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Outer Hebrides: From Film to Print
At a Glance
Location
Scotland
Tuition
$10,995
Dates
March 16 – 25, 2028
Fitness Level
Availability
Limited to 6 Guests
Collections
- Learning Lab
Outer Hebrides: From Film to Print Photography Workshop
A Film Photography Workshop with Fieldwork and Darkroom Printing
March 16 – 25, 2028
- Photograph Uist’s beaches, machair, lochs, and changing Atlantic light
- Develop your film each day with hands-on darkroom guidance
- Create black and white prints from your strongest images
Film photography changes the way you experience a landscape. Without the immediate confirmation of a screen, you become more attentive to light, composition, timing, and the choices that shape a finished photograph. On Uist, a chain of islands in the Outer Hebrides, where weather and light can transform a scene from one moment to the next, this deliberate way of working is especially rewarding. Uist is famous for its wide Atlantic beaches, flower-rich machair, quiet lochs, abundant birdlife, and a deep sense of Gaelic culture.
This workshop gives you the rare opportunity to follow an image from first seeing it in the Hebridean landscape to holding a finished handmade print in the darkroom.
In the field, you’ll photograph sweeping beaches, textured dunes, rugged coastlines, abandoned croft houses, lochs, waterfalls, and quiet traces of island life. Atlantic weather is part of the experience, with shifting light, passing showers, wind across the machair, and clear moments when the landscape feels made for black-and-white film.
Your base is a comfortable lodge on Uist, a welcoming place to return to after each day’s photography. Meals are prepared, transportation is handled, and the schedule is built around the best photographic opportunities, leaving you free to focus on seeing, learning, and working with film.
In the field, you’ll learn to choose film for the light and scene, use a handheld exposure meter, understand reciprocity law failure, and use colored filters with black and white film to influence contrast at the moment of exposure. Bring your own film camera, or try a selection of medium- and large-format cameras, including panoramic and view cameras that offer new ways of seeing the Hebridean landscape. Camera loans require a signed liability waiver. Color negative can be used and developed, but printing will be in black and white.
Each evening, you’ll process film from the day. If you have never developed negatives before, you’ll learn a practical process you can continue at home, without the neeed for a permanent darkroom. If you already work with film, the daily rhythm of photographing, processing, and reviewing negatives creates a direct connection between your decisions in the field and the results on film. After four days of photographing and developing in Uist, the workshop moves to Inverness for two full days in the darkroom. Working with your own negatives, you’ll learn black-and-white printing, including contrast control, dodging, burning, and the careful refinements that turn a negative into a finished black and white print.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll return home with handmade prints of your favorite photographs from the journey: images you followed from first inspiration to something tangible, lasting, and ready to hang on your wall.
Your Pros
Itinerary
This itinerary is subject to change due to weather, local conditions, and other factors.
March 16, 2028: Arrive in Inverness
Arrive at Inverness Airport (INV), Inverness, Scotland before 4:00 PM today. Air travel delays are common. Please arrive early, possibly even the day prior, so you don’t miss any of the workshop.
This evening, gather with your instructors and fellow photographers for a welcome dinner. It is a relaxed first opportunity to meet the group, talk about the days ahead, and begin thinking about the subjects, light, and coastal conditions you hope to work with in the Outer Hebrides.
March 17, 2028: Jouney to the Outer Hebrides
After breakfast, depart Inverness and travel west through the Highlands to the ferry terminal. The journey begins to set the scene, with lochs, mountains, and increasingly remote coastal landscapes along the way.
Board the ferry for the crossing to the Outer Hebrides. After arriving on the islands, continue to a private hunting lodge, your home for the next five nights.
Once settled in, you’ll have time to unpack, become familiar with the lodge, and prepare for the first photography session tomorrow. Over dinner, the group will review equipment, discuss film choices and camera systems, answer initial questions, and prepare the space where film will be developed during the workshop.
