The Wet Highland Way

I have just returned from nine days north of the border with my wife, Lynette, in bonnie Scotland. The plan was to capture some autumnal images whilst walking the West Highland Way - An official UK long distance walking track covering some 95 miles from Milngavie in Glasgow to Fort William in the Highlands. I had it all planned... early morning photography sessions photographing picturesque Scottish landscapes on crisp, sunny autumn days.

If only this had been the case!

Anybody living in the north-west of England or western Scotland will tell you that the weather last week was horrendous, in fact even dangerous. We were greeted at Milngavie by high winds which quickly became rain. After two days of this we had a brief interlude (just to lull me into a false sense of security) before the rain started again with even stronger, gale force winds. There was snow on the peaks surrounding us on the walk, incredibly picturesque - just a shame that the winds were strong enough to blow both Lynette and myself over! 95 miles carrying a camera and tripod for a handful of shots is incredibly frustrating.

I managed a few shots at Loch Lomond before the storms arrived and a couple more during the period of the calm before the next storm! The West Highland Way images can be viewed by clicking here.

There is an upside to everything though. At least the Midges were not causing us any problems!

Around the world in 10,000 shots

Readers of popular UK magazine, Digital SLR Photography, may have noticed a familiar face in this months edition. OK, you guessed it, yours truly is in this months issue and boy do I have a story to share with you all!

It has been nearly a year since Lynette and myself returned from our twelve month around the world foray, visiting and capturing images in some amazing countries including Argentina, Borneo, China and New Zealand. Now I finally get to share some of my favourite images with you all and also some of the stories behind them.

If the idea of seeing my images is not enough to make you rush out and buy the magazine, you can be assured that the magazine has plenty of other great images and features to justify the cost!

May I take this opportunity to say 'welcome' to any readers of the magazine who have taken the time to visit my site - I hope you enjoyed my story and I would love to read your comments!

2009 Photography Workshops

The workshop schedule for 2009 is due to be announced on the 1st November 2008, and I am pleased to announce that a number of changes have been made to the structure including a new, lower price!

The forthcoming 2009 workshops will be entirely based in the North East of England, a logical progression if you consider that the area is not only incredibly photogenic but also on my own doorstep - meaning that I will be in a position to show you some hidden gems of the North East.

The new structure of the workshops will mean that the days are slightly shorter than the previous dawn to dusk workshops - a frequent request from our participants last year. However, we will ensure that you will be on location for a chance to shoot images during the 'golden hour' either at sunrise or sunset - depending on the location.

The cost for the workshops has been slashed to only £50 per person - and you can save another 20% simply by signing up for the newsletter and being among the first to receive the details of the forthcoming 2009 photography workshop schedule.

Click here to subscribe to the photography workshop newsletter

Whilst you wait for the 2009 dates to be announced, may I remind you that places are still available for the Lancaster Fireworks Display photography workshop. Also, why don't you take a look at the images captured by our clients during 2008.

New Prints Available!

After the successful launch of Jason Friend Prints earlier this year, I am delighted to announce that a number of new images have been added to the collection and are now available as a range of prints & gifts, all of which can be ordered securely online at www.jasonfriendprints.com.

The landscape of Northern England provides the subjects for the new additions to the collection, which includes a selection of new images from Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Why don't you take a look yourself? Click here to visit www.jasonfriendprints.com!