Celebrating Women in Seascape Photography & International Women’s Day
To celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday 8th March, we were asked by PermaJet Professional Inkjet media to write a blog post about our Instagram community, Women in Seascape Photography which you can read below. To celebrate women further they are running a series of ‘In the spotlight’ daily features which provides more information about a selection of women to photographers, designers, tattoo artists and educators. As a PermaJet Brand Ambassador, it was a huge honor to be included in this series. You can find out more about each of the women featured by visiting PermaJet’s Instagram or Facebook pages. They have also recorded a YouTube video with Angela Nicolson, SheClicks founder and some of the ladies from the SheClicks community to explore the importance of their community & its impact on women in the industry which you can watch here
We are also super excited to have been invited by NiSi Filters to present at this years Photography Show at the ExCel in London on Monday 10th March 2025. Our presentation will cover an insight into our coastal photography in the Outer Hebrides and to also highlight and celebrate women in seascape photography. A fantastic opportunity for us to showcase some of the incredible talent shared with us on a daily basis within the women in seascape photography community. Huge thanks to Nisi Filters for the opportunity.
BLOG POST
In October 2024 we created a social media space on Instagram for women in seascape photography. A platform in which women who share the same passion for a specific genre of photography could join together, share their work and engage as a community with the overall aim of encouraging and supporting women in seascape photography.
The idea – We are coastal photographers and feel most at home on a beach or surrounded by rugged coastline. Being inspired by the sea & coast is what motivates us and encourages us to head out on a regular basis with the cameras. The initial idea for women in seascape photography originated in January 2024 shortly after we relocated to the Isle of Lewis. Our relocation to the island was twofold, an aspiration for an improved work life balance and also a desire of creating more time to focus on photography The island has a fantastic creative community and an unspoilt, award-winning coastline. Lewis & Harris captured our hearts and is such an inspiration to us in many ways, most of all our love of seascape photography.
We wanted to create a platform to share our love of the sea & coast. Quite naturally the Isle of Lewis lends itself to “Lets encourage women in seascape” Photography. Photography has provided us with many benefits from improved mental & physical health alongside the enthusiasm to appreciate the coast in all seasons and weather conditions. The coast is ever changing, high or low tide there is always something to photograph from intricate abstracts, long exposures, roaring waves and the stillness of a calm sea at sunset, that’s what makes seascape photography such a fantastic & interesting genre of photography to take part in and why we love to encourage others be involved.
What we do - We encourage women on Instagram to share their photographs inspired by the sea and coast by tagging our account. We encourage a variety of creativity and welcome ICM, Long exposures, abstract, ariel, astro and multiple exposure etc. Each day we select an image to share as our main feature and encourage the community to support the photographer’s work. We also spotlight many other images that have been shared with us to our stories to provide an encouraging platform recognising multiple female photographers on a daily basis.
Why this is important – Unfortunately women in the photography industry are still vastly underrepresented. Community groups showcasing the talent of female photographers is on the rise, there is a growing momentum that we are proud to be part of, the more women who become involved, find a passion for photography and support each other will only help to improve the balance. We have always been supportive of women in photography and have spoken on various podcasts and presented a webinar with SheClicks to encourage others. Raising the visibility of female photographers to showcase their incredible talent is something that we are passionate about and proud to be involved with. It is such an inspiration to us to view the diverse range of incredible talent that is shared with us and a fantastic opportunity to connect with other women from across the world who share the same passion.
We are proud to be supported by PermaJet with this fantastic initiative and feel honored to have the opportunity to give something back to the community by hosting a monthly print challenge. Each month one image that has been featured on our Women In Seascape Photography page, an image that stands out, will be selected as our PermaJet Print of the Month. The image will be professionally printed by PermaJet on their outstanding quality paper and delivered directly. We believe this will further engage our community and inspire them to print their own work.
Our Ethos is paramount to the community, we believe in being open, creative, encouraging, appreciative and nurturing (Ocean) Our values are at the core of what we believe in, welcoming, inspiring, supportive and passionate (Wisp) By creating an environment that encompasses our values and ethos we aim to create an interactive & supportive community for women in seascape photography. Over the next few months we plan on holding a series of webinars where expert knowledge & advice will be shared on topics such as ‘printing your work’ and ‘creative seascape photography’
We welcome you to join our community and encourage creativity in what is such a versatile genre of photography.
Adele & Max
A year in the Outer Hebrides
Merry Christmas, we hope it was filled with fun, family, friends, festive loveliness and hopefully some photography. We appreciate that for some people, Christmas can be a difficult time of year both financially and/or emotionally, missing loved ones at this time of year can be incredibly hard. This year Max and I enjoyed a quiet Christmas unwinding, enjoying a beautiful meal, speaking with family & friends via video call and listening to the wind howling down the chimney :)
Back in November we headed over to the mainland to celebrate Christmas early with the family, it was absolutely wonderful to see everyone together and enjoy good food and one another’s company. The last time we saw everyone together was just before our relocation, over a year ago so the time we spent was very precious. Laying flowers at the cemetery for Mum & Dad was incredibly hard. It felt familiar, warm, loving and sad all at the same time. They would have been so proud of where we are and would have loved the Island.
Our year on the Isle of Lewis has been one of the best years of our lives. As i have previously spoken about in an earlier blog post, the decision to relocate wasn’t an easy one to make, filled with lots of what if’s and uncertainty. It was only 18 months since our last big move from Rossendale to Aberdeenshire and i questioned if we were doing the right thing.
Max had taken early retirement and we had both fallen in love with the Isle of Lewis & Harris during our holidays and adventures here. It was a whirlwind to be honest, every time we visited on holiday we both felt calm, relaxed and experienced a feeling like no other we had before in Scotland. Every time we visited the island, we didn’t want to leave and in September 2023, Max made me ‘pinkie promise’ that we would put our house on the market as soon as we got home from our two & half week adventure touring the Outer Hebrides in our van and relocate…. and who can go back on a pinkie promise….
Image from our holiday to the Isle of Harris in May 2023
And so it began…
It has been a privilege getting to know the island & the community. We have never experienced such hospitality & warmth from some of the most loveliest of people we have ever met. The Island has a real sense of togetherness, respect for one another and meaningful values. Being incredibly fortunate to call the Island home still feels surreal even after 12 months.
The weather, always a topic of conversation anywhere in the UK has been challenging, brilliant, wild & fantastic. Dark, moody, foreboding skies, squally showers, gale force winds, fleeting light, warm sunny blue sky days, overnight clear skies revealing the milky way & northern lights is what makes the island stunning, exceptional & exciting providing many photographic opportunities. Outstanding coastline, white sandy beaches and wildlife are amongst some of the best in the world, so much so that the Outer Hebrides has recently been voted as one of the best places in the world 2025 by National Geographic, the only destination in the UK to receive this award this year.
Dark skies & stunning coastline of the Outer Hebrides
Relocating and choosing a very different way of life has provided us with the luxury of spending time together and that is the biggest positive we could have ever wished for, focusing on what makes us happy is priceless and moving forward as a result in just a bonus.
The end of a year is often a time when people take a moment to reflect on the year that has passed, it has been a mammoth year for us both, highlights of year would definitely include speaking to so many talented and lovely people via our podcast, one in particular stands out… Speaking with Nigel Thomas and hearing about how photography helped him through a very difficult time in his life, improving his mental health…. very inspirational. How he has taken his photography forward and now shares his story with others via presentations & exhibitions is remarkable. Such a lovely, humble guy. Recently creating our Women in Seascape Photography Community on Instagram is something we are also proud of, seeing so many talented female photographers work is a privilege on a daily basis. Other highlights include our Highly Commended images in the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year and towards the latter part of this year becoming a Brand Ambassador for PermaJet. I was immensely proud to have been selected during the application process and am really looking forward to working with them.