March 18–21, 2028: Photographing and Developing in the Outer Hebrides
These four days form the heart of the field experience. After breakfast each morning, you’ll head out for a full day of photography, following the light and weather across the varied landscapes of the Outer Hebrides.
Possible subjects include white sand beaches, textured dunes, rugged coastlines, sea stacks, lochs, waterfalls, abandoned croft houses, and quiet details of island life. The exact daily plan will remain flexible, allowing the group to make the most of changing conditions and the locations best suited to film photography.
In the field, you’ll receive guidance on choosing film for different scenes, working with a handheld light meter, using filters, making considered exposures, and approaching composition without the immediate confirmation of a digital screen. You may work with your own film camera or take the opportunity to explore one of the medium or large format cameras available during the workshop.
Each afternoon, return to the lodge and begin processing film from the day’s photography. You’ll learn how to develop film yourself, whether working with roll film or sheet film, and begin to see how decisions made in the field translate into negatives.
Evenings are spent at the lodge with time to review your negatives, discuss the day’s photography, develop a plan for next steps to focus on during the nex day’s shoot, and enjoy the hospitality and quiet atmosphere of this remote island setting.
March 22, 2028: FInal Hebridean Photography Session and Return to Inverness
After breakfast, head out for a final half-day photography session in the Outer Hebrides. This is one last opportunity to work with the island landscape on film, revisit an approach you have been developing during the week, or make a final exposure with the darkroom sessions ahead in mind.
In the afternoon, begin the journey back to Inverness by ferry and vehicle. After checking into the hotel, gather for dinner and prepare for the next stage of the workshop: turning selected negatives into handmade prints.
March 23–24, 2028: Printing in the Inverness Darkroom
Spend two full days in the Inverness darkroom working with negatives you exposed and developed during the workshop. Under the guidance of an experienced printer, you’ll learn the process of making black-and-white prints by hand, from evaluating a negative and making initial test prints to refining contrast, dodging, and burning.
These days bring the full analogue process together. The photographs you visualised in the Outer Hebrides, exposed on film, and developed at the lodge now become physical prints. You’ll have time to work carefully with your strongest images and develop an understanding of how subtle decisions in the darkroom shape the finished photograph.
At the end of each day, return to the hotel before meeting for dinner in Inverness.
March 25, 2028: Departures
The workshop concludes after breakfast in Inverness. Depart at your convenience, or extend your stay to explore more of Scotland independently.
You’ll leave with new confidence in the complete film photography process, from choosing film and making exposures in the field to developing negatives and producing finished black-and-white prints by hand.
Flights out can be made anytime on March 25, 2028.
Instruction
This workshop brings together three photographers whose lives and work are deeply connected to film. Together, they will guide you through the complete analog process, from reading the light and exposing film in the Outer Hebrides to developing your negatives and making finished black-and-white prints by hand.
MICHAEL STRICKLAND
Michael Strickland is a large-format film photographer and printmaker whose work is rooted in patience, precision, and a deep connection to the landscape. Working primarily with sheet film, he follows each photograph from exposure through development and final printing, using traditional processes including platinum-palladium and carbon transfer printing.
Michael brings a deep understanding of the photograph as a physical object, not simply an image on a screen. His guidance will help you think beyond the moment of exposure and consider how light, composition, tone, and negative quality all contribute to a strong finished print. For anyone drawn to the deliberate pace and lasting beauty of film photography, Michael offers a thoughtful and highly experienced perspective.
MARCUS McADAM
Based in Scotland, Marcus McAdam brings both an intimate knowledge of the Scottish landscape and a lifelong enthusiasm for analog photography. A highly experienced landscape and travel photographer, Marcus has photographed widely around the world, but the islands and coastlines of Scotland remain central to his work and teaching.
Marcus works with both film and digital cameras, but film is where his passion is most evident. He is especially drawn to vintage, medium-format, large-format, and panoramic cameras, and he develops and prints his own work using traditional methods. In the Outer Hebrides, his understanding of the landscape, changing weather, and photographic possibilities will help place you in front of subjects especially well suited to film.
