Being Here Now
The Art & Practice of Travel PhotographyTM




Hebrides, Scotland
United Kingdom

Photo & Travel Workshop
In the Footsteps of Paul Strand

June 6-13, 2017 (tentative)


Photography "has little to do with the things you see
and everything to do with the way you see them." – Elliott Erwitt




Walk the ephemeral, darkening mists of space and time in Scotland's Outer Hebrides to view, and then photograph, the incredible array of neolithic stone monuments scattered across this island chain.

Scotland is blessed with more stone circles, liths and prehistoric monuments than any other 'country' in Europe and we will be traveling there to experience them. Join other like-minded photographers as we ramble among the island ruins of Lewis, Harris and The Uists - with few tourists to block our sight lines! Then, snuggle in at eventide in the Harris Hotel (Harris) and the Lochboisdale Hotel (South Uist) with a glass of your favorite beverage as you discuss and review your day's work!

This Workshop & Tour is open to photographers who desire to hone both their skills in developing style and capturing content, all in the beautiful and mysterious islands off Scotland's coast preferably using Fuji X or Leica M digital cameras. Both of these systems are well suited to the classic image-making activity we will be practicing: “street portraiture” and “street photography”* as well as the practice of capturing static objects like buildings and monuments.


Our tour is linked to coincide with April's full moon to take advantage of the possibility of night photography at several sites as well as shooting the northern lights should they make their expected appearance.


*******

In the summer of 1954, photographer Paul Strand and his wife Hazel spent three months living in the Hebrides, a small chain of islands off the northwest coast of Scotland. Strand's aim was to document a last remaining fragment of traditional Gaelic crofting and fishing culture, and to explore and illustrate the complex interrelationship between the land, the people, their homes and work, and the long and rich history of the area.

My journey to these islands in May, June and July of 2004 marked the fiftieth anniversary of Strand's own trip to the islands, and was both an homage to Strand’s work, and an exploration of the continuing experiences of the islanders in maintaining their traditional way of life in the 21st century. I wanted to document the changes the culture and landscape have undergone, while illustrating that which has endured or even flourished over the years.

Residing in the same historic Victorian-style Lochboisdale Hotel that Strand had used, I set out everyday, braving the relentless cold air and fierce winds from the Atlantic, finding my way into the homes of villagers, clambering into cow and sheep pastures, and hiking down solitary roads and along the coastline.

These islands, inhabited continuously for 5,000 years are sparse, moody and ancient landscapes of rich and subtle beauty. The people are proud of their heritage; reserved, as were their ancestors, yet kindly opened both hearths and hearts, allowing me extraordinary access in recording their way of life.

The seamless web of connections amongst the islanders most affected me while living there. Complex ties of relationships go back many generations, and their memory is long…

In a world that often seems chaotic and lost from its moorings, it was of immense value to observe, reflect upon, and experience traditional ways of life that are all too often lost or devalued by contemporary culture.

                                                                                                  – Joseph Skye Tornick


Add to this experience a great array of neolithic monuments and we have what will be a memorable photo tour. Beginning with the Callanish Stones (or "Callanish I", Clachan Chalanais or Tursachan Chalanais in Scottish Gaelic) we will visit ???? (Harris); ???? (Lewis); ?????North Uist; ?????South Uist



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Photographers' Tour of The Hebrides

Enhancing our experiences of the people and places of the islands will be our visits to the sights of neolithic monuments. Beginning with the Callanish Stones (or "Callanish I", Clachan Chalanais or Tursachan Chalanais in Scottish Gaelic) we will visit Harris, Lewis and North and South Uist*.

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Travelers to the Hebrides Islands do not have to contend with the difficulty of finding views excluding many of the iconic signs of a place having been 'domesticated'. Pure, unspoiled views of incomparable landscapes are the norm.

This Tour and the Photo Walk workshops are about the light and the way you see it. Not necessarily about the unique light of the Hebrides, but light as the over-arching necessity for photography – the science and, more importantly, art, of natural illumination and your individual point of view.