The year hasn’t been without it’s lows, for some reason this year i find myself with a couple of issues health wise but as always photography is something that gives us a focus and keeps us heading out with the cameras and that will never change.
Reflecting on my photographic year and looking back over the previous years images, I feel that during 2024 my photography has improved, my thoughts are… if you can visibly see improvement throughout your own work year on year then that is a huge achievement in itself, one to be proud of and celebrate. It’s about small steps, believing in your own capabilities and making time to enjoy photography. Photography means so much to so many people, the most important thing is to enjoy your experience, enjoy the landscape without any pressure of a resulting image. Experiment and be creative.
We have had the opportunity to visit locations repeatedly in different conditions, discovering new places to photograph and practice. Naturally, having the chance to go out more frequently is a significant aspect of improvement, but there are also many occasions when we venture out without capturing any images, and that is also ok. The Island has provided us with numerous benefits, not only the opportunities for photography but also the experience of nature, feelings, emotions, relaxing, and rejuvenating.
Image comparison
This year has also been dedicated to learning, learning more about the Island, learning more about ourselves & developing new skills. We also made the decision to display our work for sale at the local craft fairs, displaying our work for sale to the general public was both scary & exciting. Deciding which images to print, mount & frame was the first challenge, understanding & discovering which images would sell, how to display them and how to price them was the second hurdle. It has been immensely gratifying to chat about our images with others and personally fulfilling to witness someone appreciate the image so much that they wished to purchase it. Getting to know other local creatives via the craft fair has also been amazing, we’d like to give a huge mention to Deb Wilkinson, an immensely, inspirational talented artist and lovely lady you can find her on Facebook here
We now also have our work displayed for sale at Riley’s in Stornoway
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2025
More of the same would be amazing :)
But we do have some exciting news and plans to share with you..
In 2025 we will be launching our first exclusive range of fine art prints, I’m really excited about this and will be of course using the outstanding quality of PermaJet papers.
Super excited to share that we will be supporting Margaret Soraya with the creative light festival here on the Isle of Harris in 2025. There are only a few tickets remaining, if you are interested and would like more information on how to book click here
We will be hosting small group workshops on the Isle of Lewis & Harris in 2025 - Dates to be released soon.
We would love to hold an exhibition here on the island and are in the very early stages of planning this.
Project - We have a fantastic idea for an exciting monthly project in 2025 and have already planned part one for January.
I wanted to finish the blog post with a quote shared recently by my brother….
A dream written down becomes a goal, a goal broken down becomes a plan, a plan backed by actions becomes a reality.
Wishing you all a happy & healthy New Year filled with lots of opportunity
All the very best Adele & Max
Some of our favorite images from 2024 below
Adele
Max
Vallerret Photography Gloves
As outdoor photographers we strive to be creative whilst out in the filed, creating work that we are happy to share to hopefully inspire & encourage others, sharing our experience and story telling via a still frame. We plan locations & travel details, we prepare our camera bags, clean our kit and charge up the batteries in readiness for a few hours of being out in nature, enjoying the peace & tranquility and the anticipation of what we may experience. We spend hundreds if not thousands of pounds on camera equipment which we take care of and look after. Our creativity and enjoyment of the experience is paramount, its why we do what we do. Quite often we’re heading out early in the morning pre sunrise or later in the day after the sun has set to experience the magic of golden hour, blue hour or maybe astro photography. We head out during adverse weather when others choose to stay warm at home. We do this for the love of photography….
Along with planning, preparing and taking care of our camera equipment is also the need to take care of ourselves. Good walking boots and outdoor clothing, appropriate to the conditions we head out in are vital to our experience. We’ve all been in a similar situation where we’ve headed out and the conditions are fantastic, the light is just right and we’re enjoying the the experience in it’s entirety except for one thing…. we’re cold.
Before discovering Vallerret Photography Gloves i tried numerous pairs of gloves in an attempt to stay warm. For me there is nothing worse than feeling lost deep in the photography only to be pulled back from my calm state of mind by the biting cold burning at my hands. There were countless occasions where we cut a photography outing short due to the fact that I’d lost the ability to control my camera, the painful burn no longer bearable and therefore the experience not one that was enjoyable.
WHY WE CHOSE THE TINDEN PHOTOGRPAHY GLOVE
A great pair of gloves is as important as the right pair of walking boots, if the boots are too big, too small, not waterproof etc. it could be enough for you to consider not heading out. That’s why after using Vallerret’s Markhof pair of gloves for around five or six years we both decided to invest in a pair of Deep Winter Tinden Photography Gloves to brave the winter conditions here in the Outer Hebrides.
Vallerret Glove Description - Source - Photography Gloves - Vallerret Photography Gloves
The Tinden glove is equipped with Flip-Tech fingertips, allowing you to expose your thumb and index fingers with ease. This feature gives you the freedom to adjust camera settings, handle small accessories, and use your phone without the need to take off the entire glove. The Tinden is equipped with exceptional Primaloft Gold insulation to keep your hands warm in sub-zero temperatures. The glove also features a luxurious, soft merino wool lining that provides exceptional warmth and comfort. The natural properties of merino wool regulate temperature, keeping your hands cozy in cold conditions while also wicking away moisture. The Tinden features a non-slip grip artwork printed across the fingers to provide superior camera control even in freezing conditions and also comes with a carabiner clip, allowing you to attach your gloves to your camera bag, backpack, or belt loop. Vallerret really have thought about everything, located in the pocket on the back of the hand, is a handy Tripod key which allows you to adjust and secure your tripod with ease, it’s also a great place to add a heat pack for additional extra warmth.
Vallerret Tinden Photography Gloves
WHY WE ALSO LOVE VALLERRET PHOTOGRAPHY GLOVES
Vallerret are proud to support 1% for the planet, Vallerret annually donates 1% of all sales to support environmental non-profit organizations who work hard to create a healthy and vibrant future for our planet.
They also have biodegradable product bags, In partnership with Aquapak their gloves are protected in bags that are water soluble, ocean safe and biodegradable, breaking down harmlessly to non-toxic biomass in soil and sea.
They have also moved away from single use packaging, with every pair of gloves you purchase via their webshop, they provide a convenient glove storage bag made from organic linen.
Vallerret also plant a tree for EVERY product sold.
Every Year, they donate Black Friday Profits to The Norwegian Society for Conservation of Nature (Naturvernforbundet), who works to protect nature and the environment so that human activity does not exceed the tolerance limits of our planet.
You can read more about their commitments to sustainability via their website Sustainability | Vallerret Photography Gloves
SUPPORTING WOMEN IN PHOTOGRAPHY
We are proud to share with you that we have recently teamed up with Vallerret & will be collaborating with them. Firstly a huge thanks to Darren Moorhouse otherwise known as Ginger Captures | West Yorkshire Based Photographer for putting our names forward to Lukas Riedl, a very talented, lovely guy who is part of the Vallerret family.
On 23rd November 2024 Vallerret released a Blog Post titled 15 inspirational female photographers to watch in 2025, the visual image attached with the blog reads “This is what happens when you support women”
The blog is an interesting & inspiration read, one that highlights the under representation of women within the field of photography & film making. What we find refreshing is that Vallerret as a brand chose to raise a spotlight in celebrating females in photography, sharing the blog via their website, Instagram and Facebook pages brought the female photography community closer. It was fantastic to see so many women sharing the post, connecting with each other and supporting the women featured within the article. Very kindly Vallerret asked if they could also share our recent blog post written in October 2024 which explores some of the barriers women in photography face. You can read the blog post here Women in Photography — Warner-Tate Photography
SHIPPING CODE
If you are interested in purchasing a pair of Vallerret Photography Gloves, Vallerret have very kindly supplied us with a free shipping code using
WARNER-TATE at checkout.
