To ensure receipt of our emails, please add info@northshots.com to your address book. Pic of the month: Jan '10 Loch Morlich, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. We've had the Big Freeze followed by the Big Thaw; ministers have been sacked and bonuses selflessly returned.  Whoever is to blame for the weather - and let's face it someone always is, such is our intolerance of any inconvenience - I for one was grateful to them for a prolonged spell of stunning arctic-like conditions.  It's a shame that those officials so quickly stripped of their positions in the face of adverse weather, can't be rewarded for views like this.  No-one enjoys being stuck in traffic or going without water, but this country would surely be a poorer place without the spectrum of weather conditions served to us across the varied seasons. Standing by, actually no, standing on Loch Morlich in the heart of the Cairngorms, it was bitterly cold.  It was cold and it was silent.  And it was magical. Best regards Peter Cairns Contribute to new blog! The Northshots blog has been updated and now allows for thoughts, opinions, complaints, questions and answers - and not just mine!  Please feel free to contribute and don't forget to send in any unusual images or interesting news snippets.  Click here to visit the blog. Later this year we'll be developing a new look to the website and adding both video and sound content, including a new series of podcast interviews with some of Britain's top nature shooters!  Watch this space. A Highland getaway. Don't forget our self-catering cottage gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the splendour that is the Cairngorms National Park.  Remote but not isolated, The Bungalow is within minutes of the River Feshie and extensive walks in Inshriach Forest, which holds specialities like red squirrel, pine marten and osprey.  We still have some availability in April, June and August. Click here to find out more. Up close with red deer. Alvie Estate in Kincraig (6 miles south of Aviemore) is once again offering the chance to photograph red deer throughout the winter months in a natural forest setting.  Sessions are available daily but must be booked in advance.  Contact details at www.alvie-estate.co.uk. PHOTO-TOUR NEWS Has another year passed by?  Really?  It just goes to show that we all have to get out there and make the most of our opportunities.  You can travel anywhere these days, but we would like to think that we offer more than just a wonderful location; we want our photo-tours to be an experience.  Our destinations, guides and approach then, are all carefully thought through to ensure that photographers - beginner and experienced alike - get the most from their time with us.  We're not perfect and never will be, but that doesn't stop us trying. WILD ON WHITE For the first time - anywhere as far as we know - a specialist weekend workshop is being offered in photographing wildlife against white backdrops.  For anyone familiar with Niall Benvie's work, the results of his field studio technique will be known, but this is a chance to learn for yourself how it's done.  Join Niall in July in the heart of the Cairngorms, but hurry, there are only a few places left.  Click here for more details. PREDATORS OF THE NORTH By way of contrast, our tour to Finland's remote taiga forest offers the chance to get up close with bears and wolves.  There are few places on earth where this is possible, and this part of Finland is one such place.  From comfortable hides, specifically designed for photography, you will be able to photograph these charismatic predators in their natural habitat.  It's one of those things every photographer should do at least once! Click here for more details. SENJA, NORWAY We still have a few places on our tour to arctic Norway in search of the magical aurora borealis, or northern lights. Join Niall Benvie and Charlotte Eatough on this unique combination of winter landscapes - and if you book before 14th January, we'll knock £100 of the published price.  First come, first served!  Click here for more details. We're starting to look at new destinations - places that offer great photography but perhaps avoid the well trodden honeypots. We're keen to develop tours within Europe so if you've got anywhere burning a hole at the back of your mind, do let us know. And finally, if you're a conservation-minded photographer you might want to show your support to a new declaration of photographic ethics developed at the WildPhotos symposium last October.  Click here for details This mail is sent to Northshots subscribers, picture editors and natural history enthusiasts. Please respect the time and effort invested in this type of photography by not using these images without prior permission.