This trip was worth the wait…3 times rescheduled over a couple years (thanks to that one virus, that shall not be named). It was led by world renowned photographers; Nicole Begley (Nicole Begley Photography & Hair of the Dog Academy), Kaylee Greer, Sam Haddix (Dog Breath Photography), Charlotte Reeves (Charlotte Reeves Photography) & Craig Turner-Bullock (Furtography) and together they have Unleashed Education. 13 other photographers joined in as well. It was 5 full days of absolute photography bliss.
England, Scotland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, America, Kenya…just a few of the countries represented by those that attended. Despite that, we all shared a common bond (photography & dogs) and “spoke each other’s language.”
So what if I cried happy tears a little each day? 🥲 I’m not ashamed. It was an epic experience.
Prior to attending Barklander, 2 other awesome pet photographers and I met up in Edinburgh, Scotland, to do some sight seeing. When it took us 45 minutes to leave the airport (due to taking many many pictures), I knew I was going to be with the best company. The picture below took us about 9 takes. A fun pano trick. See us in each letter?
We did “all the things” for 4 awesome days and then ended up bringing our cameras with us as we ventured out. We ended up just asking random people if we could take pictures of their gorgeous dogs. 30 dogs total! It went something like this: “So, we’re 3 Americans in Scotland taking pictures of dogs. Mind if we take a few shots of your dog?” Luckily everyone agreed. Then we’d lay down on the sidewalk or roads and away we went.
Ah, heaven.9
Field Trip to Carrie Southerton’s Studio
On our way to the retreat, we stopped at Carolyn Cowen’s studio (Carrie Southeron Photography). I had reached out to her years ago asking about her destination dog photography experience so it was fantastic that I could finally see it in person. She and her husband, Alasdair, have quite the place and operation. Very impressive! Carolyn is an extremely talented artist. They went above and beyond for our visit. Very grateful.
Next up: Barklander Retreat!
It took place about 1.5 hours northwest of Edinburgh in a town called Killin on Loch Tay. It was simply stunning.
We all stayed at the enormous Stucktaymore house for 6 glorious nights. Our days consisted of a big breakfast (5 star chef), editing roundtable, course discussions, big lunch, more course discussions, prep for our sessions, sessions with doggy models, back to the retreat, ending with a big dinner. I’ll also mention dessert was served at lunch AND dinner. Yum, but oof!
And let’s not forget about the sheep that roamed the field daily. They were my alarm clock!
Not only did I up my game learning different techniques, I met so many fantastically talented photographers from all around the world.
Eat. Edit. Class. Eat. Class. Sessions. Eat. Visit. Post Instagram Stories (until 1am). Sleep.
Repeat for 5 days.
Session One—Loch Tay
This was my favorite session by far. With the cobblestone walls, the loch, the hills, the cool trees, there wasn’t an area not to love. My group was fabulous (Janet, Cheryl, Michelle & Kim) and we were led by the master of natural light photography, Charlotte Reeves, of Charlotte Reeves Photography located in Australia.
I’ve followed Charlotte for years, met with her online, watched her courses, and am a lifetime member of Unleashed Education, led by Charlotte and Craig Turner-Bullock (from Furtography). To finally see both of them in person was amazing.
Here are some of the images from the session…
Session Two: Glencoe, Scottish Highlands
Wow. Just wow. This place was unreal! With mountains all around, a river, tunnel, old house…it was truly unique. While we were doing the session, a large camera crew with a ginormous drone was doing some filming. Turns out they were doing it for Peloton. I might need to get one so I can relive my Glencoe adventure!
There have been plenty of movies filmed here as well; like Harry Potter and Skyfall. I can see why with a backdrop like that.
On this session, we were with the one and only Nicole Begley, master of all things with photography (nicolebegley.com) (Hair of the Dog Academy). Nicole is actually the reason I got into pet photography! I was scrolling through Facebook one day and caught a live with her talking about pet photography. That. Was. It. I never would have thought I would have been with her 4 years later in Scotland, photographing dogs. #pinchme
Although it rained a bit on and off, it was nothing like week one had so we didn’t complain. It was here that Craig helped me with doing a pano (he is the master behind them & founder of the “Dogorama”).
Here are a few from the Glencoe session…
Day Trip: Tour of Mutley’s Snaps
I’ve admired Ewan Cheyne’s (Mutley’s Snaps) work for a long time so when I found out we got to take a field trip there, I was super excited! Ewan took us from start to finish for a studio session. Man, he made the whole process look so easy! His tips and tricks were so helpful! With a one light set-up, he made the two adorable pugs look like supermodels!
Session Three Part 1: Kelpies
Aw, this was our last day of sessions…but it was fabulous under the guidance of the immensely talented Kaylee Greer (Dog Breath Photography). She has been a huge inspiration to me all these years. Not only is she off the charts with her work, she has a heart of gold. Her love for animals is off the charts.
We had a quick time at the Kelpies…but just enough to capture Milo and Monty. This was good practice with people in the background and other distractions.
Those horse heads are ginormous! Very cool.
Session Three Part Two: Finlarig Castle
Castle ruins, blue bonnets, and a beheading pit…oh my! This place was packed with character. Amazing. The possibilities were endless. Thanks to the guidance of Kaylee Greer, we were able to try out different areas/techniques. Our models were Diesel, Lexi, & Cooper—equally exceptional.
Session Pics
Mid-Week Break:
ATV and Lamb Petting
We had one free afternoon so it was off to an ATV ride in the Scottish highlands! Then the guide surprised us with little lambs to pet! Omg. Interesting Fact: If a sheep has triplets, she only cares for two and one is left on its own. So, those orphaned ones needed a little extra TLC.
House happenings…
Boy was it hard to weed through my pictures for this. I have about a gazillion more but I’ll just keep those for myself. Good for you if you made it this far!
Can’t wait for my next Barka adventure! (I’m hoping for Iceland! 😍)