We’re loving our new gloves and wear them at every opportunity to keep our hands warm & cozy during our Hebridean adventures.
Thanks for reading, take care Adele & Max
Women in Photography
Over the course of 2024 a momentum is building - Empowering women in photography of all genres is becoming at the forefront of the photography community.
Unfortunately for many years females have been vastly underrepresented in the photography industry. Visibility of females in photography is on the increase and a rise in community groups are leading the way by supporting & showcasing the talent of women in photography.
Earlier this year over the summer months we were proud to be part of the Women Photographers UK Team, an Instagram & Facebook Page created to support & promote female photographers. Since then other community pages were set up including Women Photographers Canada by Viktoria Haack & Fiona Mclean & Women Photographers US by Anna Moon, both of which share inspirational female photographers work. You may also be interested in - In focus women, created by Sarina Jackson & Steph Vella, one of the original community groups dedicated to inspiring others.
This blog post isn’t intended to be negative or a criticism in any way but to look at some of the facts and reasons why females in landscape & nature photography are still vastly under represented. There are very few female Youtubers & Podcasters for example, still very few female brand ambassadors and still very few women who are recognised in Landscape Photography Competitions. The blog post is intended to explore some of the reasons why this may be and what efforts are being done to improve the balance.
What we found of particular interest was a survey released from Women Photographers Canada who took the initiative to delve deeper in gaining an understanding of what barriers are involved in heading out with the camera, entering photography competitions, learning & development and much more. The survey was designed for their female audience but also open to both male & female photographers to understand the differences in approaches & to find ways to support what could be done to improve this.
All credit given on information provided - Women Photographers Canada, survey initiated in June 2024
Finding from the survey - Over 400 responses - 75% of responses were completed by women, with the majority being involved with photography for at least five years.
The top barrier to overall participation in photography was not having someone to go out with, the second barrier with 41.6% of respondents was concerns around safety, 95% of those were women.
Both myself and Max completed the survey, we thought the initiative was a great way of hearing from women in particular and proactive in that they were also asking for thoughts on what could be done to increase the representation and participation of women in landscape, nature & wildlife photography. We’re both very lucky & fortunate in that we share a passion for photography & videography and head out on a very regular basis together. I have always said that if Max wasn’t as supportive or had no interest in photography that i probably wouldn’t head out at sunrise or at sunset as i too wouldn’t feel comfortable.
After completing the survey and discussing the barriers between ourselves it was interesting to then see the results start to unfold via their Instagram Page, in particular their post on the 9th August with regards to the top barriers.. When the results in relation to the top two barriers were shared we wanted to help in whatever way we could and felt sad to see the facts in black & white. Photography is such a huge creative outlet, a release from the everyday, a positive hobby for wellbeing, alleviating stress and mental health and also a great way to keep active both physically and mentally.
We felt inspired by the survey and wanted to do something to support, we decided to launch Photography Buddy on our Website & Facebook page in mid August 2024, our way of trying to give back to the photography community, it just didn’t seem right that people were reluctant to go out and enjoy photography alongside the benefits it provides because they had nobody to go with . Photography Buddy was designed to literally just have someone to go out with, share knowledge on locations here in the Outer Hebrides and also to provide people with an opportunity to experience the northern lights when solar activity occurs. We didn’t feel it was right to exclude males from this opportunity as there are still a percentage who would welcome a buddy to head out with, this could be safety, health concerns or any number of reasons.
What is fantastic to see is that others are now taking a similar initiative with Photography Buddy, Women Photographers UK in October ran with the idea of female photography buddy and are now providing the service solely to females in photography. Our belief is that the more people who provide a photography service to enable others to enjoy creativity the better. The more women who put themselves out there to support & encourage others can only be beneficial to the photography community. If we can go someway in overcoming the top two barriers then surely this would support with more women taking up landscape & nature photography. On another note, sadly there aren’t enough women who lead the way with photography services especially in the Landscape genre, very few women from the UK lead workshops or 1-2-1 tuition sessions…….It would be great to see more.
Other findings from the survey
Learning methods - Observing other photographers was the leading method for women in learning photography techniques and skills 71.3% followed by YouTube 68.6%, online courses 63.5% and learning from friends 61.3% Males responded as YouTube being their preferred learning 81.9% followed by observing other photographers 74.7%
Being a self taught photographer i can relate to YouTube as being a fountain of information in gaining an understanding of the technical side to photography. This does require lots of time spent watching the “right” video to learn and can be frustrating especially if there are multiple videos on “how to” if they each have a different approach. I would also say that it could depend on your preferred learning style, visual, audio or kinaesthetic (hands on) Practicing and keep practicing is what cemented the learning process for me, not being disheartened with unfavorable results is what kept me interested and seeing self improvement was my motivation.
In fairness what is difficult from a ‘YouTubers’ perspective is not knowing who your audience is and what your audience is wanting to gain from watching the video, I was very conscious of not wanting to sound patronising and instead chose to share the experience with a hope that we might encourage someone or provide something to take away from the video.
In summary - We believe that the top barriers are linked with why females are under represented in Landscape, Nature and Wildlife Photography. If you have nobody to go out with or don’t feel safe/comfortable and this prevents you from heading out, opportunities to practice are limited or non existent, opportunities to improve also limited, the chance of creating a special photograph that you are proud of, enough to enter a photography competition are limited. We are also well aware that the barriers are difficult to overcome and that there could also be many other barriers involved. It isn’t easy to put your head above the parapet, there is a growing momentum that we are proud to be part of, the more women who become involved, find a passion for photography and support each other will only help to improve the balance.
We would love to encourage you to join one of the community groups, there are now more & more to chose from. SheClicks for example has a very interactive Facebook page with virtual coffee mornings, meet ups and so much more, find someone local to share the passion with. Instagram has a growing number of female communities to share inspiration and promote female photographers.
We are both delighted to be part of the growing momentum & have launched L.E.W.I.S Photography - Lets Encourage Women In Seascape Photography or WISP for short :) This is where our passion lies and where we believe that we can make a difference. Our Instagram community dedicated to women in seascape photography.
We are proud to continue with our supportive ethos for women in photography.
Adele & Max
Scottish Landscape Photographer of The Year Awards 2024
Scottish Landscape Photographer of the year
Highly Commended
We’re both absolutely delighted to have two winning images in the 10th Scottish Landscape Photographer of The Year Competition, both being awarded High Commended.
Huge congratulations to the overall winner Ian Bowie and to all other final winners. You can find the full list of winners and purchase the book using the link below.
The competition received over 4000 entries with an extremely high standard of photography. Incredible images showcasing the beauty of Scotland being represented. It was especially nice to see some familiar names also being awarded in the competition, huge congratulations to Dawn Brown, Claire Carter, Aleksandra Radzikowska, Nicola Turner & Seascape winner Dean Allan.
Our love & passion for photography is why we head out with the cameras; the experience is what makes photography so special to us and to create images we are proud of is an absolute bonus. Scotland has always been an inspiration to us, it’s where the interest in photography began, we’ve been fortunate to discover & enjoy so many incredible locations around Scotland making memories that will last a lifetime. The Outer Hebrides, the place we now call home is incredibly beautiful, magical and very special, it’s an honor to have two
images from this stunning island represented.
