Photographing Scotland: The Most Beautiful Places to Visit

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While you aren’t likely to get a snap of Nessie, you will still be able to admire the beautiful countryside here around the most famous loch in the world. This large and deep freshwater loch has very murky water, which means it can create some interesting images as the appearance of the water may be different than in other locations. Having covered some of my favourite photography locations on the North Coast 500, here are a few tips to help you get the best shots as you go. To the eastern side of the national park, you’ll find Royal Deeside and the iconic town of Braemar. Home of the world famous Braemar Gathering, heading west from the town along the river Dee for a few miles will take you into complete wilderness. This will help draw your viewer into the scene, and if there’s a colourful car on the road it can help tell a story too. This is a journey that is very much about the road, so including it in some of your photos is definitely a good way to share your adventure with the people looking at the photos.

Knowing locations is an immensely important part of any photography trip. But to take good pictures, we need to come prepared. So the next few sections are all about the gear and resources that will help you when traveling to Scotland. Recommended Camera Gear From the car park, you can see both migrating whales and also nesting puffins, depending on the time of year. The town of John O’Groats is famous in the UK for being the most northern point in the UK, although that title is actually slightly misleading – the nearby location of Dunnet Head is in fact the most northerly point on the island. Instead, John O’Groats is the town which is the furthest away from another inhabited part of the UK – Lands End in Cornwall. Glen Brittle, on the southern side of the island, features the River Brittle and several tributaries that form waterfalls and the Fairy Pools.In terms of technical information, it all depends on the lighting conditions, type of shot you are after, and whether you’re using a wide-angle or telephoto lens. But here are a few general rules I use or think about when photographing otters:

Composition is a key part of photography. I wrote a whole post on composition, so I won’t go into it in detail here, but on the North Coast 500, my advice is to take advantage of the beautiful roads that wind through the highland scenery in your compositions. When it comes to traveling, Scotland isn’t much different from other European countries. Still, there are a couple of peculiarities that should be taken into account when planning a photography trip there.There are four different species of Puffins, Atlantic, Tufted and Horned plus the differently named Rhinoceros Auklet (sometimes known as a unicorn or horn-billed puffin). Of these four species, the Atlantic Puffin is the one most commonly found in Europe. Over 90% of the world’s Atlantic Puffins are found within Europe, with 60% found in Iceland. What’s the best time of year to see puffins?

If you are an adventure photographer, you have a few options for hiking and climbing the mountains of this valley. But if you prefer easy locations, besides the previous waterfalls, you also will find famous film locations in this valley. Near the carpark is a shoreline beach area with foreground boulders and lead-in lines. There are a few lone trees and an old castle ruin on an island in the centre of the loch, which work well if included in longer telephoto images. Having a camera up in the air opens up a whole array of new and exciting creative possibilities. Even the most recognizable sights look different from higher up allowing you to capture some unique compositions. I would love to return there at some point. One week was barely enough to scratch the surface of what this beautiful country has to offer. And if you’re looking for a great place to enjoy the scenery and do some landscape photography, I wholeheartedly recommend it. Today, the landscaped gardens are a rather nicer environment, particularly popular in the summer as a place to relax and take in the views. And what views they are – with the wonderful Edinburgh Castle providing the centre point for your photography efforts!For wildlife photography, you’ll want a long, fast lens. I shot these with a 70-200 f/2.8 lens, letting me fill the frame with the deer. Another way to get really close up shots is to take a tour with Colin Murdoch in Reraig Forest. Colin is an expert deerstalker who manages a herd of deer in this forest, and he’ll take you to meet his beautiful deer. They’ll get within touching distance, affording you plenty of photography opportunities, so if it’s deer photos you want, this is definitely the place to come. Looking for somewhere to stay on the Shetlands? Then use the map below to find your perfect accommodation. I’ve already mentioned the midges. Believe me, all the horror stories you might’ve heard about them are true. It’s extremely hard to concentrate on the composition while being eaten alive. And that’s exactly what happens in the Highlands in summer.