https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/home daily 1.0 2025-11-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748343898911-A2O1KYV2PIR919XY7H16/gambia-nj_282.jpg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748343899224-YG1WBGQPM32DNB3A6QFG/gambia-nj_401.jpg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/470f774b-30b5-49c7-91bf-339e0e57e573/2025-05-26_0016.jpg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748218376009-K1TO44FYQAG0CBO0OCX2/2025-05-26_0025.jpg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/682a1eb2-61bc-4fcc-a08d-e1eec0d1b43e/_MG_6741.jpg HOME https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/4f7289d1-c0ce-461f-a7f9-3b1bbb20421d/_MG_4514-Edit.jpg HOME https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/india-26-photography-adventure daily 0.75 2026-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/7e88127e-5428-4c60-bad6-e03525e736fb/DSC_1032-2.jpg INDIA '26 - Make it stand out Arrival in Kolkata Your adventure begins as you arrive in the vibrant city of Kolkata. From the moment you land, you’ll be met by our friendly team, who’ll assist with your transfer to the hotel. Take time to unwind, settle in, and shake off the journey. There’s a rich and colourful nine days ahead. Welcome Dinner That evening, we gather for a relaxed welcome dinner hosted by Neale and Shivam. It’s our first chance to connect as a group, sharing stories, laughter, and the first of many memorable meals together. You’ll also have an informal opportunity to chat with our guide team about your photography: what excites you, what you’re hoping to learn, so they can tailor their guidance to support your creative goals throughout the journey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1f0630fb-48bc-4d15-b5dc-1e260be8b49a/IMG_2298.jpg INDIA '26 - Make it stand out Street Life & Creative Corners Morning Session: Street Walk & Metal Market We head out early to explore Kolkata’s old colonial-style streets, bathed in the soft, golden light of morning. These lanes are rich with everyday theatre, chai sellers setting up, street barbers at work, and a rhythm of life that’s quietly captivating. We’ll also visit the fascinating Metal Market, where light filters beautifully through worn windows, and the morning rituals of workers provide moments made for framing. Evening Session: Kumartuli: The Potter’s Lane In the late afternoon, we find the soulful neighbourhood of Kumartuli, where clay and devotion come together. This is where artisans sculpt deities by hand, their workspaces alive with colour, texture, and tradition. We’ll wander through the narrow lanes, capturing both the artistry and character of the surrounding Bengali neighbourhood, including nearby paper and textile workshops, each with its own visual story to tell. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748102480726-KJSHZDYZUD6Z5JF4ODDI/shivam_photofarm-1050631.JPG INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748102481398-KBN2KDQG1HXYVXBNJBHB/IMG_3360.JPG INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748102482348-TIPHT7S3QFGXJJPQGUW2/L1000317.JPG INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748102483109-JXT127D52ZX6DMQ4D622/L1000735.JPG INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/97dc2ba0-d93c-47c4-9e2c-ce52a55bb35f/2025-05-24_0001.jpg INDIA '26 - Make it stand out Muscle, Motion & Market Life Morning Session: Wrestling by the River We begin the day at the banks of the Ganges, where tradition meets raw strength. You'll have the rare chance to photograph pehlwans, traditional Indian wrestlers, training in open-air akharas beneath the iconic silhouette of the Howrah Bridge. This ancient form of kushti wrestling offers a powerful visual narrative: bodies in motion, dust rising, early light carving out texture and form. It’s an experience that’s as much about culture as it is about composition. Evening Session: Koley Market & Sealdah Station In the evening, we move into the thick of Kolkata’s everyday pulse. First stop: Koley Market, a riot of colour and movement, where vendors, porters, and traders fill the narrow walkways in a symphony of sights and sounds. From here, we continue to Sealdah—one of India’s busiest railway stations. It’s a masterclass in street photography: crowded platforms, quiet exchanges, trains slipping in and out like clockwork, and brief, beautiful moments of stillness hidden in the noise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104097392-64F8G8IRA9EXV1E44LQR/2025-05-24_0002.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104097637-WB9TMS947617N8HKNF76/2025-05-24_0003.