Hear Me Roar – Isle of Harris, Adele
Oceans Isolation – Drone Image, Isle of Lewis, Max
Six Months in the Outer Hebrides
It’s been a while since my last blog update so i thought i would share some thoughts & news with you.
The 20th June saw us mark six months living on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. We spent the day visiting our local beach, Dalbeg and then headed up to Port of Ness for sunset. The cloud was quite heavy and the day had been pretty miserable from a weather point of view but we wanted to head out regardless and reflect on our time on the island so far. As we approached Port of Ness a small gap in the cloud revealed the silhouetted mountains of Assynt on the mainland, it was the first time that a break in the cloud had allowed us to see the view across. I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of peace, maybe this was knowing that we are finally settled, enjoying a way of life that previously we had only spoken about, maybe it was memories of our travels to the North of Scotland and the calm time we always felt away from our busy lives. The evening turned out to be nothing special, the waves were relatively flat, drizzle filled the air & the light was all but gone except for a faint hint in the gap of cloud. I took my camera out of the bag and used the long lens looking across to the mainland to make a photograph just to mark the occasion and remember this moment in time.
Six month on since we boarded the ferry and made a permanent one way sailing from Ullapool and we can honestly say that it was & still is the best thing we’ve ever done. I know that for many the dream would be to live in a place that makes them happy, a place that fills the soul, energises creativity and enhances wellbeing. We know that we are extremely lucky and are grateful and thankful everyday. Waking up, opening the curtains and looking out every morning to the mountain and croft land with sheep grazing opposite, hearing the sound of the ocean roar from the garden really does fill the soul. I know that I have mentioned in a previous blog post that is wasn’t an easy decision to make, the risks felt huge, leaving family & friends even further away felt scary and the “what if’s” a constant thorn. The reality is that we experienced the worst in losing both parents in just over two & a half years, Dad in 2018 and mum in 2020 during the pandemic. We both went through redundancy shortly after and at the time fought hard to keep our positions within the corporate world. After being successful in the selection process, an opportunity for Max with work saw us relocate to Aberdeenshire where I suppose we had time to reflect on how the last couple of years had changed us, knowing even more so that you get one opportunity at life to live. Discovering the Outer Hebrides helped to heal, helped us to have an opportunity to experience and enjoy a new way of life. I hope that our family & friends and for anyone visiting the Island will also experience the same feelings.
We’re now into July, nothing much feels different weather wise, summer still hasn’t arrived although the garden is blooming which is nice to see. The bare trees that swayed in the winds over winter now boast abundant green leaves and home to many garden birds, the hedges are full & filled with glorious small flowers which adds colour & life. Just recently we haven’t seen much of the sun, white out skies and rainy days have dominated but warmer weather surely has to be on the way at some point? What does feel very different is us, the last six months have been very kind to us and were already looking forward to the next six.
News…..
We launched Coastal Creations earlier this year, offering 1-2-1 tuition and small group workshops also teaming up with Visit Outer Hebrides and Isle20 now Scottish Island Gifts. Since then we have also launched our own Podcast Coastal Creations where we chat with other photographers & creatives twice a month. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know people, learning about their journey, how they found photography and what benefits it provides them with, how the process of heading out with the camera has helped them to heal or find a focus in life. We’ve already spoken with some truly inspirational guests and look forward to hearing more.
We were also very kindly invited to chat with the incredibly talented Mali Davies Photography on his Podcast - Lets Talk Mali is someone we have admired for many years so it was an absolute honour to have the opportunity to chat with him.
Over the last few days we’ve taken the opportunity to revamp the website and add some recent work to the gallery & shop. We’re offering a variety of sizes and finishes to prints to provide more choice when ordering. The website will always be a work in progress with changes and tweaks here and there as we grow & develop.
Even more exciting is that we are extremely excited & proud to have produced & launched our first photography book, featuring images of the Isle of Harris & Lewis Coastline. Rugged, wild weather, big skies and of course beautiful beaches. We hope you enjoy the book as much as we have enjoyed the experience of being out with the camera creating. With huge thanks to Mali Davies for the inspiration & belief.
Last but by no means least, we are both very proud to have been invited to join the Women Photographers UK team. A place where females in photography are supported, their work is shared and creatives spotlighted. We are looking forward to being involved, seeing & sharing, being inspired and motivated.
We hope everyone is well and taking good care, thank you for your continued support, it means the world to us both. Adele & Max x
Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2024
Northern Lights, Outer Hebrides & Bow Fiddle Rock Moray Coast, Shortlisted in the Scottish Nature Photography Awards
The final results of the Scottish Nature Photography Awards are announced today. Back in February this year, we were delighted to learn that we had two images shortlisted in the sea & coast category of the competition. Four years ago when i first discovered the competition, i decided to pluck up enough courage to submit a selection of images and was absolutely blown away to find out that we had an image shortlisted. Since then i have continued to enter the competition and have been fortunate to have had some success every year, achieving third place in the landscape category in 2022.
What was especially nice this year was to have two images shortlisted, Midnight Light, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides and More than Pebbles, Moray Coast, North East Scotland, images below. The fact that we had an image of the northern lights shortlisted was an absolute honour, I remember watching a TV show featuring Joanna Lumley head out to the Arctic Circle to fulfil a lifelong dream to see the illusive northern lights, i was mesmerised, hooked and also dreamt of standing under a dark sky with the lights dancing above. Since learning this was actually possible from the UK and understanding how to photograph them, we embarked on what can only be described as an obsession. We actually drove from East Lancashire to Loch Lomond and back in the same day in the hope of seeing them but sadly without any joy, we spent many nights in the Yorkshire Dales hoping to catch a glimpse without any luck until we found ourselves in 2018 on the Isle of Skye in October for a weeks holiday when everything finally alligned. We had a clear sky, barely any light pollution and a good forecast, at around 8pm in the pitch black we made our way down to Staffin Bay, before we even got there we could see a huge arc of muted green in the sky. We were beyond elated, pulled the car over to check we weren’t seeing things and took a quick couple of images….seeing the green on the back of the camera was insane….it had been years of hoping to see them. I remember the uncontrollable joy that could probably be heard all over the island, the sheer excitement and utter disbelief at what we were seeing. We made our way down to the bay and set up the camera, withing ten minutes huge pillars & structures started to appear lighting up the sky and we were the only ones stood there experiencing it, its a feeling like no other, wonder, joy, exhilaration and elation. Since that night we’ve headed out to see them at every opportunity, even down to planning holidays around the new moon during aurora season to maximise the possibility. During our time in Aberdeenshire we made the most of the dark skies and were fortunate to photograph the lights five or six times in one season. One of my favorite memories of living in Aberdeenshire was during major solar activity, I’d received a notification on my phone indicating a red alert, i instantly went to the front door of the house and popped my head out, even above the street lights i could see the colour in the sky. We’d only been in the house around five months and had met a lovely lady who lived in the next street at our local camera club (which i’d only been going to for around two months at this point). In my full on dressing gown, pajamas and slippers i raced around to her house knocking on the door jumping up and down in excitement… i was greeted by Ilene’s husband who might I add must have wondered who on earth he’d opened the door to as we’d never met. We all stood for a few minutes looking up at the sky in amazement with shrieks of joy before deciding to head out in the car to get a better view…..It’s a night we wont forget.
