Harris and Lewis exploring some fabulous locations and using both our galleries as a base. Between us, we know the island inside and out!