Isle of Lewis and Harris

When Muench Workshops asked me if I would lead a photo workshop on the Isle of Lewis and Harris in Scotland, I said “Sure!” without having the vaguest idea about where it was or what was there. I soon found out that Lewis and Harris is the largest of the Outer Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland. I’m back home now after a thoroughly enjoyable ten days, with great memories and hundreds of photos to edit. Our local guides took us all over the island to photograph some fascinating and very photogenic locations. Here are some of the highlights of the trip.

The Calanais Standing Stones (AKA Callanish Stones) are a group of rock slabs that were erected over 5000 years ago. Looking from above or from a certain angle, you can see that the stones are arranged in the form of a cross. There are no similar rocks in the surrounding area, and no one knows who put them there or why. Sometimes referred to as the “Stonehenge of the North”, maybe they are about astronomical observations and related rituals.

Driving around the island, we came across a number of ruins; some were remnants of stone walls, some the remains of dwellings that were hundreds of years old, and some that are abandoned houses built “only” a century or two ago. Photographing these places made me wonder about the people that lived in them and what their life was like on this rugged island.

Much of the rocky landscape of Lewis and Harris is covered in peat and heather. Peat forms when dead vegetation only partially decomposes due to the acidic and anaerobic condition of the bogs and wetlands where it is found. Dried peat was historically burned for heating and cooking in Scotland. In remote areas, huts called shielings were built, providing shelter when the peat was being cut into slabs and harvested.

The Isle of Lewis and Harris is known for both beautiful white sand beaches and rugged cliffs and headlands. A visit to Stac a’ Phris Arch at sunset gave us opportunities to try long exposures to smooth the choppy seas and exposure bracketing to handle the extremes of bright sky and dark rock.

Sea Stacks are always a great photo subject, and I marveled at the similarity between these amazing rock formations and those halfway around the world on the coast of Oregon. We had beautiful, warm light when we arrived in the late afternoon, but my favorite image was made with the soft, sweet light of dusk.

Being born and raised in the western USA, I grew up thinking that anything from the Gold Rush or the Oregon Trail days was old. So it boggles my mind when I visit other countries and see structures that date from many centuries ago. Saint Clement’s Church was built in the early 1500s, abandoned for three hundred years, and then restored in 1873.

Sheep are everywhere on the Isle of Lewis and Harris. The majority are of the Scottish Blackface breed. Almost all of them that we saw had blotches of color on their wool coats. Our guides explained that colors like blue and orange identified who owned the sheep, while pink marked the ewes that had been “tapped” and were pregnant.

The Highland Pony is native to Scotland and is one of the largest pony breeds of the British Isles. Most are white, although they can be various shades of grey or brown. These ponies are hardy and tough, able to withstand the weather and negotiate the rocky, boggy terrain of the islands. Once used as workhorses throughout Scotland, today, they are mostly used for general riding and by hunters for deer stalking.

The Highland is a Scottish breed of rustic cattle with long horns and a long shaggy coat. The breed originated in the mainland and western islands of Scotland, reared primarily for beef. It is a hardy breed, able to withstand the intemperate weather and survive on the sparse vegetation of the islands. They look cute and docile, but our guides warned us that they can be cantankerous and those long, pointed horns warrant caution.

Native Scottish Red Deer roam the wild areas of the island. They are a subspecies of the Western European Red Deer, having evolved since migrating to British Isles from the continent. Bucks like this one are called King Stags due to the number of tynes on their antlers.

This trip, this workshop, was made even more enjoyable by a very fun group of clients who were also quite accomplished photographers. Plus, our local guides, James and Ruth, were outstanding. Their knowledge of the island (Ruth is a native of the Outer Hebrides) and their professionalism made my job much easier, and because of that I was able to concentrate on instruction, demonstrating techniques, and offering suggestions on composition, and I even got to make a few photos of my own.

Getting there, lodging, transportation

To visit Lewis and Harris on your own, fly to Stornoway on Loganair from one of several airports on the Scottish mainland, England, or Ireland. Alternatively, ferry service is available from the mainland and from the Isle of Skye. Lodging can be found in the towns of Stornoway and Tarbert, and there are many guest cottages scattered throughout the island. Rental cars are available in Stornoway.

Muench Workshops will offer this trip again next year with lodging, meals, and transportation from Edinburgh included. A special feature of this workshop is staying at a wonderful old hunting lodge on a historic island estate. Details are at https://muenchworkshops.com/workshops/scotland-isle-of-lewis-and-harris-photo-workshop-03-25/

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