You’ve probably got the idea that it’s become something that we love, witnessing the aurora never becomes boring. In September last year whilst touring the Outer Hebrides we were treated to what can only be described as the best show we’ve ever had the privilege of experiencing and is where & when our shortlisted image was created. The dark skies of the Western Isles make viewing the aurora an even better experience. We could actually see the colours & curtains of light forming & moving, softly and beautifully lighting up the night sky, the display went on for hours well into the early hours of the morning. For anyone new or interested in viewing the northern lights our advice would be this…. Aurora season is usually from September though to around April, download an app specific for aurora activity and track the forecast, head for an area without light pollution away from towns/cities and look north. Ideally you will need a clear sky for optimum viewing but even between the gaps in the clouds it’s a privilege to see. Mobile phones can be used to take photographs using night mode, use a tripod for best results. It’s also worth baring in mind that the camera sees the light far better than the naked eye. During red or major alerts you may be lucky enough to see the colour red and muted greens without the camera but quite often what you see is a glow of light in a clear sky. I’ve included an image below to try & give more of an indication of what you might see in the night sky. The other thing to take into account is the moon, the light from the moon can make viewing aroura difficult so its always better during a new moon or when the moon isn’t as bright. We’re fortunate to now live in the Outer Hebrides and were treated to a lovely display a few weeks ago, the lights can be seen from our back garden which is an absolute dream. We appreciate that seeing the northern lights isn’t always possible for some people, we were so pleased last year when my sister visited us in Aberdeenshire to have solar activity taking place during a clear night. We headed out to Portsoy and were lucky enough to have a display taking place in front of our eyes, I took some photographs of her under the northern lights which will always be a memory of our fantastic wonderful time together. There was also a couple on holiday staying in Portsoy who i offered to take a photograph of and emailed it across for them, again as memory of their trip to Scotland. Witnessing the northern lights can be an emotional experience and can also bring back memories for others of their time under the night skies. For us it’s a privilege to share our photographs.
Our second shortlisted image from Bow Fiddle Rock, Moray Coast also made us smile as it’s where the interest in seascape photography started. We were on holiday in Spean Bridge which is located in the Western Highlands. I’d bought a photography book which featured an image of this magnificent sea arch and was totally fascinated by it. Again in typical us fashion we decided to drive from the West Highlands to the East Coast of Scotland for sunrise to experience the location. It didn’t disappoint, i was in absolute awe, it felt magical. Sea birds filled the air with dawn chorus, the smell of the ocean filled our lungs and the calmness was indescribable. I’d just invested in a set of ND filters and experimented with a few compositions, we felt incredibly lucky to be stood on the pebbled shoreline taking in subtle sunrise colours behind the arch. Our house in Aberdeenshire was just under an hour away from Bow Fiddle Rock so it was inevitable that we would spend many opportunities photographing the arch in a variety of conditions. It will always hold a special place in our hearts, despite it being classed as a honeypot location we continued to photograph and experiment with compositions & conditions.
If you’ve made it so far into the blog update thanks for sticking with us, we hope you have found it interesting. I just wanted to end the piece by talking about competitions in general…. We head out with the camera given any opportunity, we experience varied conditions, seasons and changeable light. Our journey of photography began just over 8 years ago but didn’t really properly start until 2018. It’s been something that has given us an immense amount of joy, direction, focus and passion. Photography for us is a way of life, we don’t head out to create award winning images, that is never the reason. We head out to experience the environment & nature, to feel alive, to see, to breathe, to relax and to feel elated by the experience. When it comes to submitting images into a competition i tend to select images that i feel a connection to. That’s probably not the best advice but that’s how what i do, that’s why it feels special to have an image of the northern lights and an image from Bow Fiddle Rock shortlisted. I also think its great to showcase Scotland and the beauty that this part of the UK has to offer, both images will also feature in the Scottish Nature Photography Awards portfolio year book to be published later this year alongside other shortlisted & winning images. Well done to everyone involved.
SNPA | Homepage (scottishnaturephotographyawards.com)
On a side note we’ve just launched our podcast.
It’s taken us months to get around to setting everything up, probably something to do with relocating :) We’ve titled the podcast Coastal Creations, which is in keeping with the launch of our 1-2-1 & small group photography tuition but the podcast won’t just be about seascape photography. We plan to invite photographers & creatives onto the podcast and hear more about their experiences and passions, we want to know more about the person behind the lens or paintbrush. Sharing their stories and inspiring others. Our first introduction episode is now live on Spotify and also available via our website, Podcast Page. I’ll include links below if you are interested in listening
You Can listen to the podcast here
Speaking of inspiration, it has been a great month for meeting up with exceptional female photographers. It was super lovely to have the opportunity to catch up and spend time with Alex whilst she enjoyed a week in her van on Harris. We’d planned to spend an hour or so on Luskentyre Beach but the weather had other ideas so the warmth of the Harris Hotel was well received. Also superb to briefly bump into Shona Perkins who was leading a photography workshop on Harris, very inspirational. We shared an evening of photography on the wee beach with Fiona Campbell, met Lunar her wonderful pup and experienced the most incredible sunset we’ve seen in a long time. Also massive thanks to Fiona for the BTS image from that night. Ruth Grindrod has also spent two weeks in the Outer Hebrides this month so it was a joy to catch up over a coffee and Banoffee Pie chatting and discussing all things photography and the Outer Hebrides. Last week it was an absolute honour to meet Jen Spiers & her husband Paul on his birthday alongside Angela O’Neil and her husband John. I’ve admired Jen & Angela’s work for many years. Jen was the first female photographer on Instagram who’s work literally made my jaw drop, her work still does. She’s a true inspiration. All links below if you’d like to follow their work.
https://www.instagram.com/creative_light_photos
https://www.instagram.com/my_beautiful_scotland
https://www.instagram.com/fiona.a.campbell
https://www.instagram.com/ruthgrindrodlandscapes_
https://www.instagram.com/jenspiersphotography
https://www.instagram.com/photographybyangelaoneill
As always thanks so much for all of your support via Instagram, Facebook and Youtube, we have released a new video recently, it was fantastic to be back.
Take lots of care, until next time Adele & Max
Midnight Light, Northern Lights light up the sky at Seilebost, Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides.
How the northern lights might look to the naked eye. Northen lights above the Harris Hills looking out towards Luskentyre, Outer Hebrides.
More than Pebbles, Bow Fiddle Rock, Moray Coast, North East Scotland
Photography in the Outer Hebrides
Time is flying…. It’s been just over two months since we relocated to the Outer Hebrides and set up home on the Isle of Lewis. Hopefully our previous Blog posts have provided an little bit of an insight into our experiences so far since we moved home but it felt quite apt to write to you today, on the last day of February.
The nights are now drawing out and the weather is sort of settling down, the winds are raging again today with gusts of up to 70mph around the Island but we have been able to head out with the camera much more during February which has been fantastic, rewarding and immensely exhilarating. We’ve been spending a lot of time exploring Lewis, the beaches on Lewis are just as magnificent as they are on the Isle of Harris. What has been especially nice is having the beaches pretty much to ourselves, vast wide open sands looking out to roaring waves, deafening sounds as they crash, golden sunlight reflecting onto the the ocean and backlighting the spray. One of the things that i have always loved about photography is how being out in the landscape or at the coast makes you feel. We both used to have full time professional roles at work and initially found photography a release from the every day, it has also been a healing process mentally for us in many ways. The camera has taken us on journeys that i don’t think we would have experienced hadn’t we have discovered a love for photography. Being out with the camera is now very much an emotional and meaningful experience, the small things like incredible patterns etched into the sands bring us as much joy as a beautiful sunset, the way the sand dunes glow during golden hour and the colour of the ocean under a dark moody sky fills us with what i can only describe as a big warm hug that recharges every cell. Witnessing the changing conditions and the power of the ocean reminds you that we are a very small part of the planet, that feeling walking back to the car after spending an hour or so immersing yourself in the outstanding beauty that the Outer Hebrides has to offer is one of calmness, peace and tranquility.