We will encourage participants to choose one fixed (prime) lens for each morning and afternoon walkabout session and stick to that lens for that entire session. Zooms are great tools: you always get a photo of some sort, but they do not always force one to think in the most creative way about the potential photo at hand. With a zoom most photographers begin to shoot by pondering, "Do I want to take this at 28mm or at 50mm?" After this decision you still have the rest of the picture-taking process to figure out. Alternatively, when faced with a picture opportunity, fixed lens at the ready, you will start by thinking, "How can I best frame this image with what I have at hand?" "What angle of view will create the most dynamic photo?" "What f-stop will give me either complete focus through the whole distance or create the bokeh I want to isolate this subject?" You will begin to think about this image before you and only this image instead of thinking, "If this first photo doesn't do the trick I can always zoom in or out to better advantage!" You will begin to practice what might be called the Buddhism of photography.

Just as Buddhism attempts to get one to live in the present, in the now (as that is all we really have; remember, there is no guarantee of a tomorrow for any of us), your picture-making will begin to focus on the image you have in front of you right this moment. The idea is to make the best, most interesting photograph you can with this one chance. Digital has made many of us move this idea to the rear of our consciousness. We know we have hundreds of images to burn freely and forget that it is this one that is the most important image we will ever take – at least until we approach the next shot. Take your time with this photo. There may be instances where you will have to react quickly to get the picture (even though, with time, you may have anticipated it) but just as often you will have extra seconds to do the job right. A 50mm, or wider, fixed lens also gets you into the action (which will show in your point of view) rather than let you stand outside the action, clicking from afar (a distancing that almost always shows in the final photo.)

***********

All modern, as well as many vintage, cameras have the ability to create excellent photographs. And, in the final analysis, viewers of your images (other than other photographers!) won't give a fig whether your tool was a $9000 Leica or a $100 plastic Holga. What they will care about is that your photographs are engaging, emotion-generating, thought-instilling creations. Otherwise, why bother?

While we welcome any DSLR, rangefinder or so-called mirror-less model in this workshop adventure, we are gearing it with the Fuji X camera system and Leica M cameras in mind. These are clean, somewhat pared-down systems without the instrument clutter of most modern DSLRs. More bells and whistles only distract from the task at hand. Really, all we need on our chosen tool is a way to adjust ISO, lens aperture and shutter speed. We used to think all the rest was 'gravy' but, increasingly, many have come to see and understand that this 'gravy' is a system-clogging, artistic distraction from the central focus of our craft. Adding functions should not be confused with increasing functionality.

With the above said, we will still be taking large numbers of shots during our six and a half days on the islands. Not from nowhere do we have the old saying "practice makes perfect".  The great photographers that we all admire paid their dues in time and shooting to get their iconic status. In Malcolm Gladwells' book Outliers he wrote, after studying success in various fields, that about 10,000 hours of actually doing a thing are required before the hard work of practice - paying one's dues so to speak, truly starts paying off. Gladwell found this was true for the 'naturally gifted' as well as those who were... well... more ordinary in their talents. What the research really means is that there are basically no shortcuts to fluency; one must Do The Work.** (What 10,000 hours boils down to is forty hours a week for five years, or twenty hours for ten years, etc.!) And remember, Ansel Adams once said that if he got twelve really good photographs during the course of a year he was happy!

This is a photography workshop, NOT a computer software class. But, while we like to spend as little time as necessary at the computer with our photographs (basic composition is easiest in-camera), some working knowledge of the essential software used in photo post-processing manipulation is really a requirement with today's digital image-making workflow. Accordingly, there are a couple workshops in this Tour where we will teach participants the basics of post-processing digital images with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 (black & white creation and manipulation.) Lightroom and Nik may be downloaded for 30 day trials before you arrive at the Tour. Photoshop is no longer available as a stand-alone program. It can only be purchased as a cloud application for about $10 per month. The monthly subscription also includes Lightroom. However, you may encounter cloud access issues from our workshops because of our remoteness and limited bandwidth availability. If you do not have Photoshop on your laptop not to worry, it will not be a problem. NOTE: If you already have a competence in one or all of these software programs you can go out with a Tour Leader for additional Photo Walks.

 

* Many variable on a tour lead to instances where changes to the schedule are inevitable. While we make every effort to stick to the plan for the day, things can happen to make improvisations with comparable alternatives necessary! Come prepared for the delightfully unexpected and serendipitous. The flexible – and prepared – good photographer takes such events in stride and makes the most of any opportunity.

** I would encourage you to read Gladwell's books as well as Steven Pressfield's Do The Work! Overcome Resistance and get out of your own way.

 

 

 

 

A   Tour Cost

  Total cost, per person, with 4 to 6 paying participants is US$3450.00, double occupancy.

