In August 2024 I took the plunge and enrolled on a residential photography workshop.
I had experienced a great deal of disappointment the previous year when, due to unexpected and devastating news, I had been forced to cancel a long awaited, and longed for, retreat on the Outer Hebrides. So, the decision to book this workshop was not taken lightly.
The workshop was to be based near to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands and would involve a 6 night stay away from home. A daunting and challenging prospect for me as an anxious introvert! However the advertised itinerary was too tempting to resist, so I faced my fears and anxieties about the travel and a week in the company of strangers, and made the commitment to myself to give it a go.
On 6th October 2024 , I left my home in Cumbria and drove the 285 miles to Inverness.
It was a Sunday arrival, with the official workshop due to start on the following Monday morning. So, it was a lovely surprise when, after initial introductions, Mali, the workshop leader, offered us the opportunity to take part in an ‘icebreaker’ photography session at a local woodland, just 10 minutes drive away. It was the perfect strategy on Mali’s part as it helped to ease my concerns and apprehensions regarding the social interactions of the week ahead with the added bonus of visiting a woodland that was absolutely beautiful and will long be remembered.
Day 1 – 7.10.24
The day was billed as Loch Maree. But, it was so much more!
It cannot be underestimated how enjoyable and rewarding it is to photograph on the shores of Loch Maree, and we were given plenty of time to do just that. But, in my opinion, it’s not until you take to the footpaths of the Beinn Eighe Nature Reserve and walk amongst the plentiful, ancient trees, with glimpses of the mountain waterfalls and panoramic views of Slioch and it’s neighbours, that you can fully appreciate the majesty and magnificence that is on offer.
Day 2 – 8.10.24
Day two’s itinerary had been a major deciding factor for my enrollment and I had previsualised my images from Mellon Udrigle weeks in advance. All the best laid plans…….
What had been intended as a brief comfort stop at Corrieshalloch Gorge turned into half a day shoot, with major implications for the rest of the day. However, I don’t have any regrets about our time spent there. It was filled with fun and laughter and I made some of my favourite images from the day at this location.
My regrets from day 2 come from the choices I made on arrival at Mellon Udrigle. My aim here had been to make a series of images using intentional camera movement. Instead FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) took over, I followed the rest of the group and consequently I feel no connection to my images from here.
The final stop however was an entirely different experience for me. Mali was keen to take us to view an exhibition of work by the artist Alison Dunlop, which was on display at the Gairloch Museum. It was great to view Alison’s work first hand, but it was then wonderful to be able to stand at the coast with my camera and to feel completely absorbed, while making images I really care about.
A perfect end to a day of landscape photography.
Day 3 – 9.10.25
I’ve hiked on the Coulin Estate a number of times, but never had the luxury of time to spend on my photography.
Mali’s patience, vision and guidance helped me to develop and refine my skills regarding woodland photography and several hours were spent along the first 1.5 miles of estate track. It was with great reluctance when it came to time to leave!
Day 4 – 10.10.24
Loch Insh was the only location on the week’s itinerary that I’d never before visited. I had purposefully not done any research on it so that I would be coming to it with fresh eyes and unimpaired expectations.
After a short spell on the loch shore, where I experimented with some abstract and multiple exposure techniques, we entered the surrounding woodland. For the second time this week, despite Mali’s usually infectious enthusiasm, I was having difficulty connecting with the environment. However, by distancing myself a little from the group I found it gave me the opportunity to develop my own relationship without their influences and distractions. I soon found my flow and made a number of images that I’m very fond of.
There had been some speculation amongst the group whether we would have the opportunity to see the Aurora at some point during the week as we were quite far north and in an area of dark skies.
Despite the frequent Aurora alerts we were doubtful this evening, as the weather was unfortunately rather inclement. We were therefore taken by surprise when one of our party excitedly announced she had seen some activity in the skies outside our accommodation (thanks Pamela ♥). A hectic half hour ensued, between rain showers, when we collaborated, sharing camera settings and sightings, and tried to capture our own images as another memory jerker of a fabulous week.
Day 5 – 11.10.24
When I had seen that the last day of the proposed itinerary was to be spent in Inverness visiting galleries and doing some street photography I was far from enthusiastic about the prospect. However, when it came to it, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the experience. It’s not a genre of photography that I will naturally lean towards, but I learnt alot from watching Mali work and the time in Inverness helped me to discover areas of street photography that I would like to explore further.
It was apt that we finished our time out in the field by revisiting the local woodland where we had started our week’s adventure.
What a place!
It was with a heavy heart when I loaded my bags on Saturday morning and had to say my farewells.
Being out in the landscape is where I have long found alimentation for my soul and the week had provided an abundance in that regard. However, I don’t think the sustenance would have been anything like as complete without the presence of the other lovely humans that I shared the experience with. During our last meal together someone asked us to sum up the week with a word. I think at the time I said ‘immersive’. As I write this now a number of other words come to mind and they all relate to the people I was lucky enough to have met that week: Kindness, Friendship, Inspiration, Humour. Thank you Mali, Lynne, Gary and Pamela 🙂