Scotland – A Photographer’s Guide by Bill Lockhart

Priced at $30.00

This is an ebook in PDF format. It contains 102 pages of information of interest to any photographer who wants to visit Scotland. The book discusses regions of Scotland, locations for photography, how to get there, and where to stay. Included are recommendations for clothing, equipment, and detailed travel planning.

This is an invaluable resource for someone who wants to go to Scotland and has no idea where to begin.

The book is illustrated with dozens of photographs.

Well worth one’s investment, share the experience of someone who has been to Scotland 14 times and knows the country in great detail.

I have recently begun a new venture, offering bird of prey photography workshops in the beautiful Shropshire countryside near my home in the UK. The first one took place in June and was a great success and another follows in August. It was a pleasure combining my teaching experience and photography knowledge to help the participants make the most of the experience, with skills levels varying from total beginner to experienced nature photographers.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the benefits of attending workshops where the subjects are captive birds.

Wildlife photography is a skill that takes many years to acquire. Not only does it require a huge amount of patience and time but also field crafts. You need to know your camera inside out so when fleeting moments present themselves you can respond intuitively. However,  actually being in the right place at the right time is the real challenge and to do that you need to understand your subject.

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Well run workshops will focus on photography technique and also the bird themselves. Their natural habitat will be considered alongside their behaviour. A huge amount of useful information can be acquired which can allow participants to seek out wild subjects.

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Learning how your camera and lenses can be used effectively to “nail” a good shot is fundamental. Being able to spend a day experimenting with different lenses, depths of fields and speeds has been for me in the past a huge confidence booster for the times I have been out in the field with “real” subjects.

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Flight shots are a real challenge, especially in the poor light we often get in the UK. Knowing how to wind up your ISO to the limit that is acceptable for your camera is something that all nature photographers must know.

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Panning to maintain a bird in frame is yet another skill that needs repetition.

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Learning how the background changes the impact of an image and knowing which f/stop keeps the full bird in focus can be practiced as a hundred images can be taken of one bird as you swap camera settings and lenses.

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The skills learnt can be applied endlessly in the future. Participants may go away and more confidently seek wild subjects, be more able to shoot subjects in their back yards or maybe be better prepared for the safari they always wanted to go on. Before I went skiing I went on the dry ski slopes so when I hit the real stuff I stood a chance of enjoying the experience more – this is how I view these workshop, a chance to hit the ground running when the opportunities arise without falling on your butt and cursing lack of preparation.

In addition it is always good to meet other photographers and see how different people approach a subject. In my workshop we share images after the event and that is a big learning experience and people can stay in touch so new friends are made.

For more information about my workshops email me at Barnabys@btinternet.com or visit my website here.

Artist’s Website

Herman Čater was born in Celje, Slovenia in 1941. He studied English and English literature. After his studies he worked as an English teacher and later as an Adviser for foreign languages for the Educational Board of Slovenia until his retirement in 1991.

In 1985 he contracted viral meningitis that resulted in paralysis of the upper part of the body. When he came out of coma, he was not able to eat, speak, breath. They told him he will be never able to rise his hands. But he managed to recover so well, that he can fly a paraglider again. He became an instructor for flying and shiatsu teacher. He described his experience about his recovery in the book Do not give up your dreams, which was presented in all medical magazines in Slovenia.

The paralysis influenced his life a lot, but photography played a very important role in his recovery.

His father showed him how to use a camera when he was a little boy. He became known by his landscape photographs in Slovenia and abroad, but his collection “Forgotten” attracted the most attention. In the three two years he was the best author on many FIAP salons, like on Grand Tour Delle Colline, Italy – four gold medals, Abu Dhabi – gold medal and grand prix, Cyprus – gold medal, 7400 photographers from 114 countries, Merit award and In Spotlight in Black&White magazine in USA, medal in Tokio, nomination in World Photographic Art magazine. Photographic Association of Slovenia gave him MF FZS and FIAP got him EFIAP last year.

He had his own photo exhibitions in Slovenia and other countries: Italy, Austria, USA, Germany, Croatia, Sibiria, Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

He runs photo workshops in his own country and abroad: Croatia, Emirates. Last year he was invited by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to have one in Khobar.

He also works with school children and helps their photo clubs in Slovenia.

He has published the following photo books:

The touch of the light – landscape photos
Sibiria – between Hantymansisk and Surgut
Portrait of a photographer
Town Žalec – with Jure Kravanaja
Town Maribor– with Jure Kravanja

In 2006 he established Photo club SVIT with his photo friends which became the best Slovene club and also noticed on FIAP salons as one of the best clubs in the world.

Photographs Courtesy of Herman Čater, Copyright © 2011, All Rights Reserved

Forgotten

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In the mountains in the middle of nowhere, a full hour’s walk from the nearest village, I met a man, 80 years old, living alone. His name was Stanko.

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He was kind and invited me into the house. The house was more than 200 years old. I was shocked when I saw the inside and could not believe somebody could live like this in Europe in the 21st century. The walls were yellow, green and black. There was barely any furniture, just a few pots here and there, an old clock that did not work and some photos taken many decades ago on the wall. The windows were small. What little light they afforded served only to emphasize the house’s sparse contents.

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It is a sad story. I learned that he had nine children, but nobody would take care of him. His wife died long ago. He had little money and would spend all on cigarettes and wine. Yet living alone like this in the country made him happy. He had some land and sheep. I was visiting him frequently and we become friends.

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The winter of 2008-2009 was very harsh. Lacking a heater and unable to light a fire, he died of cold. I felt a deep sorrow when I  learned that he had died.

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I still remember his eyes. They were like mirrors. Through them you could see the pain suffered by so many. His portraits really move me. Yet they show how life must have been for many even a century ago.

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To me, Stanko seemed to embody all old and poor people. When one sees these images, many questions arise. One day, we will become old. Who knows how will we die. Alone? Poor? Sick?  What is the point of living?

My friend, the old man, died. One of his sons inherited the house. He has started to preserve his old home.

Photographing Stanko and listening to his stories was a great experience for me. It forced me to intensively think about what matters in life. The collection is also a sociological study. It invites the viewer to think about it.

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Photo Travel Review Magazine recognizes Herman Čater for his unique and poignant portraits, among the best we have found in the world.  His work includes landscapes and reflect his love of the mountains of Slovenia. Please visite his website to see more of his work.

Bill used a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of a wave through a gateway. Thanks to Team Member Melanie M for teaching Bill how to do it.

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The “Take A View” competition is recognized as among the foremost photographic competitions in the world with tens of thousands of entries of which very few are chosen for the “Commended” Award.  Claire’s photography will be on display in London at the National Theater, later this year, and will be featured in a book published by the competition.

The British Publication Telegraph has featured her image.

Congratulations to Claire Carter for her superb work.