There’s something rather special about arriving somewhere with a group of photographers. Everyone notices the light, nobody minds stopping to look at a view, and a conversation about shutter speeds can carry on quite happily over dinner.
Our latest SheClicks photography workshop in Glencoe (16th to 20th October 2026), which I co-led with Emily Endean, had all of that, along with spectacular scenery, plenty of laughter and some surprisingly useful Wellington boots. We were also treated to four fabulous blue-sky days before the weather changed for our journey home.
But my trip began a little further south, with a chance to explore Glasgow in good company.
I arrived in Glasgow on Wednesday 14th and was delighted to be joined by four other SheClickers, including two who had travelled all the way from the USA. It was lovely to have some time together before heading into the Highlands, although the meal at the Premier Inn that evening wasn’t exactly a culinary highlight.
Thankfully, Glasgow had much better things in store for us.
On Thursday, more SheClickers joined us for a fabulous meet-up, with a mix of local members and others who had travelled from further afield. Margaret Rainey kindly took on the task of guiding, or perhaps herding, us patiently around the city, following a route devised by Fiona Wallace.
Keeping a group of photographers moving (and together) in a big city is no small undertaking. There’s always another building, reflection or patch of light that needs investigating, but Margaret took it all in her stride.
Fiona joined us at the Riverside Museum and again that evening for dinner at Panang, an Asian small plates restaurant that plied us with delicious food. It was a lovely way to finish the day and, let’s just say, a considerable improvement on the previous evening’s meal.
We had a leisurely start on Friday before meeting Kenny, our coach driver for the journey to Glencoe. First, we called at Glasgow Airport to collect more SheClickers arriving from elsewhere in the UK and the USA, then headed north together.
Having stayed at the Isles of Glencoe Hotel last year, I knew that the rooms have spectacular views. Even so, I was still in awe when I walked into mine. There’s something about seeing the mountains and water filling the window that makes you stop whatever you’re doing and just look.
It was lovely to hear later how impressed everyone else was with their views, too.
After a quick freshen-up, we met in the hotel grounds to photograph Loch Leven. With a colourful boat on the water and mountains beyond, we didn’t have to go far to find our first compositions. It also gave a few people their first taste of long-exposure photography, experimenting with shutter speeds and seeing how a longer exposure changed the appearance of the water.
From there, we walked to Ballachulish Quarry. Its distinctive slate landscape gave us a very different subject, with plenty of textures, shapes and reflections to explore.
It was a gentle introduction to the workshop and a chance for Emily and me to get to know everyone, their photography, what they enjoyed and what they hoped to learn over the coming days.
On Saturday morning, we met Lynn, our minibus driver for the next few days. She quickly became part of the group and added enormously to the fun of our time in Glencoe. As a local, she had stories to tell and extra insight to share, and she certainly didn’t take any nonsense from drivers who seemed to think the road belonged entirely to them.
Our first stop was Buachaille Etive Mór, photographing the mountain from the River Coupall.
This is a fabulous area for photographers. The cascading river creates a lovely foreground for the triangular mountain beyond, with plenty of scope to explore different viewpoints and experiment with how much movement to show in the water. A change in camera position, focal length or shutter speed can make a considerable difference, and it was good to have time to work through those choices.
After returning to the hotel for breakfast, we visited Blackrock Cottage, the famous whitewashed cottage beneath the mountains. Some newly planted trees are changing the familiar view, giving photographers something else to consider when choosing their compositions.
Then we headed into Glen Etive, somewhere we hadn’t managed to explore during last year’s workshop. It was good to have an experienced driver like Lynn at the wheel.
What a treat that turned out to be. Despite its fame, the glen feels like a secret location as the road winds between the mountains, following the river past waterfalls and places where you could happily spend hours with a camera. The loch at the end of the road was wonderfully peaceful.
Later, we photographed Lagangarbh Hut, the small white building beneath Buachaille Etive Mór. Against that enormous mountain backdrop, it gives a wonderful sense of scale. It’s easy to see why photographers are drawn to it, but there’s still plenty of room to find your own composition.
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Sunday began early, with a sunrise shoot at Castle Stalker. It was also Emily’s birthday, so naturally there was a rendition of Happy Birthday on the bus at 7am.