All prices on this site and in any promotional and informational material are listed in US dollars.  Prices while we are on the Tour may be in either US dollars or British Pounds Sterling.

If you have participated in other Tours/Workshops with us you are eligible for a $250 discount on the price of our Hebrides trip!


     Your tour price includes and pays for:

     Double room with en suite bath for 7 nights.

     Photo Walks with a Tour leader(s)

     Classes & Instruction (full schedule here)

     All breakfasts and lunches; 5 of your 7 dinners

     Transfers to/from our arrival/departure airport and our lodging

     Group transport for official Tour activities

     Entrance fees for Tour-included activities

     Pre-Tour instructions to prepare you for the Hebrides and many articles on photography that you are probably not familiar with

 

NOT included in your tour cost is:

–   your airfare from your home base* to the Hebrides

–   airline baggage charges and/or excess weight fees

–   two dinners on the Tour

–   drinks (after the first, included, one) during meals

–   personal outings and entertainment and incidentals (music/dance, gifts, etc.)

–   medical or travel insurance

–   medical expenses incurred before, on, or after the Tour

–   money exchanging fees

–   any optional activites not required by the Tour

–   a single room with en suite bath (single supplement addition for hotel is about $500.00

–   tips for meals and services


–   Do ask about any other items if you have questions.

 

* Always leave sufficient layover time between connecting flights! If you are worried that your time between flights is not enough investigate the possibility of a flight for the day before and stay overnight at a hotel near your departure airport.

 

 

 

 

Wild    Tour Dates – June 6-13, 2017 (tentative)

     Photography near or during the week of a full moon provides night illumination that can be used to great advantage by photographers. Aurora borealis activity will still be at its multi-year peak through 2017 so we will have excellent chances to photograph this phenomenal sky show on the Tour. The Hebrides is probably one of the ten best accessible places to see the northern lights - if the skies are clear!

      Please confer with us before making reservations and paying for any flights or hotels!

      If you wish to extend your stay on either end of the Tour please let us know. If several people want to do this organizing things like transport can ease the cost as Scotland is not an inexpensive destination.

 

    The 2017 Tour will be (tentatively) June 6-13, 2017 2017

 

 

 

 

 

F      Accomodations & Spouses

Our lodgings will be in old hotels along the lochs and coastline of the islands. Room arrangements are based upon double occupancy. Participants coming alone will be teamed (for accommodation purposes) with another photographer as a roommate if there is another suitable participant. If there is no one to team you with you will have to pay the 'single supplement'. If, at your own request, you require a single room you will pay an additional supplement of at least US$500 (The pound is in flux so the rates for exchange vary.)

     We do not encourage non-participant spouses and significant others on this trip as our locations are not noted hotbeds of easily accessed activity for lone travelers. If your possible companion wants a trip where he or she can sit around the hotel and write their memoirs or doesn't mind the expense of auto rental to strike out on their own during the day, then they are welcome! Just be aware they will NOT be accompanying us on our daily outings other than, perhaps, joining us at breakfast and dinner. Prices for accompanying individuals will include the costs of lodging AND the extra costs we incur if they join us for dinner (the meal as well as the additional auto required to transport them. Our van holds only participants and tour leaders. Example: one of the six photographers brings a husband. That necessitates him joining us for dinner via taxi or a rental car. This price will be borne by him/you.)

 

 

 

A      Physical Requirements & Dietary Information

     Level: EASY to MODERATELY ACTIVE

     While there will be ample walking in the cool, possibly wet climate of the islands (a couple hours in the mornings and two to three hours in the afternoons) most of our perambulations will not be difficult and our transport van will always be nearby for those who require a break. Anyone who can get around any city at street level and un-manicured fields with ease should have no problem. If you have ambulatory and/or health issues you MUST let us know!

     Almost all evenings will be free after about 6:00 p.m. for individual exploration – music, dance, bars, etc. Whatever you decide to do in the evenings is fine as long as you are ready for our activities at 9:00 a.m. the next morning! When you are late you hold all your companions up! The Hebrides lie on the UTC, Greenwich Mean Time and uses BST (British Summer Time /British Daylight Time /Daylight Saving Time) from around the end of March until late October. In May and June this puts them 5 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time (which is then on U.S. Daylight Saving Time.)

