About Northshots Photo Tours

For over a decade we've been sharing adventures and passing on our photographic knowhow in some of the most spectacular places on earth. We'd like to think that during that time, we've earned a solid reputation for our passion, enthusiasm and importantly, our sense of fun. If you enjoy spending time in wild places, photographing wildlife or landscapes at the best time of the day or in the best season, enjoying the company of like-minded colleagues, then you should perhaps think about joining us on one of our photo tours ... either here in Scotland or perhaps further afield.

Our Guests

It doesn't matter whether you're an old hand or picking up a camera for the first time, we'll make sure you get the very best from the time you spend with us - take a look at some of the images captured by guests on previous photo tours. All we ask is that you come with whatever equipment you own, an open mind and a passion for nature photography. Sometimes new guests are apprehensive about their inexperience and we offer just one bit of advice for this: don't be.  

Our Photo Tours

We've never been keen on classrooms; our photo tours are all about getting into the field and securing great images. Of course we offer tuition where it is wanted (many of our guests just prefer to do their own thing) by way of practical advice on making the best of each situation. We are flexible and responsive and our priority is to spend time in our chosen location and not to leave before everyone has got what they want. So we work hard but when our work is done, it's important to relax, enjoy a good meal and discuss the evolution of the universe...or the Beckham's marriage...or occasionally, nature photography.

Fitness

There's no getting away from it, photographing in some pretty wild places sometimes requires a long walk, getting wet and/or cold or spending lengthy periods in hides. That said, not all of our photo tours require you to be Indiana Jones and we have indicated on each tour page the degree of physical fitness required:

		Easy walking with only moderate fitness required.
		Some longer walking over potentially difficult/slippy ground.
		A good level of fitness and/or agility required to cope with some strenuous activity.

If you're in any doubt, just contact us.

Our Guides

Our small team of guides are all established professional photographers so they know their stuff. But it's also their job to look after all the logistics of a photo tour and at the same time, ensure the group are all engaged and made to feel welcome. That's quite a demanding role which is why when we get a good guide, we try to hold onto them. You can find out more about our guides here.

Our Accommodation

Wherever possible we use family-run hotels or guest houses that are close to our key shooting locations and are of a good standard without being extravagant. We almost always offer single en-suite occupation and where this is not possible we will say so in the tour description. In the Cairngorms, our accommodation is a charming converted steading in a spectacular location overlooking the River Feshie (see our home base). We don't make life complicated - all of our photography holidays include accommodation, meals, transport, tuition and good humour. Unless you want to buy us a drink, you don't have to pay anything extra.

Food

It's important to say that you'll get lots of this! It's also important to note that we can almost always accommodate specific dietary requirements - just tell us on the booking form and we'll make sure you get what you want.

Flights

We're a small company and haven't got ATOL bonding which means we can't sell you flights. If your selected photo tour necessitates a flight, we will recommend who, how and when - you just have to pay the airline directly. It's a tad inconvenient we know but our hands are tied and we don't want to go to court.

Your Money

We won't bore you with the niceties of Package Travel Regulations but you should just know that we don't do anything with your money until your tour is complete - it's the law! Your advance payments are held in trust until you're safely back home and we've provided what we said we would provide. It's not just the law, it's a matter of common courtesy and respect.

Conclusion

We're a tight-knit family company striving to be as good as we possibly can be at delivering rewarding and fulfilling photographic experiences. We put a significant effort into doing what we do as professionally and in as environmentally friendly a way as we can, including donating a significant part of our revenue to conservation. We've been lucky enough to share some life-changing experiences with our groups over the years and we'd like to carry on doing that.

So, travel with us, follow our blog, follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ - just be our friend. And like all good friends, tell us when we do something wrong - it's how we all learn.