Forests and Lochs Guided Landscape Photography Day in the Cairngorms National Park
Available All Year Round
Prices
1-1 tuition £200 per day
1-2 tuition £300 per day (for you and a friend)
The Cairngorms National Park has some of the last remnants of the lost Caledonian Forest, which once covered the majority of the highlands in Scot’s Pine trees with a mixture of Birch, Alder and Oak thrown in as well. The old forest had a blanket of vegetation, mainly Heather, Bilberry, Juniper and Cowberry (Lingon berry for those in Scandinavia) which supported the varied animal life, including those rare Scottish specialists: the Capercaillie and Crested Tit.
However, when shipbuilding was at its prime during the British Empire large areas of Scotland was deforested. Luckily the Cairngorms is one of the few places where the forest managed to avoid the axe and through programmes of conservation the forest is growing again!
This unique habitat is a brilliant resource for photography and if you are visiting Scotland then I highly recommend taking a stroll through the woodland. As well as this unique habitat, the glacial movement during the last ice age carved the land into the mountainous region we have today and as the glaciers melted they created large depressions, forming outstanding lakes or lochs, which are consistently topped up by the rain.
For this photography day we will take the time to enjoy these features of Scotland and the Cairngorms National Park. We will head to various locations throughout the immediate area of Aviemore.
This experience is titled Forests and Lochs but we will consistently have views of the mountains, and more than likely we shall explore along some rivers as well.
Forests and Lochs can be an easy day where we only walk a few hundred metres from the car or it can be a bit more difficult with a hike of a couple miles, depending on what you would like to do, what you are able to do, and where I think we should go based on the weather conditions on the given day.
As with most things we are a little weather dependent but we should be able to find something to photograph whatever the weather! This is Scotland so we are unlikely not to have rain at some point during the day!
The day normally begins at 09:00 in the morning and I will collect you from your accommodation, we will have a chat as we drive to our first location, which will most likely be Loch Morlich as it is fairly easy to get to and we want to get some pictures before the families start to arrive.
After that we can determine were to go to next based on what we talked about on the journey to the Loch and while we were there, and what the weather is doing. We will come up with a plan of action for the day and we will be out on locations until sunset, which will hopefully be bright with colours!
After sunset I will drive you back to your accommodation and you should have a few good pictures to take home. In the summer months this tour may start a little later than 09:00 because sunset is not until 22:00 and it will be too long for the both of us! In general we are aiming for about 10-11 hours of photography, including time for lunch and travel.
In the car there will be a box of fresh fruit and a box of chocolate bars, and some hot water to make hot drinks, such as coffee, tea or hot chocolate. You are welcome to help yourself and we will take regular breaks.
You will need to bring your own packed lunch for the day, but if you are unable to bring a lunch we can stop at a supermarket or shop for you to buy your lunch for the day.
Depending on your level of photography, I can give you as much tuition as you desire. If there are some things of which you are a bit unsure, please do not hesitate to ask me about them.
I am there to help you achieve what you want out of photography.
I will show you some tips and tricks that I have been using when taking pictures, and we will look over composition and finding the subject in the landscape.
That being said, if you know what you are doing and only need some help finding locations then I am sure you will enjoy a day of photography in Scotland.
We will talk about some techniques that I use when exploring the forest, such as Intentional Camera Movement and slow exposures to create abstract images. We will talk about optimum weather for forest photography and ways we can plan photography days out to try and maximise our opportunities in the field.
Payment will be taken at the time of booking via bank transfer or Stripe to secure your dates
Fitness Level
As mentioned above this day can be as difficult or easy as you wish, in general the locations I recommend are only a few hundred metres from the car and on level ground without steep hilly areas. If you are able to walk further, then we will be able to get to some more unique locations.
What’s Included
Photography Tuition
Transport throughout the day
Water, hot drinks and snacks
Possible Locations We Will Visit:
Loch Morlich
Loch Garten
Abernethy Forest
Rothiemurchus Forest
Glenfeshie
Lochan Uaine and Glenmore Forest
Loch Alvie
River Spey
And many more!
What’s NOT Included
Equipment Rental - unfortunately I don’t have equipment such as cameras, lenses or filters to lend you for the day and you will be required to provide your own
Lunch - please don’t forget to bring a packed lunch for the day, I would recommend bringing a little extra than you normally would as it is a long day
Recommended Equipment
The links below are affiliate links to amazon.co.uk this means that if you make a purchase, amazon will pay me a small commission, this does not affect the price for you but it helps to support my work and it means amazon earn less too!
DSLR/4:3/Mirrorless Camera (a camera of some description, I use a Canon 1DX mark II and can recommend the Canon 5d mark IV also)
Wide angle lens (such as Canon 17-40mm f4 or Canon 16-35mm f2.8)
Medium telephoto lens (such as Canon 24-105mm f4 or Canon 24-70mm f2.8)
Long telephoto lens (such as Canon 70-200mm f2.8)
Filter set including a polariser (such as the Lee Landscape Photography Kit)
Tripod (such as 3 Legged Thing Winston Tripod)
Waterproof jacket and trousers (such as Berghaus Deluge Trousers and Jacket)
Warm clothes, hat and gloves
Don’t forget your Lunch!
Please familiarise yourself with the Health and Safety Policy regarding Guided Photography days and in particular the Risk Assessment for your chosen activity. By booking a guided session, you agree to the Terms and Conditions set out in the booking form.
