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A Scottish Affair

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We stood regarding one another. She was very beautiful; the sun burnishing her red hair, her limpid, deep brown eyes gazing into mine from beneath that golden copper fringe. Still, the path was very narrow and, call me a male chauvinist if you like, I was, most certainly, not prepared to step off into the surrounding boggy ground just to let her pass.

We had met on a hill overlooking a sparkling Loch Lomond. The sky was a very pale cyan with hardly a cloud. The perspiration was trickling down my neck and the camera bag and tripod were making indents in their respective shoulders. But, at that moment, I would not have been anywhere else in the world.

Improbable as it may seem, this was not the height of a Scottish summer but a beautiful Autumn day in October. The bracken had already turned a rich golden brown. Reeds in a nearby Lochan were a pale straw colour and leaves on distant trees were every shade from an almost spring green through deep browns to rich reds. In short, it was a day to relish.

No doubt my euphoria was due, in part, to the reason for my being in this particular corner of Scotland. My wife and I were attending a photographic course at the Inversnaid Photography Centre. The tutor was working us hard and we were enjoying every moment of it.

The Centre ( formerly a Victorian hunting lodge once belonging to the Duke of Montrose ) sits, in its own wooded grounds, on the East bank of Loch Lomond near the end of the fifteen miles long scenic, twisting, mostly single track, B829 from Aberfoyle. Andre Goulancourt and Linda Middleton, who own and run the centre, have put in an immense amount of work in its restoration and refurbishment to enable them to accommodate guests.

But, it's very much more than simply being a small hotel. The comfort, the food and the welcoming atmosphere all serve to convey the impression that one is staying with friends in their country house. In fact -- and something not to be divulged to my fellow photographers -- I believe I would come here for the food alone. Moreover, in addition to the general level of comfort, it is a photographer's dream: a large well equipped studio; a darkroom almost as big ( with several enlargers and all the necessary processing equipment ) and, outdoors, mile upon mile of mountain and river, forest and loch to be explored and photographed under every condition that the Scottish climate can provide.

For the Landscape photographer: the beauty of the immediate vicinity; the Trossacks ( less than an hour's drive away ); the historic centres of Stirling and Edinburgh ( which are only an hour or two farther) or a stroll along part of the West Highland Way which passes through Inversnaid and boasts a cave reputedly used by Rob Roy. Then there are the local lochs such as Katrine and Chon or, farther afield, a trip to Rannoch Moor. Choices such as these must, surely, provide all the photographic inspiration that one may desire.

Above all there is the knowledge that you are never going to be rushed with your photography. One can remain bent over one's tripod for just as long as the back will stand it.

Nature lovers are equally well catered for. Birds abound and, with the use of hides which the Centre can provide, they are, relatively easily, photographed in the large gardens or surrounding woodland. Likewise mammals: badgers can be seen in the early evening when they play and search for food and even as I stood on that hill, I could hear the bellowing of stags in rut. Alternatively, a trip to the east coast might be organised so that the group could spend a day on Bass Rock photographing gannets cormorants and razorbills.

Mind you, not only landscape and nature photography courses are provided at Inversnaid. Other subjects include: processing and printing; portraiture; still life; documentary and digital imaging. Then there are the Masterclasses for which such well known professional photographers as Niall Benvie; John Blakemore; Derry Brabbs; Laurie Campbell; Joe Cornish; Bob Moore and Barrie Thomas ( amongst others ) are guest tutors. It was such a class that my wife and I were attending.

This particular Masterclass was on Landscape photography and the tutor was a charismatic American photographer by the name of Thomas Joshua Cooper. Thomas is a big man in every good sense of that word and a fine teacher; ready to help and always able to find something constructive to say about one's work.

He is eminently qualified: Head of Fine Art Photography at the Glasgow School of Art, he has a number of books to his credit and has exhibited world-wide. The group was in good hands.

The group on this course consisted of ten women and men, of varying photographic capabilities but all imbued with the desire to improve. The course was not primarily one for the learning of technique, although advice and assistance were always available. We were there to think; to question why we were going to make ( notice, not take ) a particular picture and why that image and not another should more clearly carry the message that it was intended to convey.

A typical working day would start with individual members of the group going their separate ways to make their own pictures, probably in the immediate vicinity of the Centre, often no farther than the garden. Then, if negative film was being used a return to the darkroom to develop and print the results was required. If, on the other hand, transparency material had been loaded then a later return would be in order just so long as there was sufficient time for E6 processing to enable the results to be assessed that same evening after dinner.

The assessment usually took the form of each individual member setting out his or her latest work ( prints or slides ) for general viewing. Then Thomas would start his probing: ' what motivated you to make a photograph of that particular subject? What were you trying to say? How would it have looked from a different angle? So, then, why didn't you try a different angle ( closer, farther away )? Would a another lens have been better or worse? Could you have affected the lighting at all?'

Constantly, one was being forced to question one's motivation and technique in making that specific picture. After Thomas would come the deluge: the individual group members were then each allowed their questions and criticisms.

This was not quite so bad as it might seem.

We all knew that each of us would have his or her turn in the spotlight and this knowledge was a great incentive to be constructive with any criticism of another's work. Also, it enabled us to appreciate and understand the thinking that had gone into the production of each image.

But let me quash any idea that these sessions were all hard unremitting toil. Apart from the invigoration brought about by being constantly stretched, proceedings would frequently be punctuated with gales of laughter occasioned by some remark from one of the group. And, by the end one would have feelings of well being and amity towards the other group members -- not all of these feelings having been engendered by the consumption of a fine old malt from Andre's well stocked bar.

But, enough of this cogitating on an Autumn hillside. I had to be on my way. Naturally, I wanted to hand in my exposed film for processing so that it could be viewed that evening. But if I wasn't quick about it I might miss afternoon tea with more of Linda's delicious home made cake.

Oh! I suppose you want to know which one of us eventually gave way? Well, can you believe it? I did. I guess the matter was settled the moment she stopped looking at me and lowered her beautiful head. The horns on Highland cattle can be very intimidating!

Len Shipley



Updated 27/04/2026 16:44:22 Last Modified: Monday, 27 April 2026