February has almost been a time of reflection, it’s ten years ago this month since when we first discovered the magic of Scotland. We stayed in Aultbea in the West Highlands and i can still remember how i felt seeing lochs and enormous magnificent mountains for the first time, light and cloud creating shadows as it passed over the landscape, sunrays peeping through gaps in the cloud and of course sideways rain a few minutes later. Having never experienced or seen anything like this before, we were totally in awe of the landscape and completely unaware of how this would shape the next ten years of our lives. We knew early on that being in Scotland was the dream, it took us eight years to then realise that dream with our move to Aberdeenshire. When we first discovered the Outer Hebrides in May 2023 it felt like discovering Scotland all over again, we certainly didn’t want to spend another eight years debating if we should relocate. After spending our first couple of months on the Island during the winter months, yes it has been challenging with the weather but you soon learn to not worry so much about it ….if we could sum up our experience so far we’d say something like “ Wow what a place, absolutely incredibly stunning, wild wet windy weather, hospitable friendly warm people, caring community, peace & tranquility & space to breathe and focus on what really matters to you. Of course you will find this in any community but for us the move has been literally been a breath of fresh air.
Experiencing Scotland isn’t all about the camera, we enjoyed many visits for a good few years before i really started to become interested in photography and always left feeling renewed. I’m much more relaxed about the whole photography process now which i believe is so much more beneficial to you on a physical and emotional level…..to give a little more context, I would get caught up with the expectations, what I’d seen online or pictured in my head and more often than not be disappointed that the sky didn’t light up or the waves weren’t crashing in as I’d hoped. I do think it’s part of a process when you are new to photography, for me it definitely was. Making the journey, spending money on travel, accommodation etc the thought process was i hope we come home with some good images. As we know the weather in Scotland has it’s own ideas and quite often i wouldn’t even get the camera out if there was the slightest bit of rain. I’m much more relaxed about that side of things now, i rarely research an area unless its cliff top. I will check the tide times and the weather apps but we head out regardless, no expectations just excitement. I’m drawn to the smaller things and experimentation, if the conditions are on our side we enjoy them, if they aren’t we embrace them. Shaking off the it needs to be perfect every time we head out hasn’t been easy but it has made photography much more relaxing. Removing the pressure allows more time to be open minded and see what is still in front of you.
What else have we been up to over the last couple of months… Other than heading out at every opportunity.
We met up with Ken & Wendy Walker at the Harris Hotel for a coffee and chat, a very lovely, warm & friendly couple who were enjoying a holiday on Harris. Ken is a fantastic photographer and it was an absolute joy to hear about his experiences in the world of photography and also about their own relocation to the East Coast. I love that photography is a community, it’s refreshing to actually meet people whose work you admire and chat to them face to face. We look forward to meeting up with Ruth Grindrod in March and hopefully many more wonderful people over the season.
We’re also planning on releasing our first YouTube video since September last year. We have so much footage from the last five months to share with you. The video will be more documentary style showing our move, some of the places we have visited alongside drone footage & images taken. We do plan on making more videos to share and are looking forward to heading out with the cameras getting back into the swing of video.
We’ve also linked up with Visit Outer Hebrides & Isle20 to promote our 1-2-1 & small group photography tuition & prints. Isle20 is a website promoting photographers, arts & craft makers with 32 Scottish Islands represented, with each maker/artist having their own online store. They have some wonderful gifts from over 600 businesses in the Scottish Isles. Visit Outer Hebrides provide lots of information & guidance on visiting these beautiful islands from accommodation, activities, see & do, food & drink, history & wildlife and so much more. Links below. You can also find our prints for sale in the Carloway Community Shop (Lewis) & also at An Clachan community shop (Harris) as well as our prints page on the website.
Warner-Tate Photography - Isle of Lewis - Outer Hebrides (visitouterhebrides.co.uk)
Scottish island gifts - we deliver the very best of the islands! (isle20.com)
Welcome to the Outer Hebrides - Outer Hebrides (visitouterhebrides.co.uk)
Photography for us is such a huge part of our lives, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to provide tuition and share the experience in such an outstanding environment.
Thank you for taking the time to read the update, take care and hope to catch up soon.
Adele & Max
Drone image made by Max, I especially love how this images shows the wide open space of the beach with just me & the tripod looking out towards the incoming waves. The perspective of the drone images allows us to see the world in a different way.
Harris & Lewis 1-2-1 Photography Tuition
Earlier this month i updated the blog post to let you know that we had recently launched Coastal Creations, we are super delighted to be offering one to one photography tuition here on the Isle of Lewis & Harris and look forward to having the opportunity to welcome you. Costal creations is dedicated to breaking down barriers in photography in a supportive environment, allowing you the time to develop your skills and creativity at your own pace. If you are planning a holiday over to the Outer Hebrides and would like to book a photography session or if you are based on the island and would like to know more head over to our tuition page or click….. HERE
It’s just over a month since we relocated to the Isle of Lewis, what a month is has been. Sailing to Stornoway to begin our new journey was filled with a huge mixture of emotions all of which positive, overwhelming, exciting, and exhilarating to name a few. Our move was brought forward prior to Christmas due to the solicitors finishing up for the festive period and the completion date was set for the 20th December.
It didn’t take us long to get unpacked and begin to make the house feel like our home, I think the fact that it was just a few days before Christmas helped to push us along in getting organised. A walk along the beach on Christmas Day and Boxing Day with the dogs was like a dream come true, our local bay is truly beautiful, on a calm day waves gently roll in, as the waves break the greens tones of the water shine through, Oyster Catchers go about their daily business long the shore line and the views back towards the house over the still loch are stunning. The weather has however been pretty wild over the last two weeks with winter storms raging across the Atlantic Ocean, battering the Island with strong gale force winds. Yesterday was the first day that the Island hasn’t been covered by a weather warning in over a week. We’ve also had a beautiful blanket of snow fall which was so idyllic everywhere being covered in brilliant white snow with dark squally skies was breathtaking, apparently it’s the most snowfall seen on the Island in over ten years. Thick snow with gale force winds produced blizzard like conditions, snow blowing across the road with such force was something we’ve never seen before. Having visited Scotland for many years alongside living in Aberdeenshire for 18 months, we’re sort of used to the Scottish winters but the winds here definitely had me a little worried and awake for most of the night wondering if we would still have a roof in the morning. Thankfully the roof lived to see another storm but sadly two trees in the garden have been broken. A couple of days ago we headed down to a local beach around high tide as the winds were driving through, the power in the wind whipping up the ocean was incredible, needless to say we stood safely out of the way on the sand dunes looking out. Just now the winds are currently gusting and rain is lashing down on the windows as i write but that’s typical of Scottish winter weather and something we’ll have to get used to here on the Isle of Lewis. We’ve been fully embracing the weather and heading out in all conditions with the cameras, snow storms, hail showers, strong winds and rough seas. It’s been a privilege to be here on the island witnessing these conditions, seeing the weather change literally in a matter of minutes from blue skies to not being able to see anything at all is totally mesmerising.
Island life so far is fantastic, we have met some of our neighbours and have been welcomed by the community. Hebridean hospitality is second to none and the warm nature of people here is comforting. Looking ahead, we are excited to see the change of seasons over the course of the year, we’re also looking forward to exploring more of the stunning coastline and experiencing more of island life. We are thankful, appreciative and grateful to be surrounded by such incredible beauty and nature. We are incredibly fortunate to be fulfilling our dream, it’s good to have a dream, whatever your dreams are, never stop chasing them.
