PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP ISLAY ISLAY TRIP OVERVIEW DATES 23 - 28 April 2019 STARTS/FINISHES Glasgow DURATION 5 nights / 6 days COMFORT Classic LOCATION Islay TRIP GRADING Easy PRICE £1975 Spend six days developing your photography skills in the company of Colin Prior Private en-suite accommodation at the comfortable Port Charlotte Hotel Dusk and dawn photography in some of the most iconic locations in the Hebrides Tutorials and critique sessions with individual feedback on each participants work Workshop restricted to nine clients plus Colin and assistant TRIP DETAILS There’s a charm about Islay that captivates – perhaps it’s about the diversity of the interface between land and sea which changes dramatically around the island. Perhaps it’s the richness and abundance of its wildlife, which makes me recall my childhood, every time I’m there, or perhaps it’s just ‘Ileach time’ – a pace that is more in keeping with the natural rhythms of the Hebridean island. All I can say is, that the more I visit Islay, the more I appreciate its hidden depths. We are based at the Port Charlotte Hotel located in the conservation village of Port Charlotte on a beach-side location with stunning sea views to Loch Indaal. The hotel is recommended in Michelin and Good Food Guides and is highly rated in the Best of Scotland Guide and holds a ‘Taste our Best’ Certificate awarded by Visit Scotland. ISLAY TRIP DETAILS WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THIS PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP Five nights accommodation in the comfortable Port Charlotte Hotel. Each client will have private accommodation with en-suite facilities. Breakfast, packed lunches and evening meals are included throughout. Personal tuition, critique sessions and tutorials. All transport (including ferries) during the trip, starting and finishing in Glasgow. GRADING: EASY Easy straightforward hiking generally over good trails with no major ascents. The days are fairly leisurely and we spend about 5-6 hours outdoors. The terrain is mainly on paths or hill trails which may be muddy underfoot in places. Daily walks are mainly glens or coastal hikes with some ascents up to 450m (1500ft). TRIP ITINERARY Below is a typical itinerary, which inevitably will change to take advantage of the optimum weather conditions each day. An up to date forecast will be studied and the most suitable location chosen for that day. Day 1 - Glasgow, Kennacraig, Islay Day 4 – Machir Bay and Jura Colin will meet you at 0900 within Glasgow Central An early rise to shoot over the white sands of Machir Station in front of Burger King. After the group has Bay, followed by breakfast. We will then drive north to assembled we will drive to Kennacraig to catch the ferry Port Askaig and cross the Sound of Islay by ferry to Jura. to Islay which departs at 1300, arriving at 1505. We will During the day we will explore Jura’s coastline, shooting continue our journey to the Port Charlotte Hotel where at several locations, including Craighouse’s coastline we will check in and head out to our first location. and Lowlandman’s Bay, before returning to Islay for dinner. Day 2 – Saligo Bay, and The Oa Day 5 – Lower Killeyan and Beinn Mhor An early morning rise to capture the sunrise at Saligo Bay where marram grass dunes overlook the Atlantic. Dominated by cliffs and sea stacks, the bay at Lower Return for breakfast at the hotel, after which we will Killeyan forms an amphitheatre overlooking Loch Indaal drive to the Oa peninsula, situated in the south of the and Port Charlotte on the far side of the loch. The south- island. The cliffs afford great views in all direction – west coast of The Oa is home to a wide variety of birds, north to Eileanan Mora and Loch Indaal and east to which includes golden eagle, peregrine falcon and hen Beinn Mhor and Port an Eas. harrier. We explore Beinn Mhor’s quartzite summit which stand 202m above Port nan Gallan. Day 3 - Loch Gruinart and Sanaigmore Bay Day 6 – Port Askaig, Kennacraig and Today we drive north, towards Loch Gruinart where Glasgow expansive white sand beaches are rivalled only by those on Harris. When the tide is low, myriad shades of After checking out, we will drive to Port Askaig and turquoise and blue can be seen in the water. At the end board the ferry which departs for Kennacraig at 0945 of the peninsula, Ardnave Point, lies beyond marram and arrives at 1150, which should put us comfortably grass dunes and overlooks Nave Island. The area is an back in Glasgow for 1500 where the workshop will RSPB Reserve and is rich in all kinds of bird life, conclude. particularly wildfowl and waders. After an early dinner, we will reposition for sunset at Sanaigmore Bay. MORE INFORMATION GETTING THERE TRIP PRICING This trip starts and finishes in Glasgow. For train The trip price is £1975 per person. Group size is limited