     We will eat our meals in a variety of very good local restaurants and eateries. If you have any dietary issues or requirements please let us know before you sign up for this Tour.

     Health care in Scotland is first class and an initial hospital emergency visit may be free, even for a non-EU citizen. A consult at a local health center will have a charge and you will be asked to pay. Keep your receipt so that you may ask for reimbursement from your own health insurer. Having read this, however, you might well ask "Who wants to experiment with such a event when on a photo-vacation!" Practical travel prudence, as always, goes a long way. Look where you are walking without the camera to your eye!

     Finally, take whatever regular medications you need with you, in the original, labeled containers.

 

 

 

 

Insurance      Insurance

We require Tour participants have medical insurance that is valid in the country of our tour. Your regular U.S. medical insurance policy may cover you if it is a global policy. Do check with your carrier to find out whether this is the case. If your medical policy will not cover you abroad we can provide information on a carrier whose coverage is very good and whose cost is reasonable. Medical evacuation is a valuable tool in the traveler's kit, as well. Some insurers provide this or it can be purchased as an add-on.

Prudence dictates that you investigate other insurances, too. We do not require travel insurance but, depending on your circumstances and location (a snow belt where airport closures are possible, for example), it may be wise to purchase it. We will not provide refunds to you if you call us and say you are stuck in a snowstorm in Boise and cannot get to the Tour for at least three days! There are many providers of travel insurance so you may wish to consult a travel agent as to one that meets your needs. Before you purchase, read the whole policy; the big print giveth, the fine print taketh away!

If you are coming on our trip with lots of expensive gear think about insuring it. If it is stacked under your Homeowners policy be certain you are covered outside your home country!

Here are some carriers issuing insurance in the areas discussed above. Note we have no affiliation to them nor do we get any kickbacks from them for listing them here. Obviously, we also do not endorse them in a formal way, either. We have used them but never made a claim – the real test of any coverage.

 

 

 

 

 

bb      What to Bring

Good shoes are more important than a good camera.

Comfortable clothes that you can get a bit dirty and that are easy to wash in a sink or shower. The Hebrides can be on the humid side so quick-drying (a relative term) fabrics are best. Wool, of course, is king on the islands so you might want to buy a local product such as a jumper (sweater) or jacket on site. A hat is a good accessory.

Include a circa 35mm – or wider lens in your kit. You will want to get compositions of whole clusters of stones from fairly close-up.

Laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom and Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 installed. If you have other programs that you use and prefer for your workflow let us know. A laptop is not required but will be most helpful. If you do not have all these programs, don't worry about them.

Obviously, any medications you use on a regular basis. Keep them in the original container with the prescription on the label.

Accessories (Plenty of SD/CF cards, cable release, extra batteries, filters, 3-way adapter plug, multi-outlet power strip, power cords, Scotland-compatible plugs, etc.) More on the specifics in our Tour Package Info.

Details on what to bring here.



 

     Who Should Come

The ability to get on well with a group is of crucial importance. This is your photo tour but you are also a member of a group; a group where everyone has a strong personality and an urge to do certain, specific things. Some may want to get more comfortable approaching potential photo subjects on the street or composing architectural shots while others may want to refine their technique and vision. Tour leaders will address your concerns and questions in areas you wish to explore and provide practice tips for you.

This tour is for those photographers who already have good working familiarity with their digital cameras. No basic instruction on cameras or photography is included in this tour.

Most of our time will be spent in taking photographs with a little time spent with the instructors analyzing the results of all that work behind the lens as well as, if required, learning about post-processing.

With only 4 to 6 participants in the tour we will usually stay together as a group but if interests diverge more than can be accomplished under this rule, we may split into two smaller groups for any particular session.

 

 

 

 

Street photography is 99.9% failure. – Alex Webb

 

 

 

 

W      Deposits & Refunds, Cancellations

Within 72 hours after you make your reservation (by telephone, email, facsimile or other means) we require a deposit of $500 per person to hold your place for the Tour. We will send you an invoice for this deposit and then one afterward that includes the payment and your balance due, with the due dates for your other payments. The other payment(s) for your place in the Tour will be due in full 90 days before the start of the Tour.

Your place in the Tour may be cancelled without notice if you have not paid any fees upon their due date.

If you find you cannot go on the Tour after you have made a reservation/payments to us, you can cancel your participation. To do this you must notify us in writing. An email and/or a telephone call concerning your intent to cancel will also be helpful as this is a small group endeavor and your cancellation will affect the whole Tour.

