Lewis and Harris: Reflections
Just under a two years ago I did my first residential photography trip, a trip to Eigg with Mc2 Photography. (You can read some thoughts on that trip here). Since then I’ve done a few of these trips and very much enjoyed every one of them. The last was a trip to the Hebridean islands of Harris and Lewis and, a week after getting back, I thought I’d reflect on the experience.
The trip was another one organised through Mc2 Photography. Our hosts for the trip were James McCormick, Nick Hanson and Ruth Taylor, all of whom offered excellent company and advice. The trip was made, however, by a great group of photographers who were happy to share stories, advice and more than a few giggles along the way. Thanks are due to all…
The Mc2 Experience
The Isles of Harris and Lewis almost certainly need no introduction to anyone with an interest in landscape photography or Scottish culture. A popular holiday destination for many, with a history that pre-dates the pyramids (it’s estimated that there’s been settlements on the island for about 8,000 years) it offers a rich and varied terrain and culture.
Traigh Bheag (Small Beach) around sunset. It’s simple shot made by the location, the colours and the movement of the waves…
Fujifilm X-T5 | 16mm f/5.0 1.5s ISO125
So, given that it’s hardly a hidden gem, why book an organised trip? This was the question posed to me by James over dinner one night and, paraphrasing, I think there are broadly three reasons to go down this route: education, exploration and experience.
Education is probably the easiest of the three to understand. It’s also the least important on a trip such as this one. (That said, Mc2 do offer tuition, including the highly rated Big Workshop, on other trips). As James noted, all on the trip knew how to operate the machinery and were competent photographers, so instruction isn’t foremost. That said, there are plenty of tips, suggestions and ideas on tap, but if learning how to use your camera is your priority this isn’t the most cost effective route.
Location is possibly a more compelling reason to book an organised holiday. It’s certainly true that all of the locations will have been explored well in advance of a client booking, along with thoughts on what works in different weather conditions and times of the day. But, in the main, most of the locations are known and some research ahead of any trip on tourist websites, 500px, Instagram, Flickr, Location Scout and the like will give most folk a good idea of the best venues and conditions. Which isn’t to say that the team didn’t have a couple of hidden gems up their sleeve (they did), but again if location hunting is your aim, then there are other, cheaper alternatives.
Which leaves experience, and this is where the type of holiday offered by Mc2 really earns its keep. The whole experience is about much more than the photography; it's about spending time in a special place, in good company with great food, drink and a space to relax. We stayed in a nineteenth century hunting lodge set in its own estate. Food (in seemingly ever increasing portions) was all home cooked by the resident staff (thank you Mairi, Mina, Morag, Kristina and Donna) and there was space and time to relax with the rest of the group.
Driving also isn’t an issue. We had plenty of space in the two minibuses and took turns in each van. I didn’t need to worry about directions, timings, single track roads or parking thanks to the preparation and skill of Ruth, James and Nick. Just be at the cars on time and everything else is taken care of - it’s really a very relaxing way of taking in the islands. The team are there to take care of the heavy lifting…
Of course, it’s a photography trip and your companions are all (in the main) photographers. The chat revolves around photography, which is fine, but can meander a little from there. Everyone on the trip understands that art can’t be hurried and the importance of just hanging on a little bit longer in case the light changes…
But it’s not intense, get the shot at any cost photography. And if you just want to sit and watch the sun set at Uig Bay, then that’s also fine. Just put the camera on tripod, sit down and enjoy the show…
Overall I had a brilliant week - relaxing, good fun and a few half decent images to boot. Thanks to Ruth, James and Nick for making it happen. Thanks also to Fraser, Noshi, Mike, Mark, John, Pat, Steve and Gemma for making it even better.
The Highlights
There’s only really one place to start when thinking about the highlights of the trip, and that’s the Calanais Standing Stones and, in particular, the stones on the Monday night with the Aurora Borealis kicking off in the background. This was my first real attempt at anything related to astrophotography and it turned out it’s actually quite hard. Getting the colours of the aurora is fine; it’s getting anything else sharp that’s the real challenge. I’d like to think I did the scene some justice.
Aurora Borealis, Calanais.
Fujifilm X-T5 | 21mm f/4.0 5s ISO2500
However, it would be unfair to suggest that this was the only feature of the week. I’m not sure it’s even my favourite image from the week (a couple of the seascapes appeal a little more and there’s probably a print from the Pentland Road coming). There’s so much to see and point a camera at on the islands, and so many scenes that would work well at different times and in different conditions. It’s definitely a location that would reward multiple visits…
The Islands also have some interest for wildlife photographers. We did see both otters and eagles, but neither was close enough to get a lens on. There were, however, coos. Lots of coos…
The weather on the whole was a mixed bag. If you’d been there for a family holiday, it would have been fabulous - dry, the occasional bit of sunshine and calm. Photographers are a greedy bunch, though, and a bit of stormy weather would have gone down a treat, especially at the stacks at Mangersta. However, you can only photograph what’s there and hopefully I’ve done the islands some justice.
I did think that the calmer sea suited the arch at Stac a’ Phris, where we were on the final evening, much better. The image captured here as the sun dipped behind the clouds as the sun was setting is, I think, one of my favourites from the week.
Sunset, Stac a’ Phris
Fujifilm X-T5 | 16mm f/13 0.6s ISO125
Overall I had a great time. I feel lucky to have experienced the beauty of the landscape and the warmth of the people in excellent company. Highly recommended!
