I recently travelled to Scotland to attend the Alpine Northwest photography workshop. It was an eye opening few days spent redefining how I see the photography industry and my role in it as a story teller and not just a picture taker. I also learnt how to really serve my clients and to make their experience one to remember.
This was my second time in Scotland. It is such an amazing country, full of vibrant cities, beautiful landscapes and friendly people. To be honest, Scotland had never been a place on my bucket list or somewhere that I just had to visit. It seemed beautiful, yes, but also a little, I don't know, boring. But after visiting this beautiful country, that couldn't be further from the truth!! I was lucky enough to be drawn to Scotland because my boyfriend, Jordan, moved to Fort William to work. While I was there for the first time, last year April, we spent a day in the beautiful Glencoe which is a part of the Scottish Highlands and a place that I really wanted to return to (little did I know what would come the following year). It's a beauty like you've never seen before and the place has an eerie atmosphere to it. Photos don't do it justice! We also spent a few days getting to know the amazing city of Edinburgh as well as visiting our friends Amber and Tyler in the cute little town of Stirling.
When the opportunity came up to join the Alpine Northwest workshop I just couldn’t resist, it was perfect timing for where I was in my photography business and I felt like I needed to get to the next step and that I needed help getting there! Jordan was still in Scotland at this point and I thought that it was the perfect excuse to go visit again! He ended up coming back to Cape Town before the workshop, but it didn’t make the excitement any less to be learning from the best in the industry!
I am so grateful to Wyn Wiley and India Earl for truly imparting their knowledge onto us. They give their all in everything they do and they have fun doing it! That’s what I want for this journey as a photographer, to always enjoy what I do and to make people happy while I do it. We were fortunate enough to learn not only the business side of what we do (India is a master at this!), but also the emotional side and how to really be there for our clients. Wyn was incredibly inspiring and I left his lesson not only wanting to be a better photographer but a better person! I came back home with a suit case full of knowledge and a whole lot of heart for what I do. I couldn't be more excited to put everything into practice. I am also SO thankful for all the amazing people I met at the Alpine workshop, from the staff to the other photographers who I now consider friends!
I’ve been meaning to blog my first Scotland trip photos since last year (whoops!), so hopefully I'll still share those soon. For now, here is my latest Scottish adventure in photos!
I hope I keep finding reasons to return to good ol' Bonnie Scotland.