MATT SILLARS AND THE INVERNESS DARKROOM
Matt Sillars is a leading figure in analog photography in the Scottish Highlands. He taught photography at Inverness College for more than two decades and is a co-founder of The Inverness Darkroom, where he continues to support photographers learning and practicing traditional black-and-white photography.
Working exclusively with film, Matt uses medium- and large-format cameras and processes and prints his photographs by hand. During the darkroom portion of this workshop, his experience will guide you through the careful process of turning your own negatives into finished prints, with attention to tonal control, interpretation, and permanence.
A COMPLETE ANALOG EXPERIENCE
What makes this workshop special is the continuity of the instruction. You will not simply photograph on film in a beautiful location and send your negatives away. You will be supported by photographers who understand the entire path of an image: how it is first seen, how it is exposed, how it is developed, and how it becomes a finished print.
From the changing Atlantic light of the Outer Hebrides to the quiet concentration of the darkroom in Inverness, your instructors will help you slow down, make more intentional photographs, and experience the lasting satisfaction of printing your own work by hand.
What You Will Learn
Visualizing a Photograph: Film asks you to make decisions before you press the shutter. Without an immediate preview, you learn to look carefully at the light, understand the scene in front of you, and imagine how it may translate into a negative and, ultimately, a finished print.
Throughout the workshop, you'll develop a more deliberate approach to making photographs: considering composition, exposure, contrast, and the qualities of the final image before the film is processed.
Film Selection: Different films respond differently to light, contrast, and color. You'll learn how to choose a film that suits the conditions and the photograph you hope to make, including how films with different dynamic ranges handle demanding scenes.
Exposure and Light Metering: You'll learn how to use a handheld light meter to make thoughtful exposures in the field, along with practical ways to estimate exposure when appropriate. Instruction will also cover reciprocity failure, an important consideration when working with longer exposures on film.
Colored Filters for Black-and-White Film: Colored filters allow you to influence tonal relationships at the moment of exposure. You'll learn how filters can be used to manage contrast and separation in black-and-white photographs, particularly in skies, coastlines, stone, and textured landscapes.
Developing Film: Each evening at the lodge, you'll process film from the day's photography. You'll learn the fundamentals of developing 35mm, 120, and sheet film, along with practical considerations for continuing the process at home. Instruction may also cover pushing and pulling film to work at an exposure index different from the film's box speed. Note that while this workshop is designed for black and white photography, you can shoot color negative film and process it, but we will not be making any color prints.
Printing from a Black-and-White Negative: During two full days in the Inverness darkroom, you'll work with negatives made during the workshop. Under the guidance of an experienced printer, you'll learn how to evaluate a negative, produce test prints, control contrast, and refine a print through dodging and burning.
Depending on the group's interests and experience, additional topics may include lens movements, bellows extension factor, depth of field, and double exposures.
Cameras and Formats
You are welcome to bring and use your own film camera in any format. While 35mm is entirely suitable, medium- and large-format cameras can be particularly rewarding for the landscapes and printing process at the heart of this workshop.
You do not need to own a film camera to attend. A selection of cameras will be available for participants to try during the workshop, using a shared system that allows you to experience different formats and ways of working. Camera loans require a signed liability waiver.
Available cameras are expected to include:
- Fuji GS645s — 6x4.5 medium format rangefinder
- Fuji GW690 — 6x9 medium format rangefinder
- Fuji GSW690III — 6x9 medium format rangefinder
- Mamiya RZ67 II — 6x7 medium format SLR
- Fuji GX617 — 6x17 panoramic medium format camera
- Mamiya Super 23 — 6x9 medium format camera
- Shen Hao 4x5 — large format camera
- Intrepid 8x10 — large format camera
Equipment Available for Hire and Purchase
Light meters and heavy-duty tripods will be available to hire for the duration of the workshop for £30 each.