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/5d15ebbf-95c7-40c0-8428-88e7e2f1a1ab/2025-05-24_0004.jpg INDIA '26 - Make it stand out Colours, Bridges & Backseat Stories Morning Session: Flower Market & Across the River We begin at first light with a visit to Kolkata’s famous flower market, a riot of colour sprawled along the banks of the Hooghly River. It’s a place where petals fly, trade hums, and morning rituals unfold with quiet intensity. From here, you’ll have a striking view of the Howrah Bridge, its steel frame catching the soft glow of the rising sun, an iconic backdrop for thoughtful, layered compositions. We’ll also explore the opposite bank of the river, offering fresh perspectives and quieter pockets of life beyond the usual path. Evening Session: Yellow Taxi Ride In the evening, it’s time to climb into one of Kolkata’s most beloved icons, the vintage yellow Ambassador taxi. For four hours, we’ll weave through the city, stopping en-route, following a curated route that takes us through neighbourhoods rich in character. Photograph life as it happens through the taxi’s worn glass: children playing, street vendors at dusk, shopfronts flickering to life. It’s an intimate, cinematic way to see the city, from the backseat, with your camera as a companion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104356474-TERBYS2UHTQMXW9MF7IO/2025-05-24_0005.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104356069-ZQH5KAIPX9MR8D6OF5OH/2025-05-24_0006.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104358885-91RUZRXQM01DF8T6I2JV/2025-05-24_0007.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104360664-KPC8TV28FTWATTT7TELC/2025-05-24_0008.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/0c7009b1-45eb-435e-83c8-a1343248897f/2025-05-24_0009.jpg INDIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104672206-3H2FFLE6GMUT49691Z9P/2025-05-24_0011.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104673271-Q9W5FXZ8GDG98USLID49/2025-05-24_0012.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/878fea3e-cb16-4183-8006-387b76606738/2025-05-24_0013.jpg INDIA '26 - Make it stand out Light, Ritual & Life in the Lanes Morning Session: Blue Hour Aarti & Ghat Walk We begin in the half-light of dawn, as the city stirs gently awake. The Blue Hour Aarti, held before sunrise on the sacred ghats, is a quiet, powerful ritual of light and devotion. Oil lamps flicker, priests chant, and the Ganges reflects the first blush of morning. It’s a moment of calm reverence that offers extraordinary stillness and photographic beauty. After the Aarti, we’ll walk the length of the ghats as Varanasi reveals itself, step by step. Pilgrims bathe in the holy river, sadhus sit in meditation, incense curls into the sky, and the early light paints everything gold. It’s a time when the city feels both ancient and intimately alive. Evening Session: The Back Alleys of Varanasi In the evening, we leave the river and disappear into the maze behind it. The back alleys of Varanasi are a world of their own—twisting passages where life spills out in slow motion. We’ll photograph the small details that make this city unforgettable: the chai wallahs and wandering cows, faded hand-painted signs, shrines tucked into corners, and the stories written into every cracked wall and weathered doorway. It’s a walk through time, colour, and quiet wonder. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104845077-UVVC902NRR5W7PPSYID3/2025-05-24_0014.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748104844987-IDRHYGYJS0T7I28M0N5R/2025-05-24_0010.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/8f090333-6718-4091-b199-f3acc20f109c/2025-05-24_0015.jpg INDIA '26 - Make it stand out River Light & Rural Grit Morning Session: Sunrise Boat Ride & Wrestling at Tulsi Ghat We begin at first light with a boat ride along the Ganges. This is a moving vantage point to witness Varanasi coming to life. The soft, golden light of dawn washes over the ancient ghats as bathers step into the holy river, priests chant prayers, and smoke from incense curls into the morning sky. It’s an unforgettable visual symphony of mist, movement, and centuries-old ritual, seen from the quiet glide of a wooden boat. After the ride, we return to land at Tulsi Ghat, where the energy shifts. Here, traditional pehelwans train in open-air wrestling pits, akharas that have stood for generations. The combination of sweat, dust, and discipline creates a powerful contrast to the river’s calm, offering raw, physical storytelling through the lens. Post-Breakfast Session: Brickfields on the Outskirts of Varanasi Mid-morning, we travel to the edges of the city, where the air turns earthy and the skyline flattens into stacks of freshly made bricks. These brickfields are alive with industry: labourers shaping clay, loading kilns, and carrying bricks in a rhythm that speaks of both resilience and repetition. The palette is subdued, rust red, ochre, sun-bleached white, but the stories here are vivid, and the interplay of light and dust creates some of the most compelling, documentary-rich frames of the journey. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748105035074-1TE9TRZ3373U9FYFS29M/2025-05-24_0016.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748105036565-9WYKLOJLPJU4YJ11H858/2025-05-24_0017.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748105039423-G8645TQFIBNPU1RP5CR4/2025-05-24_0018.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748105040982-1ZU5L8RJW3VXBE8I656X/2025-05-24_0019.