PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP THE FAR NORTH THE FAR NORTH TRIP OVERVIEW DATES 13-18 September 2019 STARTS/FINISHES Inverness DURATION 5 nights / 6 days COMFORT Classic LOCATION Sutherland/Assynt TRIP GRADING Easy PRICE £1899 Spend six days developing your photography skills in the company of Colin Prior Private en-suite accommodation at the Eddradchilles Hotel Dusk and dawn photography in some of the most iconic locations One to-one tuition, tutorials and a group critique session with individual feedback on each participant’s work Workshop restricted to eight clients plus Colin and assistant TRIP DETAILS Great heather slopes; grassy gulleys opening on glimmering lochs like tiny oceans, with rocky headlands and bays and solitary trees; near crests against the sky and far away elegant outlines of Foinaven and Arkle; life starting away from the feet, mosses, a strange flower, a bird that disappears before one quite sees it, a peace until this very moment was unimaginable; a remoteness, a wildness, a curious quality inspiring something akin to tranquillity. Our base at the Eddrachilles Hotel, gives us access to some of the wildest landscapes, bays and beaches in Scotland. As one travels northwards, the Torridonian sandstone, gives way to quartzite and then to limestone at Durness – a transition reflected in character of the landscape itself. Single-track roads wind their way between Ben Stack, Foinaven and Arkle, or across vast moorlands with views towards Ben Loyal. In contrast, the north coast, backed by sandy beaches and sheltered coves is seen in myriad colours. HARRIS TRIP DETAILS WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THIS PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP Five nights accommodation in the comfortable Edrachilles Hotel. Each client will have private accommodation with en-suite facilities. Breakfast, packed lunches and dinner are included throughout. One to one tuition, tutorials and a group critique session. All transport (including ferries) during the trip, starting and finishing in Inverness. 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. TRIP ITINERARY The order of the itinerary will be subject to change and based on the weather forecast each day. Day 1 beyond Enard Bay. Alternatively, the bay with its white coral sands and rocky inlets offers an alternative Inverness, Dundonnell and Scourie location for those who prefer seascapes. After lunch we Colin will meet you underneath the main display board will head to Stac Pollaidh where we will ascend the in the arrival hall at Inverness Railway Station at 0830 western path to photograph it’s northern aspects in the on Friday morning. Inverness is a small station so it will late afternoon. be easy to identify Colin. On the final day of the Day 4 workshop, we will return you to Inverness Railway Station at 1500, allowing clients to connect with the rail Loch Arkle, Loch Loyal and Kyle of Tongue services south. Today we drive south-east from Laxford Bridge where After the group has assembled at Inverness Station, we Foinaven and Arkle dominate the Reay Forest. We’ll will head north for Dundonnell and An Teallach where explore around the lochs on their lower slopes then we’ll spend the morning. We’ll continue north via continue along Loch Shin to Lairg where we will head Ullapool stopping at a variety of locations in the Coigach north to Loch Loyal and Ben Loyal - considered by many and Assynt landscape, to arrive at the Eddrachilles Hotel to be the perfect Scottish mountain. From the village of around 1700. Tongue, we will return following the coastal road back to our hotel. Day 2 Day 5 Oldshoremore and Cape Wrath Handa Island and Assynt Lying between moorland and sea, Oldshoremore has one of the largest and least disturbed areas of machair A short boat trip from Scourie will take us to Handa on the mainland. Rich in lime, the shell-sand grassland Island where during the summer months over 100,000 supports a wide variety of wildflowers, which include seabirds breed on the Torridonian sandstone sea cliffs. heath harebells, bluebells and spotted orchids whilst We’ll explore the island during the morning and in the providing ideal habitat of birds such as the skylark, twite afternoon head south to Lochinver taking the coastal and oystercatcher. Following Oldshoremore, we will route through the Assynt landscape, stopping to head north to visit Cape Wrath, where the Lighthouse photograph Suilven. If the weather is favourable, we will built by Robert Stevenson in 1828, stands on the most reposition for sunset near Lochinver. north-westerly tip of the Scottish mainland. We cross the Day 6 Kyle of Durness by ferry boat and then travel twelve Point of Stoer miles by minibus along a track to the lighthouse. Having checked out from our Hotel, we will drive to the Day 3 Stoer Head Lighthouse. We’ll follow the high ground Achnahaird Bay and Stac Pollaidh which affords some superb views back across the sea to Lying in the heart of Coigach, Achnahaid Bay affords isolate the lighthouse on the cliff top. We’ll depart at panoramic views to the mountains of Assynt. As we 1230 to arrive at Inverness around 1500 where the follow the cliffs up to a high point, Suilven, Cul Mor, Stac workshop will conclude. Pollaidh and Ben Mor Coigach rise from the moorland MORE INFORMATION GETTING THERE TRIP PRICING This trip starts and finishes in Inverness. For train The trip price is £1899 per person. Group size is limited timetables, costs and reservations follow these links: to eight 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 underneath the main display board Travel insurance and personal equipment in the arrivals hall at Inverness Railway Station at 0830 Meals not mentioned in the itinerary on Friday. At the end of the workshop on Wednesday, we Alcohol and soft drinks, laundry will return you to Inverness Railway 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 Eddrachalles Hotel, all clients will have a private room with en-suite facilities. A full breakfast and Casual clothes for evening wear dinner are included in the price as well as a packed Personal wash kit lunch which is provided each day. Optional: sunglasses, sunscreen, and lip salve Head torch 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.