Skye Photography Workshop May 26 - June 1, 2019 Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK Dear Friends and Colleagues, Over the years many of us have remained connected via common interests, including photography. Through my workshops, many of you have also experienced the rewards and challenges of photographing the landscape. Ten years ago, after falling in love with Scotland in 2008 and especially the Isle of Skye, Catherine and I were fortunate to take up part time residence on Skye. The island is a most amazing place! Ranked as one of the most beautiful locations in Scotland - perfect for star gazing and northern lights, rugged coastlines, constantly changing light and weather – Skye is really a photographer’s paradise. For a taste of what you will find on Skye, watch the YouTube video promoting the island as a movie location. click here To view some of my images made over the past few years, click here. In the spirit of past workshops, I will be conducting a photography workshop on Skye from May 26 – June 1, 2019 focusing solely on photographing the landscape. Photographers of all photographic skill level are welcome – no one has too little or too much experience to attend. I will provide photographic guidance during each outing, and evenings will be spent processing the day’s images using Adobe® Lightroom and reviewing your photographs. No worries about your Lightroom skill level either! Our “base of operations” will be the Hallaig Guest House, a modern bed and breakfast on northeastern Skye and owned by our good friends, Willy and Betty Campbell. We will have the entire B&B to ourselves for the week. Skye is a somewhat remote destination. The Hallaig House, with views towards the Quirang mountain range, provides gracious surroundings equipped with WIFI. No fast food is available and traditional hotels are approximately 20 miles away in the capital city of Portree. Nor are there typical tourist attractions… instead you will find spectacular sea views, craggy mountains, clouds and mist and rainbows, panoramic pastureland and whitewashed croft houses… every turn in the road leads to a new visual adventure! The cost of the workshop of $4275.00, which includes your lodging for the entire week, three meals each day, photographic instruction and transportation to all photographic sites. Attendance is limited to 4 participants. A deposit of $1,500 will secure your place. To register for the workshop, click here Our registration/cancellation policies are listed below. Hopefully I have piqued your interest in joining me on the beautiful Isle of Skye! Attached is a PDF with more details, and as always please feel free to contact with questions me or for more information. Best regards, Mark [email protected] 404-386-5676 2 Based on our small group and this being an international location with upfront fees, the workshop payment and cancellation policies are as follows: Workshop registration is $4275.00. The registration fee covers your accommodations Sunday night - Saturday morning, meals (full Scottish breakfast M-S, box lunch M-F and dinner Sun-F) as well as photo instruction & transportation to all photo locations on Skye during the workshop. The registration fee does not include any camera equipment, airfare to Scotland, or transportation to Skye from other points in Scotland/UK. Signups prior to February 15, 2019 require a deposit of $1,500.00 to hold your spot. The remaining balance of $2775.00 will be due no later than February 15, 2019. Signups on or after February 15, 2019 require payment in full of $4275.00. Cancellations prior to February 15, 2019: Your deposit less a $500.00 cancellation fee will be refunded. Additionally, PayPal may deduct a processing fee from any refund based on how long PayPal has held the payment. Cancellations after February 15, 2019: No refunds unless the workshop is sold out at the time of cancellation and your spot can be filled with someone from our waiting list. If we are able to fill your spot with someone else, your registration less the cancellation fee of $500.00 will be refunded. Additionally, PayPal may deduct a processing fee from any refund based on how long PayPal has held the payment. Please do not make any travel arrangements until the workshop is sold out and I give you the go ahead. If the workshop were to be cancelled you will receive a full refund, and no cancellation fee would apply. However, the workshop will not be responsible for any nonrefundable travel plans or other expenses incurred by any attendee. Cancellation fees are not transferable and no refunds are made for unused or missed portions or services of a workshop/trip for any reason whatsoever. You must notify us in writing of your withdrawal and cancellation. PayPal may deduct a processing fee from any refund based on how long PayPal has held the payment. All notifications must be made via email to: [email protected] Isle of Skye Workshop May 26 – June 1, 2019 Looking forward to seeing you in May and sharing the beauty of the Isle of Skye! TRANSPORTATION Flying from the US: You will have a choice of flying into either Glasgow or Edinburgh International airports. Drive time (approximately 5 hours) is the same from either airport. One third of the drive from Edinburgh will be on a major highway while the entire drive from Glasgow will be on two lane country roads. The more scenic drive is from Glasgow although all of Scotland is beautiful. We need four registrants signed up for the workshop to be a “go". DO NOT book your airfare until you get the go ahead from me. Rental Cars: Both airports feature rental cars from the major companies. Most US car insurance companies do not cover you while driving internationally. Almost all rental cars in the UK are manual shift. In fact, when you rent online, many times there aren’t any options to choose an automatic. I have been given an automatic on a few occasions but when I have asked for one at the rental counter it has increased the rental price by a factor of two. As attendees register, I will start an email list so attendees can coordinate flights in and sharing rental cars, if desired. If you do share a car and each of you plans on driving, the rental company will assess a “second driver” charge. Driving in Scotland: For those of you from the US, in the UK the steering wheel is on the right side of the car and you drive on the left side of the road. Roundabouts are used extensively in Scotland and are probably the one thing it took me a while to get familiar with. Not only are you driving on the opposite side of the road, but you are merging clockwise into a roundabout with from two to five exits. You must use your GPS!! GPS: A GPS loaded with UK maps and voice directions is essential. Most addresses in Scotland do not have a street number but use a postcode as their main address. Single-Track Roads: Once you get to the Isle of Skye (or other rural parts of Scotland), you will encounter single-track roads. These are one-lane roads that accommodate two-way traffic. When you meet a car coming toward you, one car pulls over into what is called a "passing place" on the side of the road. If the closest passing place is on the left, you pull over. If the passing place is on the right, they pull over and let you pass by. Many times a car will pull over and flash their lights signaling they want you to drive on by. For more information on driving these roads, check out this link: http://www.scotlandinfo.eu/driving-single-track-roads-in-scotland/ Transportation During the Workshop: I will be providing transportation and we will go as a group to our photographic sites each day. ACCOMODATIONS Hallaig Guest House 7 Marishadder, Staffin Isle of Skye IV51 9JG Hallaig Guest House is set in a stunning location two miles outside the village of Staffin on the Trotternish Peninsula on the north end of Skye. The Hallaig Guest House is a private B&B run by our best friends on Skye, Betty and Willie Campbell. We will have use of all four bedrooms in the B&B for the week in addition to their living and dining rooms. This will give us the opportunity to work on images together and immerse ourselves in photography. The rooms all have an en suite bathroom with shower. There is free Wi-Fi access throughout the house but don't expect the speed we are accustomed to in the US. Rooms will be assigned after you register on a first come basis. There are two rooms with Queen beds, one with a double bed and one with twin beds. An additional lodging and meal fee of $375 will be charged for any guests of attendees. Schedule: We will meet at 7:00PM on Sunday, May 26th at the Hallaig Guest House for an opening reception and dinner. There will also be a closing reception and dinner on Friday evening, May 31st. A detailed schedule for the week will be distributed once you arrive on Skye. FOOD / MEALS Meals: Meals are included with the workshop for all attendees Sunday night through Saturday morning. We will have a traditional Scottish cooked breakfast each morning and a box lunch to take with us while we are photographing. Snacks and drinks will also be provided during the day as we photograph.