Please read this page carefully as it describes our Cancellation Refund policy in full.

 

 

 

 

Tour Leaders

Josef Skye Tornick and Wilbur Norman will be leading our Tour. Both have many years of experience photographing landscapes and people on the street.

 

 

Josef Skye Tornick's photography has been exhibited by Camera Obscura in Denver, Longmont Museum in Colorado, and is in permanent display at Museum Nan Eilean, South Uist, Hebrides, Scotland. He has won awards at Art of Photography in San Diego and was also chosen for a Portrait exhibition curated by Mary Ellen Mark.

Josef has been featured in LensWork #70, May-June 2007 (Tir a'Mhurain) and Lenswork #86, Jan-Feb 2010 (The Arran Islands of Ireland) and in PDN (Photo Documentary Network about his 2 Apps for the IPad and IPhone – “Magical Celtic Lands,” and “Magical Pony Faire” - available on ITunes.) He has also published portfolios that now reside in the the collections of both collectors and museums.

For this Tour he will be working with the fantastic Fuji X-Pro 2. His work may be seen here

 

 

 

Wilbur Norman is a Santa Fe writer and photographer who studied social anthropology and has worked as a rare book and tribal art dealer. His first camera was his father's Brownie Hawkeye, though he has ‘upgraded’ many times to where he now feels somewhat competent to handle his current image-making tools: the Leica M6 (film), Leica M-P 240 (digital), Fuji X-T1 and, notably, the Fuji X-Pro1 that re-ignited his interest in photography when it was introduced a few years ago. These cameras are all kit chosen because of the fantastic rendering produced by their companion lenses. He is quite partial to black and white whether on film or on digital, except in the tropics where color is (usually!) king.

His work may be viewed here and has been exhibited in Santa Fe, NM, USA; in Havana, Cuba; at The Louvre Museum in Paris; in the Leica Users Group 2014 Yearbook; etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best. – Theodore Isaac Rubin

 

 

 

Tour Schedule

Below is our tentative schedule and itinerary. While we make every effort to stick to the plan, things happen and you, as both a group and as individuals, may ask to vary it.

 

afternoon or early evening, June 5, 2017.

Arrive Stornoway Airport on Lewis

Transfer to Hotel

Check into our rooms

Meet & Greet in the hotel lobby and go to dinner

 

 

DAY 1 –

 

 

Breakfast (included)

Site visit

Lunch (included)

Site visit

Dinner (included)

Evening free

 

 

DAY 2 –

 

Breakfast (included)

EARLY morning photo shoot at

Site visit

Lunch (included)

Site visit

Dinner (included)

Evening free

 

 

DAY 3 –

 

Breakfast (included)

Site visit

Lunch (included)

Monument Photography Conversations

Dinner (included)

Evening free

 

 

DAY 4 –

 

Breakfast (included)

Site visit

Lunch (included)

Site visit

Dinner (included)

Evening ramble under the full moon

 

 

DAY 5 –

 

Breakfast (included)

Site visit

Lunch (included)

Photo critiques

Site visit

Dinner (not included)

Evening free

 

 

DAY 6 –

 

Breakfast (included)

Site visit

Lunch (included)

Site visit

Dinner (not included)

Evening free

 

 

DAY 7 –

 

Breakfast (included)

Site visit

Lunch (included)

Site visit

Dinner (included)

Evening free

 

 

DAY 8 –

 

Breakfast of coffee & sandwich (included)

Transfer to Stornoway Airport for flights home

 

 

 

 

 

Menhir      Events Subject to Change

Travel always involves the unexpected. While we make every effort to stick to the schedule of the day, things can happen to make improvisations with comparable alternatives necessary. Come prepared for the delightfully unexpected and serendipitous. The flexible – and prepared – photog takes such events in stride and makes the most of any opportunity. As we will be a small group, activities may be amended with the consensus of participants.

 

 

 

Dolman      Photo Release / Tour Review

PhotoNeolithic may ask you to submit a few of your photographs from the Tour to use on its web site or in promotional/publicity materials. We will always give attribution for your photographs if and when we use them!

We will ask you to submit a brief blurb on your opinion of the Tour to use on our web site or in promotional/publicity materials. Also, after your return home, we will ask you to fill out a brief questionnaire rating us on the trip – both the good and the bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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