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/0d97d344-2b70-46fa-8772-6f00f69f0fa9/2025-05-24_0020.jpg INDIA '26 - Make it stand out River Mystics & Firelight Farewell Morning Session: Babas on the Boat & Across the River This morning, we set out onto the Ganges once again, but this time, with Sadhus as our companions. These wandering ascetics, draped in ochre robes and steeped in silence, bring a quiet intensity to the boat ride. As the boat drifts through still waters in the soft early light, the setting becomes something almost unreal, spiritual, surreal, and deeply photogenic. Afterwards, we cross to the far bank of the river, a space that feels like another world entirely. Here, away from the energy of the ghats, the landscape opens up into wide sandbanks and quiet stretches of sky. Makeshift tents, distant figures, and moments of deep solitude offer a minimalist canvas for storytelling through stillness. Evening Session: Ganga Evening Aarti As night falls, we return to the river’s edge to witness one of Varanasi’s most iconic rituals, the Ganga Aarti. Priests in flowing robes perform this ceremony in perfect synchrony, lifting blazing lamps toward the heavens as chants and bells echo across the water. The flames flicker, the crowd falls into hushed reverence, and the reflections on the river turn golden. It’s a fitting finale to our time here—intimate, powerful, and utterly unforgettable through the lens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/f025ea20-75d9-40e8-a96b-4267b9ab10d3/2025-05-24_0021.jpg INDIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748105477651-S0XSNRQJZHD4NRRFD7MG/2025-05-24_0022.jpg INDIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748105483148-GZK7CF3MOBVGRT74XDWC/2025-05-24_0023.jpg INDIA '26 https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/mongolia-26-photography-adventure daily 0.75 2026-01-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/d479c831-496d-4518-971a-47818d42a122/Ulaanbaatar%2C_Mongolia_%2834712973823%29.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out You arrive in Mongolia’s capital, a place where golden temple spires rise above Soviet-era blocks and the scent of grilled meat mingles with incense. After transferring to the hotel, there’s time to rest and adjust. As the sun lowers, the streets hum: schoolchildren walk home in neat uniforms, street vendors fan smoky fires, and prayer flags ripple in the breeze. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/fedc02a9-db56-4ed9-b355-09edc0e1c7ba/_MG_0129.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out We begin at Gandan Monastery, wrapped in the murmured chants of monks and the swirl of incense rising to meet immense, gilded statues. Then to the city's fringe: the ger districts, where life spills into dusty alleys, cooking fires, painted doors, laughter over steaming bowls. At Sukhbaatar Square and the sprawling Naran Tuul market, colour and texture collide: silk bolts, saddle leather, enamel bowls. Later, an intimate theatre performance brings traditional music and dance alive before dinner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/dde0c6f6-54f9-4623-a833-7037f9f0cf3a/_MG_0122.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/77367b56-c24e-42e8-ac41-494d65887bca/_MG_0215.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out A morning climb to Zaisan Monument rewards us with a bird’s-eye view of the city stretching to green hills. Nearby, the Winter Palace of the Bogd Khan offers a glimpse of vanished worlds—leopard-skin thrones, ceremonial masks, and relics of spiritual grandeur. After lunch, we load up into our UAZ vans and head west, where the air feels wilder. Khustai National Park unfolds in waves of gold and green; marmots dart, and as twilight settles, wild horses move like shadows. Tonight, we sleep in a traditional ger, welcomed by a local family beneath the wide Mongolian sky. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/36c477a4-bf09-4a2c-b6fa-7424ef6f1f41/_MG_0235.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1b21f36c-424c-449a-adce-7fbe59cf4897/_MG_0140.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out Morning takes us deeper into Mongolia’s heart. We explore the wind-worn ruins of Uvgun Khiid, once echoing with monastic chants, now perfumed with sage and thyme. Further west, the Elsen Tasarkhai dunes rise from the earth, soft gold underfoot, quiet as snowfall. Here we meet a camel herding family, their rhythms shaped by sand and sky. A chance to ride across the silence, to photograph slow-moving grace. As dusk falls, we settle into our nearby camp, the desert turning lavender beneath a rising moon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/4f7289d1-c0ce-461f-a7f9-3b1bbb20421d/_MG_4514-Edit.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/f3328a9a-df75-49db-b1b5-138e4b9db3b0/_MG_0623.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out We travel westward through a land rich with memory to Kharkhorin, once a short-lived capital of the Mongol Empire. Here, we photograph stone turtles and the wide sweep of the river from above. At the local market, spices, yak cheese, and hand-dyed wool offer sensory vignettes of Mongolian life. Later, we’re welcomed into the home of Purevnambar, artist and sea buckthorn farmer. The scent of woodsmoke and citrus fills the air as we sip hot juice bright as sunrise. Before dusk, we visit the Erdeneslin Khuree calligraphy centre. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/e6ac0ab9-7d4e-4444-88c2-60b49988aa1a/_MG_2543.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/9c64e11c-10b1-40aa-8792-8d6b3dcaf376/denis-zavialov-9ErkpQrw_no-unsplash.