PHOTORAPHY WORKSHOP ASSYNT AND COIGACH ASSYNT TRIP OVERVIEW DATES 1 - 5 May 2019 STARTS/FINISHES Inverness DURATION 4 nights/5 days COMFORT Classic LOCATION Ullapool TRIP GRADING Easy PRICE £1450 Spend five days developing your photography skills with Colin Prior Private en-suite accommodation at Ardvreck House Enjoy fresh local cuisine at the Ceilidh Place in Ullapool Circumambulation of Stac Pollaidh with views to Suilven and Cul Mor Tutorials and critique sessions with individual feedback on each participants work Workshop restricted to nine clients plus Colin and assistant TRIP DETAILS The particular feature about the mountains in this north-western world is their individuality. The most famous lie north, such as the jagged Quinag and the ancient mass of Ben More Assynt, with Canisp and Suilven beyond Inchnadamph. Suilven is a remarkable mountain, and anyone with a taste for geology could spend a few days here in a dream of Lewiswian gneiss, Cambrian quartzite and Torridonian sandstone. Our base at Arvreck House is a perfect base to access these landscapes and throughout the workshop, there will be opportunities to shoot at dusk, if conditions are favourable. Otherwise, we set off after breakfast for our chosen location – a journey that normally takes around one hour. If conditions dictate, we have the option of eating early and heading out to a location for sunset. During the course of the workshop, there will be tutorials and a group critique session. ASSYNT TRIP DETAILS WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THIS PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP Four nights accommodation in at Ardvreck House 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 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 6-8 hours outdoors. 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 The order of the itinerary below is likely to change to optimise locations to the weather conditions each day and a decision will be made in the evening when the most up to date forecasts are available. Day 1 - Inverness, Torridon, Ullapool Day 3 - Stac Pollaidh Colin will meet you underneath the main display board Following breakfast, we will circumambulate Stac in the arrival hall at Inverness Railway Station at 0830 Pollaidh. A well-maintained footpath winds its way on Wednesday morning. Inverness is a small station so up the eastern side and takes around one hour to reach it will be easy to identify Colin. On the final day of the our first location. Views from the eastern top over Loch workshop, we will return you to Inverness Railway Sionascaig to Suilven and Cul Mor are spectacular and Station at 1500, allowing clients to connect with the rail it is, without a doubt, one of the best locations from services south. which to experience the Assynt landscape. We will continue around to the northern face where large After the group has met, we will head for Torridon where Torridonian boulders create a dramatic backdrop for the we will spend the morning in Glen Torridon. After lunch, afternoon light. we will drive to Loch Maree where we will have the opportunity to photograph Slioch from a variety of locations. We will depart around 1530 for Ullapool Day 4 - Achnahaird Bay, Garvie Bay following the coast road via Gairloch and Poolewe, After breakfast, we depart for Achnahaird Bay where we arriving at our Ardvrek House around 1730. will follow a path along the cliff-tops overlooking Enard Bay. Here the views across the sea towards the Assynt Day 2 - Clachtoll, Lochinver, Point of Stoer mountains create a spectacular backdrop – Suilven, Cul Mor, Stac Pollaidh and Ben Mor Coigach punctuate the Today we will drive north to Clachtoll where the white horizon with their enigmatic shapes. After lunch, we will sandy bay gives way to a rocky foreshore. The beach is take a moorland walk to Garvie Bay where a variety of partially composed of beautiful boulders composed of photographic opportunities await. Torridonian sandstone and Lewisian gneiss – the building block of the north-west Highlands. After lunch, we will head for Stoer Head Lighthouse and take a short Day 5 - Dundonnell walk across the moorland, which gives superb aspects On our final morning, we will ascend a high point, which back towards the lighthouse and the cliffs. If weather gives unbroken views towards An Teallach. The well- permits, we will continue on to the Old Man of Stoer. On wooded area has stands of mature trees, which our return we will stop at a high-point which overlooks eventually give way and the An Teallach Massif is the mountains of Assynt and Coigach - Canisp, Suilven, revealed in its entirety. A 1300 departure will facilitate Cul Mor, Cul Beag, Stac Pollaidh and Ben Mor Coigach an arrival at Inverness Station around 1500 where the can all be seen linearly on the horizon. workshop will conclude. MORE INFORMATION GETTING THERE THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE This trip starts and finishes in Inverness. Transport to and from the workshop start/end points For train time-tables, costs and reservations refer to Travel insurance and personal equipment these websites: Meals not mentioned in the itinerary www.firstscotrail.com Alcohol and soft drinks, laundry www.thetrainline.com Gratuities www.seat61.com Any other items not mentioned as included MEETING INSTRUCTIONS RECOMMENDED PERSONAL EQUIPMENT Colin will meet you underneath the main display board in the arrivals hall at Inverness Railway Station at 0830 The ability to respond to Scotland’s changeable weather on Wednesday. At the end of the workshop on Sunday, with appropriate clothing will enhance your enjoyment. we will return you to Inverness Railway Station at 1500. 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 ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD cold, a down jacket or a similarly insulated jacket is the Ardvreck House is modern, spacious property with a most effective way to keep warm and can quickly change large lounge area and affords great views to An Teallach, your mental outlook. across Loch Broom. Bedrooms are located on the upper level and each guest will have private accommodation Lightweight boots with en-suite facilities. Dinner is at The Ceilidh Place Waterproof jacket and trousers where the best seasonal produce from the Highlands is served. The restaurant has a ‘Fairtrade’ status and a Hat for sun protection or warmth policy of buying the best of local produce too. The Casual clothes for evening wear restaurant offers an excellent choice of wines, beers and Personal wash kit whiskies. Optional: sunglasses, sunscreen, and lip salve TRIP PRICING The trip price is £1450 per person. Group size is a maximum of ten clients and this ensures that Colin can give a personal tuition and a critique session. 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 Macro lens can be ideal. comfortably carry your equipment over rugged terrain. Filters – The most commonly used filters in digital Backpacks distribute the weight between your shoulders photography are graduated neutral density filters. These and hips making walking much easier than a bag with a differ from neutral density filters in that they allow you shoulder strap and are normally protected from wind to control luminosity locally. They come in a variety of and rain. densities and gradations but in my experience, the most Tripod - the ideal tripod needs to be light enough to useful is a 0.6 soft and 0.6 hard. Several brands of ‘grads’ carry comfortably but sufficiently robust to be used in are available but by far the best is manufactured by Lee winds. A tripod engenders a more contemplative Filters. They also offer a professional filter holder which approach to the photography and allows the use of allows the gradation to be moved within the holder, slower shutters speeds. A wide range of models are relative to the scene. A polarising filter is useful for available from Manfrotto and Gitzo and for more removing reflections from water and increasing advanced photographers, carbon fibre tripods offer a contrast. Many photographers favour Lee’s ‘Big Stopper’ lighter weight solution but essentially do the same job which transforms water and clouds into amorphous as those made from aluminum. forms by increasing the exposure by 10 stops. Lenses – like cameras, these come down to personal Backup and storage – Ensure that you have adequate choice and will be determined by the type of subject memory cards and a means of backing up your work, matter normally pursued. Many photographers choose either on a laptop, iPad or supplementary hard drive. two zoom lenses; a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm, Bringing your own laptop will allow you to see what you which will account for 90-95% of the images taken with have shot each day and will facilitate critique sessions.