timetables, costs and reservations follow these links: to nine clients and this ensures that Colin can give a one- to-one tuition and a critique sessions. www.firstscotrail.com www.thetrainline.com www.seat61.com THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE: MEETING INSTRUCTIONS Transport to and from the workshop start/end points Colin will meet you at 0900 within Glasgow Central Travel insurance and personal equipment Station in front of Burger King. At the end of the Meals not mentioned in the itinerary workshop on Sunday, we will return you to Glasgow Alcohol and soft drinks, laundry Central Station at 1500. Gratuities Any other items not mentioned as included RECOMMENDED PERSONAL EQUIPMENT The ability to respond to Scotland’s changeable weather with appropriate clothing will enhance your enjoyment. The key is to bring comfortable clothing, which will maintain your body temperature under a variety of weather conditions. If you are at all susceptible to the cold, a down jacket or a similarly insulated jacket is the most effective way to keep warm and can quickly change your mental outlook. Lightweight boots ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD Waterproof jacket and trousers Hat for sun protection or warmth Based at the Port Charlotte Hotel, all clients will have a private room with en-suite facilities. Dinner will either Casual clothes for evening wear be in the hotel, in Yan's Kitchen or Peatzeria in Bowmore Personal wash kit and these will be pre-booked before our arrival in Islay. Optional: sunglasses, sunscreen, and lip salve This will allow us to adopt a more flexible approach for sunset after dinner. Clients are responsible for their own Head torch meals aboard the Calmac ferry. PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT The information below is intended only as a guide to help you get the most from your experience. Cameras – Camera equipment is very much a personal choice and is dependent on individual preference, budget, and experience. Whether you shoot with a 35mm DSLR or a mirror-less system is unimportant. What is important, however, is that you are familiar with your camera’s layout and menu structure and the difference between shooting modes. An understanding of the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO is essential. Camera bag – bring a camera bag that allows you to Filters – The most commonly used filters in digital comfortably carry your equipment over rugged terrain. photography are graduated neutral density filters. These Backpacks distribute the weight between your differ from neutral density filters in that they allow you shoulders and hips making walking much easier than a to control luminosity locally. They come in a variety of bag with a shoulder strap and are normally weather- densities and gradations but in my experience, the most proofed. useful are a 0.6 soft and 0.6 hard. Several brands of ‘grads’ are available but by far the best is manufactured Tripod – the ideal tripod needs to be light enough to by Lee Filters. They also offer a professional filter holder carry comfortably but sufficiently robust to be used in which allows the gradation to be moved within the winds. A tripod engenders a more contemplative holder, relative to the scene. A polarising filter is useful approach to the photography and allows the use of for removing reflections from water and increasing slower shutters speeds. A wide range of models are contrast and saturation. Many photographers favour available from Manfrotto and Gitzo and for more Lee’s range of ‘Big Stopper’ filters which create motion advanced photographers, carbon fibre tripods offer a blur in water and clouds by significantly increasing lighter weight solution but essentially do the same job exposure times. as those made from aluminum. Backup and storage – Ensure that you have adequate Lenses – like cameras, these come down to personal memory cards and a means of backing up your work, choice and will be determined by the type of subject either on a laptop, iPad or supplementary hard drive. matter normally pursued. Many photographers choose Bringing your own laptop will allow you to see what you two zoom lenses; a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm, have shot each day and will facilitate critique sessions. which will account for 90-95% of the images taken with only two lenses. Another popular combination is 24- Remote release – essential to eradicate camera shake 105mm and 100-400mm. Some photographers prefer to when the camera is mounted on a tripod. work with prime lenses which offer improved Spare batteries – cold will adversely affect battery life performance at their respective focal lengths however, so make sure you have extras. it usually means carrying more weight. If exploring the intimate landscape interests you, then a 90/100mm Lens cloth – useful for removing rain or sea spray.