Castle Stalker was a major highlight of the trip for me. It was wonderful to feel everyone’s excitement as we arrived before sunrise and found our places beside Loch Laich.
And what a treat we had. The dark sky gradually became pink, while the fog and cloud lifted behind the castle. I particularly enjoyed watching mist rolling in from the sea. You could actually see it barreling along, then spreading over some of the loch.
Having encouraged everyone to bring Wellington boots, I was pleased that they proved useful. As the tide came in, the water level slowly crept up. We kept a watchful eye on its progress, but our wellies meant we could continue photographing while standing in the water with dry feet.
I especially enjoyed shooting from a low angle, looking across the water towards the castle. It seems to get wider towards the top, giving it an almost comic-like appearance. Combined with the soft colour in the sky and the shifting mist, it was a scene I could have happily photographed for much longer.
After a welcome coffee stop, we continued to Kilchurn Castle on the banks of Loch Awe. There was a castle and a couple of wonderfully hairy Highland coos to photograph, but I was particularly captivated by the mountainous landscapes around the loch.
On our return journey, we made further stops along Loch Leven. Even close to the hotel, there was always another view worth stopping for.
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I don’t think anyone could fail to be impressed by Glenfinnan Viaduct. It’s a magnificent structure, curving across the valley between the mountains.
Our excitement mounted when we heard the train chuffing through the trees on the other side of the valley. Then it appeared, with a huge cloud of billowing steam.
The driver kindly sounded the whistle as the train crossed the viaduct, and the footplate crew and passengers waved to the enormous crowd spread across the hillside.
Once the train had passed, everyone cheered. Then came the question being asked of photographers all around us: “Did you get it? Did you get it?”
We did.
From photographing a train, we moved on to photographing a boat, or rather the wreck of one, at Corpach.
This gave me another very special moment from the trip. With Ben Nevis in the background, it was a lovely opportunity to slow down and watch the sunlight move across the mountain. I sat with a group of SheClickers as we photographed the wreck, making both long and short exposures and chatting about this and that. We talked about how we wanted to photograph the boat, what we hoped the light would do and how long we wanted our exposures to be.
I passed around a few ND filters so people could try longer exposures and experiment with their settings. There was time to take a photograph, look at the result, ask questions and try again. Those who were new to long exposures had the opportunity to get a better understanding of the process and make their own decisions about the effect they wanted.
One of the things I particularly enjoy in these situations is hearing someone explain something to another photographer, knowing that I had explained it to them earlier. I love that passing on of knowledge. There’s no gatekeeping in SheClicks.
After four fabulous blue-sky days, it seemed fitting that the weather changed as we boarded the coach for our journey back to Glasgow.
For the airport runs, we upgraded from our minibus to Lynn’s larger, 35-seater coach. It gave us plenty of room for people, luggage and camera bags, although its size naturally limited some of the places we could stop.
We still managed a few stops along Loch Lomond for some final photographs. This time, the scenery had a moodier feel, with conditions that lent themselves beautifully to black and white photography.
It was a lovely way to finish: a different view of Scotland and a few more opportunities to take out our cameras before saying our goodbyes.
As I headed home, I was excited to start editing the images I had captured, but I was just as keen to see the photographs everyone else had created.
That’s one of the pleasures of a workshop like this. We visit the same places, often stand quite close together and experience the same conditions, yet everyone comes away with something different. A detail that caught one person’s eye may have passed another by completely.
It’s so rewarding to play a part in helping people capture the images they want, whether that means getting to grips with an ND filter, trying a different viewpoint or having the time and encouragement to experiment.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, to Emily for co-leading with me, and to Kenny and Lynn for getting us around. Thanks also to Margaret and Fiona for making our Glasgow gathering such a lovely start to the trip.
The scenery was spectacular, but I’ll remember the conversations and shared excitement just as fondly: watching the sky turn pink behind Castle Stalker, waiting for the train at Glenfinnan and sitting beside the water at Corpach, talking photography while the light moved across Ben Nevis. I’m already thinking about how I’d like to photograph some of these locations next time, and I can’t wait to return in 2027!
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