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out As first light brushes the sky, we join morning prayers at Erdene Zuu Monastery. Stupas cast long shadows across the grass as monks chant in low, rhythmic tones. After time to absorb the peace, we begin our journey back to Ulaanbaatar, pausing for lunch along the way. Tonight, we settle just outside the city—an interlude of calm before our flight west. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/bf215958-d2f5-4a84-a9bc-5e2733dc99f9/_MG_1123.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out We board a flight to Bayan-Ölgii, where Mongolia shifts into something more Central Asian. In Ulgii, Kazakh script graces the shopfronts and the aroma of grilled kebabs drifts through the air. We wander quiet streets, visit a modest museum, and start to feel the frontier edge of this land. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/27283e60-25a8-46e3-9bc2-ccefb37ae69d/_MG_0918.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748162224980-CIQJBP7I75F2EM2GOCZC/_MG_1204.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748162225479-01QG5EYVCAE9AA5FSD20/_MG_0195.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/168397e2-7574-47e0-9e90-b339ea1a8579/_MG_4399.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out We spend these days immersed in the life of the camp. We watch as Shokhan trains his eagle—arm extended, eyes locked, the bird slicing through sky. There is time for portraiture, quiet observation, and shared tasks: milking goats, baking bread, preparing airag. We move with the rhythm of the land, camera in hand, senses open. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/fc08a252-b9dc-475c-96aa-20130678790c/_MG_4221.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748162962986-9LLEDKKFIAX4DVRLUR5Z/_MG_4568.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748162962893-6XE9DZJ2Y5P7X4XTHZRR/_MG_6039.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748162965366-RI0WDTYYKFQFZO9YK9WV/_MG_6104.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748162965374-9JEK3Y137KFMVUMGDN5J/_MG_6054.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/b1e38239-1498-4bc4-8bbc-8567b727cb73/_MG_7072.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out We journey to Altansogts and settle beside the Hovd River, where gers bloom like white petals along the bank. This is our festival camp—rustic, spirited, and full of promise. Tonight, we feast beneath the stars on Beshparmak and listen to Kazakh music ripple across the grass. The air is electric with anticipation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/682a1eb2-61bc-4fcc-a08d-e1eec0d1b43e/_MG_6741.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748169418127-G02RJ3KL8LLABZL319S0/_MG_6916-Edit.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748169417859-QZVE3MY3Q0A1330MK48T/_MG_7293.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748169419357-J3LS5I1OZ1444B5EAH0E/_MG_7365-Edit.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748169420034-QDLTYQMTNC2UAMJ4X773/_MG_7440.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748169700829-BV6AU63GZGDQI310DIMZ/_MG_5342.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748169700598-5UTKIZUVW02L4B1UC78S/_MG_1693.jpg MONGOLIA '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/b40ed9d8-cc58-4c60-9ad0-39eadc1f2024/_MG_0385.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out We depart our camps and fly back to the capital for our final night. There’s time to visit local craftspeople or simply walk the city with new eyes. At dinner, we raise a glass—to the stories we’ve heard, the images we’ve captured, and the moments that took root. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/145b75af-d488-4811-8b0d-38a03eb000d5/_MG_2592.jpg MONGOLIA '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/privacy-cookies-policy-the-journey-beyond daily 0.75 2025-05-26 https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/contact-page daily 0.75 2025-05-25 https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/about daily 0.75 2025-05-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/38acf14d-081c-476d-8eb5-ae8ce49c63b8/FullSizeRender+6.jpg ABOUT https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/3a752224-b508-482b-9fd8-4d6fc4f7eab1/square-nj-2018-web-bw2.jpg ABOUT https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/scotland-25 daily 0.75 2025-05-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/f0f4e28e-7d53-4b99-8483-ea6f57584e34/2025-05-26_0001.jpg SCOTLAND '25 - Make it stand out We meet up with our darkroom guru Matt Sillars, as we prepare for a Welcome Nature Walk photographing with film cameras (supplied), to make an art print the following day. Following lunch we travel to Black Water Falls, a location in the Highlands to make photographs. We’ll walk and spend time together photographing the beautiful scenery we’re blessed to be spending time in this week. Lochs, mountains, rivers and waterfalls all within reach of our lens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216268816-VF6WA123YYSY465IJE95/2025-05-26_0002.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216269257-YGSKHADRAS20W63RLT3P/2025-05-26_0003.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216273067-JTS5C4ZD03JIPU8HXB75/2025-05-26_0004.