Overview
We have been running trips to the Shetland Isles in both the summer and winter months for the past decade and this beautiful island archipelago is one of the most dramatic and inspiring locations in the British Isles and a great place for wildlife photography. The whole feel of the Shetlands during the winter months is very different to that most visitors experience, and it’s potentially very special with our main target for this seasonal visit being the iconic European Otter. These islands support a large population and one of the best times to see them is at this time of year as families will still be together and cubs at their most playful with each other as independence looms when Spring comes. At the start of winter the cubs will only be a few months old and at their most playful too so this can be a wonderful time to watch and photograph them in locations we consider to be the best in the country too.
We will once again be working with Shetlands based otter experts Richard Shucksmith and Brydon Thomason in between their regular film project assistance work and these guys know the local otter population better than anyone, hence being so much in demand. With good fieldcraft probably more critical with otters than any other mammal in the UK, having this local expertise dramatically increases our opportunities.
It will be a jam-packed week looking to take full advantage of the settings, subjects and potentially stunning winter light that can be found here at this time of year, have specifically scheduled the trip to optimise the tides to our advantage and a time of year when family groups are at their most active and potentially approachable too you should achieve both some great images but also experiences with these fantastic mammals too.
Itinerary Open +Close -
Day 1: We have a day of travelling to Sumburgh Airport on Mainland or Lerwick if you have chosen to take the overnight ferry from Aberdeen the previous day. We will then head to our hotel base towards the north of Mainland where we will be based for the next 5 nights. It is important you let us know what option you will be taking to get to Shetland so that we can organise local transport arrangements accordingly: if you come by ferry with your own car, you will of course be able to use it should you prefer too.
Days 2 – 6: Over each of these and the next day we will be splitting into 2 small groups of photographers, necessary for stalking otters. Each day we will be heading out with local wildlife photographers and absolute otter experts (as their book on the species, all photographed locally, will testify) Richard Shucksmith and Brydon Thomason for an exclusive day photographing Otters. It is only possible to do this in very small group sizes, so we have asked them to add their expertise in terms of local families and additional guiding resources to allow us to do this.
Day 7: We’ll catch our return flights (or ferry) away from Shetlands accordingly. Please note the ferry is an overnight service and so will arrive in Aberdeen again the following day.
What our customers say
“That was a great trip: one of the best I’ve been on”
“We got some great opportunities”
“We learnt a lot of fieldcraft from Richard and Brydon and a lot about otter behaviour and biology”
“It exceeded my exceptions. The two guides were excellent and I had the opportunity
to photograph otters every day of the trip. Mark was a good leader keeping us well
advised of plans for the week and ensuring that everyone had an opportunity to
work with both guides during our stay”
“As always Mark an excellent leader”.
“Thank you, Mark, for the occasional evening foray, and for helpful information about Hermaness that we followed up at the end”.
“Yes, really enjoyed the guides company and humour and enthusiasm and passion”.
“Andrea was a superb cook and most generous with her adaptation to our requirements”.
“The guides were exceptional. Their ability to find otters and their knowledge of them
was outstanding”.
“The guides were very good at explaining what we should do to ensure the best chances
of both seeing and photographing our subjects, both before we set off and during our
approaches when otters were sighted: we learned a lot about field craft”.
Showcase gallery
Guest gallery