For convenience, selected items may also be available to purchase, including film, filters, and heavy-duty tripods. Please let us know in advance if you are interested in arranging equipment or film for the trip.
Fitness
Moderate: Most locations require only short walks from the vehicle, though some outings may involve longer walks over mostly level but uneven terrain. Be prepared for wet, rocky, or slippery surfaces and variable coastal weather. You should be comfortable walking outdoors while carrying your camera gear.
Flights
Arrive at Inverness Airport (INV), Inverness before 4:00 PM on March 16, 2028. Flights out can be made anytime on March 25, 2028. Air travel delays are common. Please arrive early, possibly even the day prior, so you don’t miss any of the workshop.
What to Bring
Please see our page How To Prepare For Your Workshop. We will send you a detailed information document 90 days before your workshop. This document will include specifics of where and when to meet, gear and clothing recommendations, and more.
What’s Included
- Double occupancy lodging. Single available for $525 supplement.
- All darkroom consumables (paper and chemicals).
- Use of a wide range of film cameras for you to try. Camera loans require a signed liability waiver.
- Two full days in the Inverness darkroom.
- An ample supply of film. Additional film can be purchased, if needed.
- Full use of one enlarger, no sharing with others.
- All meals, soft drinks, and snacks during the workshop.
- All permits and park fees.
- All transportation during the workshop.
- Tips for crew, drivers, and local guides.
- Photographic guiding and instruction from 2 pros.
- Adventure, fun, inspiration, and a great time!
Not Included
- Travel to and from Inverness, Scotland.
- Unscheduled airport transfers.
- Passport and visa fees (if applicable).
- Any meals or accommodations before or after the workshop dates.
- Items of a personal nature.
- Alcoholic Beverages.
- Travel Medical and Trip Cancellation Insurance (optional, but recommended).
- Anything else specifically not listed as included.
- Single rooming available for $525 supplement.
Payment Terms
- Your deposit of $4,995 will hold your space in this workshop.
- Further payment of $3,000 is due by July 1, 2027.
- The balance is due not later than November 1, 2027.
- All of our standard Terms and Conditions apply.
- Need special payment arrangements? No problem, just ask us.
Frequently Asked Questions
You'll learn to visualize a photograph without a digital preview, choose film for different lighting conditions, and use a handheld light meter for accurate exposures. The workshop also covers developing your own film and creating black-and-white prints, including techniques like dodging and burning.
Yes, this workshop is refundable. If you cancel more than 150 days before the start date, you'll receive a full refund. Cancellations made 150–91 days prior will be refunded for payments exceeding 50% of tuition, and 90–61 days prior for payments exceeding 75% of tuition. No refunds are available within 60 days unless we fill your space, in which case you'll receive a 100% refund of payments made. All refunds are subject to a 5% administrative processing fee and are issued by the original payment method.
You're welcome to bring your own film camera in any format, but medium- and large-format cameras are particularly rewarding for this workshop. If you don't own a film camera, a selection of cameras, including medium and large formats, will be available for you to try.
The workshop requires a moderate fitness level. Most locations involve short walks from the vehicle, but some outings may include longer walks over uneven terrain. Be prepared for wet, rocky, or slippery surfaces and variable coastal weather.
The workshop has a maximum capacity of 6 participants, ensuring personalized attention and instruction from the two professional photographers leading the trip.
You'll need to arrive at Inverness Airport before 4:00 PM on March 16, 2028. It's recommended to arrive early, possibly the day before, to avoid missing the start due to travel delays. The workshop includes all transportation during the trip, but travel to and from Inverness is not included.
An ample supply of film is included, but additional film can be purchased if needed. Light meters and heavy-duty tripods are available to hire for the duration of the workshop, and selected items like film and filters may be available for purchase. Let us know in advance if you're interested in arranging equipment or film.
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