Always believe it is possible.
Until next time take care and keep well, Adele & Max.
Relocating to the Isle of Lewis
03.01.2024
Happy New Year…
We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, enjoying precious time with family & friends. We would also like to wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy 2024.
We have so much to update you on and thought it would be nice to say hello via a blog post. We have several exciting things to let you know about, one of which involves life changing decisions and the other about what’s in store for 2024.
Apologies it’s been a while since we last updated the blog post, in typical fashion since I last wrote to you so much has happened. During September we had the adventure of a life time experiencing two and a half weeks touring the Outer Hebrides in our campervan. It’s a period of time in our lives that we wont forget. With very little planning we decided to head to Harris and spend a few days down time in the van before heading off to explore North & South Uists as well as the Isle of Barra. There was no itinerary, no expectations, just the freedom of a couple of weeks and a full tank of diesel. We stayed on some beautiful campsites and also enjoyed the facilities provided by West Harris Trust, enjoying breathtaking views out to sea from all over the Outer Hebrides. The highlight of the trip had to be the best display of the northern lights we had ever seen dancing over Luskentyre sands. The weather also had a few surprises in store for us with gale force winds several times during the trip. At one point over night we thought the windows in the van would blow through, the winds were that powerful, all good fun and just adds to the experience. Another highlight was meeting up and connecting with several other photographers who were also enjoying some time in the Outer Hebrides. It was lovely to finally say hello face to face with a few fabulous photographers that we follow on Instagram. We were also fortunate to be back on Harris in time for the Isle of Harris Distillery Whisky launch. The Hearach is the Islands first release of single malt, not that either of us are whisky drinkers but fond collectors. The whisky collection started many years ago during our very first visits to Scotland, we decided to buy a bottle every time we were in Scotland so it seemed very fitting to be involved in a little piece of history. There is a four part documentary on BBC Alba all about the distillery from the beginnings of them producing Gin right the way through to the whisky launch if anyone is interested….. Anyway, I’m digressing as usual.
If you have seen our videos from our time in the Outer Hebrides during 2023 you will know that in a very short space of time the Outer Hebrides captured our hearts to the very core. We’ve visited so many parts of Scotland more than once and been fortunate enough to find a release & escapism in the coast & landscape but never before have we felt so emotionally moved and in tune with an area. After we returned home from our trip in September we made the decision to relocate. Putting our house in Aberdeenshire up for sale felt a little scary but very exciting. We’d settled into our village well and spent 18 months enjoying the beautiful countryside and coast that Aberdeenshire had to offer but it didn’t really feel like home. We will look back on our time in Aberdeenshire with very fond memories, we made some incredible friends and felt very welcome. The move to Alford was for work purposes, Max was working full time, commuting into Aberdeen & Dundee but we had only realised part of our dream. Since discovering Scotland 10 years ago, the dream was always to live somewhere remote by the sea, our dream kept us both going through some very difficult times in our lives and also gave us something to aim towards. So the house went up for sale, storm Babet lashed down and viewing were a little sparse to start with but just three weeks later we had a buyer…. then the panic set in. We assumed the house would take a while to sell with it being later in the year and on the run up to Christmas, we were wrong. Our buyer wasn’t in a chain meaning that the process would be short & sweet, we quickly booked a ferry and started to look at houses for sale, selecting around 7 to view over a few days. I won’t bore you with all the details of houses we viewed, some were lovely but a little small or not in the right location for us, some offered other opportunities such as a six bedroom house that had previously been run as a BnB. We wanted a family home, our forever home, one that was perfect for us & our three dogs. On the last day before our ferry home, a house that we previously looked at but was outside of our price range was reduced…. a stroke of luck or fate? We both absolutely loved the house the minute we stepped inside and the rest is history. Six weeks later we have now relocated and making our dream house on the Isle of Lewis home. We are located within ten minutes of three beautiful beaches where I’m sure we’ll be spending a lot of time, we have so much to explore and discover both on Lewis & Harris and finally feel we are where we are supposed to be. We are very much looking forward to Island life, taking in the whole experience and embracing every second.
In other news since returning home, we were also involved with a SheClicks Webinar. For those of you who are unaware of SheClicks, it is a female photography community. You can find SheClicks on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, via their website and they also have a podcast. They are a very friendly bunch offering virtual coffee mornings, monthly themed competitions, meet ups and a whole host of valuable photography related information & advice (Link Below) We were asked by Angela Nicholson who founded SheClicks to present a webinar to the community about starting & running a YouTube Channel. Following on from our Podcast with Margaret Soraya over summer, this was a fantastic opportunity for us to encourage more women onto the YouTube Platform. It was a real privilege to be able to share some insights on how to go about starting up a channel alongside a little knowledge on how upload videos, make thumbnails and titles etc. With things escalating so quickly with the move and lots to organise we haven’t made any recent YouTube videos but will be back out and about very soon.
We are also very proud to be launching Coastal Creations in 2024. Coastal Creations will encompass everything we’ve dreamed about offering for many years. Bringing photography experiences, possibly a podcast, Facebook community and much more, click the link below to find out more.
Summer in the Outer Hebrides
26.08.2023
Well what another couple of months that has been….
Time just seems to be going nowhere recently, only yesterday I saw Halloween products for sale in the shops, that only means one thing……we are on the countdown to… dare I say it, Christmas. Before we get to the tinsel & turkey and all that good stuff we’ll have autumn to look forward to with the rich orange, yellow and brown colours lighting up the landscape. Wow… that’s me taken us to the end of the year in just a few short ramblings.
So what have we been up to over the last few months, for those of you who don’t already know, we’ve visited the delightfully beautiful Outer Hebrides again, spending my birthday on the incredible Isle of Harris. It was an absolute pleasure whilst we were on the island to have the opportunity to visit Talla Na Mara to see Margaret Soraya’s exhibition. Margaret lives on Harris and had her beautiful work displayed proudly and rightly so on the walls. What was even more amazing was that we met up with Margaret at the exhibition having the opportunity to chat to her over a coffee. One of the most genuine, sincere and inspirational people we’ve met in a long time. Margaret’s work is exceptional, I’ll post the link to her website below for those who are interested, I’d definitely recommend taking a look. We also recorded a podcast in Margaret’s van with her dog Skye, such a joy and playful soul with a huge amount of character. The podcast was around female landscape photographers on YouTube and the lack of them. It still surprises me that we are one of only a handful of British female landscape photographers that have a presence on the YouTube Platform. We discussed reasons why this may be on the podcast, again I’ll post the link to the podcast below. It was probably one of the most surreal moments we’ve had in a totally good way, it was hilarious with Skye causing mischief, so much fun. If you are a female and have considered starting a photography channel but have yet to take the plunge, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch using the contact section, we’d be interested to discuss it further.
I’ve also been involved in presenting a talk to Donside Photography Club which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was great to have the opportunity to speak to other photographers about Seascape Photography and all things creative. The talk was well received by the members and has spurred me on to deliver more presentations. It has also been great to meet up with Don Nealon, a local photographer who got in touch with us after watching one of our YT video’s. We spent the day at a wonderful seascape location, it was fabulous to have the opportunity to chat to him and learn more about his journey with photography, the video from our day will be released on 30th August. It was also superb to meet Dave who was over from the Isle of Lewis in our neck of the woods, we met up at Dunnottar Castle and enjoyed a lovely discussion about all things photography related. This leads me onto our next venture… we are shortly heading back to the Outer Hebrides for just over two weeks, visiting the Uists and Barra, finishing with some time on the Isle of Harris & Lewis. We are really looking forward to meeting up again with Dave to explore some hidden gems.
