OLD Great Wilderness with Joe Cornish
Key Information
Dates:
24 May - 29 May 2023
Duration:
5 days
Accomodation:
tents
Physicality:
hard
Group Size:
6 clients
Price:
£1500 (£500 Deposit)
This workshop is fully booked. Please sign up to the mailing list or email me.
What to Expect
Joe Cornish is rightly regarded as on of the UK’s most significant landscape photographers. His body of work spans decades and he has published a host of books, perhaps most famously ‘First Light’ and ‘Scotland’s Mountains’. He is best known for finely crafted and often complex compositions which, combined with an understated editing style, make his work readily identifiable.
Joe continues to be an inspiration of mine and in 2021 I invited him on a trip to Fisherfield. I learnt an enormous amount on this trip (yes, I'm still learning!) and I know Joe greatly enjoyed the opportunity to take photographs in such a magical place (in fact I have never seen someone take so many photos!!). It seemed natural to plan a trip together with the aim of producing the best possible mountain photography workshop. This trip is a rare opportunity to learn from Joe in a wild setting that few landscape photographers will ever visit. In fact this is the only workshop of it's kind that Joe has ever run!
The Great Wilderness is one of my favourite areas to photograph in Scotland. It combines two things that I love the most - remoteness and spectacular landscapes. During the trip we'll be camping high on summits for at least 2 nights, weather permitting. Our focus will be on A'Mhaighdean with its sweeping 360 degree summit views. I have explored this area extensively now and I have a range of great locations we can visit to make the most of the conditions that are presented to us. This trip is 5 days and 5 nights long wtih just 6 clients. We'll spend 4 nights camping in the mountains and the final evening in the comfort of the Kinlochewe Hotel to celebrate and look through our images!
Itinerary
We won't be providing a specific itinerary for this trip it will be adapted to suit the weather and the progress of the group. We will almost certainly start and finish in Poolewe but aside from that we will take it as it comes. The photos you see are all highly representative of what we will hope to photograph, but with the exception of A'Mhaighdean, the summits we choose may be different!
One of Joe's images from an area we will probably camp in on the first night.
Tuition
Joe and I will be on hand at all times. Although we hope to take our own images our priority will always be teaching. Usually I find a mix of abilities on my trips which works very well with advanced photographers able to shoot with total freedom and beginners getting the help they require. Whilst there is a lot to learn whilst actively taking photos, our time hiking will allow us to discuss many of the concepts that surround photography and it's these discussions that I personally now find the most beneficial. There will be just 6 clients and this should allow for plenty of 1-to-1 time.
Fitness And Experience
You do not need prior mountain experience for this trip however you must be mountain fit! This is not like Joe's other workshops! You will need to be able to carry a 20kg backpack up a 1000m mountain and then repeat it. However, we will be taking our time and your ability to complete the hike is largely reliant on a good attitude and as well as the necessary baseline fitness! My Youtube videos from summer 2020/21 show a group from mid 20s to mid 60s, male and female, so there is no particular barrier, as long as you can get up those mountains!
Equipment
A complete PDF kitlist is provided well in advance so you can be confident you have everything you need. I can provide high-end lightweight camping equipment perfectly suited for the trip. This includes Terra Nova Quasar tents (shared), Tarptent Scarp 1 tents (solo), Rab Neutrino 400 sleeping bags and NeoAir Xtherm sleeping mats. If however you would prefer to use your own sleeping kit, or bring your own tent then you are welcome to. Aside from camping equipment which is provided, you will need suitable outdoor clothing, walking boots a rucksack and a number of other items.
Meeting and Leaving
We will meet on the Wednesday at Poolewe at 10.30am. I will be doing an early pickup (8.30am) for anyone that requires it from Inverness. Those driving themselves might want to find accomodation the night before in Gairloch or Poolewe.
On Sunday we walk out of the mountains and take a short drive to Kinlochewe Hotel. The trip concludes on Monday morning after breakfast at the hotel and I will drive anyone that requires a lift back to Inverness.
Additional Expenses
The trip does not include food, drink or personal insurance.
One of Joe's complex compositions. I have to confess I came away with nothing from this sunset!
Price And Booking
This workshop is priced at £1470 - £1520 dependent on your room on the final night with a £500 deposit required to book your place. The remaining £1000 is due 2 months before the workshop starts.
Rooms allocated on a first come first serve basis.
£1470: Room 1 Single room, Ensuite | Room 2, Single room, Ensuite
£1490: Room 3, Twin room, Ensuite
£1500: Room 4, Double room, Ensuite
£1520: Room 5, King, Ensuite with Bath, Mountain View | Room 6, King, Ensuite with Bath, Mountain View
This workshop is fully booked. Please sign up to the mailing list or drop me an email.
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