Images in Shetland - Full Story

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7 DAY residential holiday

For photographers of all abilities Location holiday, offering ‘one to one’ tuition as required.

Covering any areas of your photography in need of improvement, Shetland at its very best for birds, sea mammals, wildflowers and landscapes

A nature photographers dream.

While we will look at how cameras and computers work together, the main emphasis

Of this tour will be on how to get the best picture from your camera out in the field.

 

 

 

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Day One – Saturday

Welcome dinner at the Orca Country Inn, in Hoswick.

A relaxed evening to bring the members of the group together for discussions on Orientation and the itinerary for the week ahead

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Day Two – Sunday

Sumburgh Head The morning will be spent at the RSPB Bird Reserve at Sumburgh Head, where the spectacular cliffs provide the backdrop for some of Shetland’s largest colonies of Puffin, Guillemot, Shag and Fulmar, while Gannets sail by on the breeze.

Puffins return to their burrows just feet from your lens. Great and Arctic Skua, the pirates of the air, cause mayhem as they mob other seabirds. Darting around close by will be Shetland Wren (unique to the isles) and Twite, amongst others.

In the afternoon we will photograph the stunning landscape of South Mainland.

 

 

 

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Day 3 Monday

Fetlar We will need a very early start for our day trip to the “Garden of Shetland”, the island of Fetlar where 95 per cent of the UK’s Red Necked Phalarope breed.

These attractive birds offer an outstanding photographic opportunity as they quietly go about their business sometimes within a few feet of the camera.

Fetlar is home to another RSPB Bird Reserve and has many other species, including Dunlin, Whimbrel and Red Throated Diver.

 

 

 

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Day Four – Tuesday

Mousa The uninhabited isle of Mousa, its incredible 2000 year old Pictish Broch, an Iron Age fort standing more than 40 feet tall , home to a thriving population of Storm Petrels.

We travel there in the morning by private boat charter to take in one of the UK’s best sites for seeing Harbour Porpoise, Common Seals and, with luck, Killer Whales. Surrounded by Arctic and Great Skua, Eider Duck, Oystercatcher, Shetland Wren and Black Guillemot.

We’ll spend the late afternoon viewing our work, before returning to Mousa later that evening for the thousands of Storm Petrels that live in the Broch and its surrounding walls.

Be prepared for a breath taking sight, which will also require us to master our flash photography

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Day 5 Noss

The small Island of Noss, with 150,000 breeding seabirds,one of the largest seabird colonies in the world, that gives this place the apt nick name of Bird Island.

Giving us with one of the most awe inspiring experiences you will ever encounter.

The spectacular 600 feet high cliffs, home to 45,000 Guillemots, 12,000 Gannets, 2,000 Razorbills and hundreds of Puffins.

Our boat trip will take us closer than you would imagine to the cliffs seabird colonies.

Experience the Gannets world, as thousands of birds surround the boat.

The afternoon , we will photograph other birds, sea mammals and wild flowers of the south mainland.

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Day Six – Thursday

Landscapes , Moorland Birds and Wildflowers. We will spend the whole day savouring some of the best sea views in the whole of Britain, enjoying a variety of landscapes while taking in the surprising range of wildflowers and moorland birdlife.

You will be amazed at the surprises Shetland has in store, from the rugged, alpine conditions to the yellow sands of St Ninians Isle, the finest Tombolo in Europe.

The whole countryside is brought to life with the vivid colours from the hundreds of species of wild flower that carpet the earth here, and the quick movements of moorland birds including Dunlin, Lapwing, Curlew and Golden Plover.

 

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Day Seven – Friday Yell and Unst

Shetland’s two most northerly isles have some of the most exhilarating experiences of all, but it takes an early start and two ferry trips to enjoy them.

At the Keen of Hamar National Nature Reserve we will see some of Britain’s rarest flowers surviving on the lunar landscape surface which exists on this unique serpentine environment.

Species include Northern Rock Cress, Norwegian Sandwort and rarest of all, Edmonston’s Chickweed, found by a 12 year old boy in 1837 who went on to become a well known botanist.

The rest of the day will be spent at Britain’s most northerly point.

The world famous National Nature Reserve at Hermaness.

Another extraordinary breeding site for Gannet, Puffin, Guillemot, Razorbill and the second largest colony of Great Skua in the world…who like to show off their aerial skills and make their presence felt.

The views at Hermaness with 100,000 birds and the backdrop of the stacks of Muckle Flugga and Out Stack provide an unforgettable finale to our photographic journey.

 

 

 

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Day Eight – Saturday

Farewell breakfast and then departure.

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Techniques & Guidance