I’m going to finish the blog update by thanking everyone who takes the time to watch our YT videos, leave a comment or a thumbs up, it really is appreciated, also to everyone who interacts on Instagram & Facebook. We enjoy sharing our experiences with you and will to continue doing so.
Be sure to check out the ‘my recent work and prints section’ which have also been updated.
Take lots of care, chat again soon…. hopefully before the tinsel & turkey makes an appearance.
Adele & Max
Margaret’s Websites - Photographer, artist and educator Margaret Soraya
Quiet Landscapes | Landscape Photography and Creative Retreats Scotland
Our Podcast - Creative Soundscapes with Margaret Soraya: Encouraging Women onto YouTube with Adele and Max Warner Tate on App
Discovering the Outer Hebrides
17.06.2023
I thought I’d begin this update by sharing with you that this time last year we moved out of our home in Rossendale, North West UK to begin a whole new life and adventure in Scotland. It still actually blows me away that we are finally here after eight years of dithering but it was the best decision we’ve ever made. Over the last few months we have done quite a lot of travelling and have revisited Achmelvich Bay, we decided to head up April with the main reason for the trip being to try out the new awning for the campervan. After getting over the initial shock of assembling the drive away awning…what a difference it made to the amount space we had, not to mention additional comfort and somewhere to sit dry and warm outside of the van. As usual Achmelvich looked incredibly beautiful with its turquoise waters and golden sands. I decided not to take any images during this trip and instead we enjoyed some downtime, relaxing, enjoying the sights and sounds of the coast. We also spent some time with the family celebrating Max’s mums 80th Birthday, such a beautiful evening enjoying good food and wonderful company.
Into May saw us head over to the incredibly beautiful Isle of Harris & Lewis, somewhere we’ve dreamt of visiting for years. There genuinely are not enough superlatives that I can use to describe the immense natural beauty of the island. We headed over on the ferry from Ullapool , it’s around a two and a half hour crossing and thankfully we had calm seas, so much so that I fell asleep. The van again came into its own especially with the awning, the first night saw gale force winds, thank god we’d had a trial putting up of the awning session, luckily the awning remained in place overnight and the morning brought much calmer weather. Whenever we stay over in the van in any location we are always respectful of the area, the locals and the environment. Making sure we book campsites or stay in designated parking areas. The isle of Harris has many official camping spots in beautiful locations that allow you to stay over night for a five pound donation payable to West Harris Trust which we made use of.
The island has so many white sandy beaches with turquoise waters that literally blow you away & on several occasions we were reduced to tears by the outstanding beauty. We enjoyed hours of fun on the beaches and even in the water wearing our wetsuits…..how we wish we were back there now. We enjoyed our week in June so much that we decided to head back again for a short break. September will see us return again for around ten nights, we’re hoping to head across the the Uists and explore more of the Western Isles.
Photography plays a huge part in our every day lives, I’m still enjoying attending our local camera club weekly and have been asked recently to present a talk at Donside Camera Club which I’m very much looking forward to. Since returning from Harris we’ve visited Bullers of Buchan and were privileged to see puffins, coastal flowers during sunset at Portknockie and even attempted food photography for the camera club monthly assignment. Given that we enjoy and love photography to the level that we do it is always nice when other people enjoy your work, I was delighted recently to find out that I had been shortlisted in the Scottish Nature Photography Awards, Landscape Category and Commended in Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year, Seascape Category, I look forward to the exhibitions and year books from both.
I’ve was also recently asked to take part in a podcast with Kim Grant from Visualising Scotland. The podcast digs deeper to understand the journeys people have experienced with photography and how they connect to nature via the camera. The experience was great, so relaxed and informal chatting about all things photography related and how we use photography in nature to improve our wellbeing. It was an honor to be asked to get involved and I’ll hopefully take part in a few more this year. Kim has a deep love and connection to nature and hosts Photographic Connections alongside her YouTube Channel. I’ll pop some links below to the podcast and Kim’s YouTube Channel, there are some very interesting stories by other photographers that may inspire you.
@photographicconnections • Instagram photos and videos
We’ve also just released the first date for our photography workshop which will run on Saturday 7th October 2023 4pm until 7pm at Bowfiddle Rock. If you would like to get involved head over to the tuition section to book.
Enjoy the sunny weather whilst it lasts and take care
Until next time
Adele & Max
Life in Scotland
1st February 2023
I can’t believe that it’s been over six months since we moved to Scotland, time really does fly. During the last six months we have spent time redecorating and settling into our new home, getting to know our lovely village and exploring our new surroundings. Since having a break from photography in the early part of 2022 due to surgery on my hand and relocating I was more than ready to pick the camera back up and get back into the swing of things. The East Coast of Scotland is absolutely beautiful and an area I’m ashamed to say that we hadn’t previously explored. Aberdeenshire has everything from stunning countryside, castle ruins, ancient forests, lochs and mountains to rugged coastline boasting sea stacks, lighthouses, stunning beaches and of course wildlife. We have so much to see and explore here that I absolutely believe it would take a lifetime and we still would not have experienced all of it. We are excited to see as much as we can and take you on that journey with us via our photography and videography.
This year we are planning quite a few trips away in the campervan and would love the opportunity to visit Harris & Lewis which has been a dream of ours for a few years now. That’s the other thing about living here, the Cairngorms National Park is on our doorstep and the West Coast and Far North of Scotland are very easily accessible. It still blows our minds that we have so much beautiful scenery locally or within a few hours drive. We’d also like to get the workshops up and running, I’m thinking March or April time when the weather improves and we have more daylight hours to take advantage of. Seascape Photography has become a huge passion of mine, I love to watch the waves roll or crash in, feel the sea breeze and experience the power of mother nature. I’ve thought about planning a route along the East Coast stretching from Stonehaven all the way along the coast to Findhorn Beach. It doesn’t matter if we find a small quaint little harbour or amazing sea stacks we’ll have fun finding and photographing them. During winter we have been very privileged to see and photograph the Northern Lights on several occasions, what an amazing sight in November 2022 stood looking out to sea watching the lights glow, form structures and dance in front of our eyes. Incredible and amazing . I’ve come to realise that so many people are not aware that you can view the aurora in Scotland, you don’t have to go abroad to see them and on a clear night with a new or small moon it is very possible to see them by eye. I was thinking about making a video on how to see and photograph them, which we did actually start to do until the camera fell over onto rocks so we gave it up as a bad job.
Since moving to Scotland I have also joined a Photography Group which I have thoroughly enjoyed attending. I would have never had the time previously so it’s refreshing and rewarding to spend time every week with like minded people who also have a huge passion for photography. I was asked to present a talk on Seascapes which I was delighted to do, it encouraged me to sit down and think about what drives me, what inspires and present some of my work. It was also a fantastic opportunity to share my knowledge and experience with the group. It also made me reflect on my own journey with the camera which I hadn’t anticipated. I’m sure we all have our own unique experience and reasons why we love to pack the camera bag and head out at daft o’clock or get wet feet on a regular occurrence. Personally photography has given me drive, ambition, confidence, a connection to the landscape and improves my mental health. I may at some point write about the why’s and how’s but if you are reading this and haven’t given photography a go then I would massively encourage you to do so, even with a mobile phone, the best camera you have is the one you have with you.
We’re excited for what 2023 may hold for us and look forward to every day in Scotland. We are hugely grateful and privileged to have been able to realise our dream of living here. So far we have experienced wild winds, heavy snow, thick ice and double digit minus temperatures and loved every single minute of it.
Anyway, I’ll sign off for now and will update again in the next few weeks. Take care.
Adele & Max