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216273881-HWY5Q4YBSO7CSMR85NJB/2025-05-26_0005.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/8f700e15-bd64-4361-b02a-8bc331cdc3ca/2025-05-26_0006.jpg SCOTLAND '25 - Make it stand out We spend a day in the Inverness darkroom, producing a classic black and white art print from our nature photo walk the previous day. Whether you have processed and printed this way or not, by the afternoon you will have enjoyed the experience of seeing your work come alive under a red light. It’s a rewarding day for all those attending and come the evening you’ll be ready for a Scottish supper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216659312-H1M1G97DN6F3XKZQSUYR/2025-05-26_0007.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216658994-T0MZ640D3SF6M49WJFPY/2025-05-26_0008.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216662430-ZEV8J8S5LE1XSNHYU5OU/2025-05-26_0009.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216662684-OMRCTD1QHEZR9MQPIELF/2025-05-26_0010.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/e39a98c1-1803-483f-9fad-a17a7829f379/2025-05-26_0011.jpg SCOTLAND '25 - Make it stand out Photography is a way of sharing our wonder for the world pictorially and emotionally, though articulating our experiences as short stories, prose, poems, or curated thoughts for social media is a skill seldom discussed in photographic circles. In the morning, we’ll be joined by author Merryn Glover, who writes fiction, drama, poetry and non-fiction, with work widely published and broadcast on the BBC. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748279317994-G8JKMIMTE2KF6MUZEBSE/2025-05-26_0028.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217504606-V7MSSYXVXAJS6E1HH593/2025-05-26_0012.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217503897-KUO37JPYWOWH5C6HJHD5/2025-05-26_0013.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748279317496-1YQF2VC5CBBV5706KAKH/2025-05-26_0029.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/44c0fde7-8641-468e-8e1d-ce5bc5f4804f/2025-05-26_0027.jpg SCOTLAND '25 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/470f774b-30b5-49c7-91bf-339e0e57e573/2025-05-26_0016.jpg SCOTLAND '25 - Make it stand out As presenter and producer of The Photowalk podcast, I’d like to help you find the sound of your pictures. Working in radio and sound for 35 years, two decades alongside my work as a professional photographer, sound continues to be a pivotal part of my creative toolbox when creating and telling my photographic stories. I’ll be helping you to create a new storytelling skill combining stills and sound. During the afternoon, we’ll visit Rosehaugh Estate, where we’ll make a photographic soundscape. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217913733-D90LN62933UUNEAL1W81/2025-05-26_0017.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217913069-GY2TOHX1P3GM8Z3RLOTX/2025-05-26_0018.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217917752-FHGSXO96VS6SLDQ04R06/2025-05-26_0020.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217917419-NG0G4CV4J32980D5ISNK/2025-05-26_0019.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/75ade191-d99e-4713-bca7-f4515e9b4f16/2025-05-26_0021.jpg SCOTLAND '25 - Make it stand out The Photowalk Retreat is an opportunity to enjoy time with like-minded friends and occasionally alone with your thoughts in the glens. We'll make pictures, talk about photography enveloped by and in the beautiful scenery we're blessed to be only a short drive away from, on our Black Isle base. The fifth day of the retreat is a day of relaxed photowalking, with a visit to Loch an Eilein in the Rothiemurchus Forest near Aviemore, before returning to our base for a farewell dinner where we'll share our favourite photographs of the week. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748218372362-1KA0BKUMUXZ0V07FAWER/2025-05-26_0022.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748218372599-J9QR428PXK5J87R73DY5/2025-05-26_0023.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748218375531-CM650F86U2O6O4I2B92O/2025-05-26_0024.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748218376009-K1TO44FYQAG0CBO0OCX2/2025-05-26_0025.jpg SCOTLAND '25 https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/mongolia-travel-advice daily 0.75 2025-05-26 https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/scotland-26 daily 0.75 2025-12-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/f0f4e28e-7d53-4b99-8483-ea6f57584e34/2025-05-26_0001.jpg SCOTLAND '26 - Make it stand out On our first day together, we’ll walk the banks of the Black Water, a stretch of Highland river known for its mirror-still pools alongside exciting rapid flowing fresh water, and the scent of Scots pine carried on the breeze, to make our first photographs, exploring how sound can deepen the stories we tell through our images in a hands-on mini-workshop on field recording. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216268816-VF6WA123YYSY465IJE95/2025-05-26_0002.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216269257-YGSKHADRAS20W63RLT3P/2025-05-26_0003.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216273067-JTS5C4ZD03JIPU8HXB75/2025-05-26_0004.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748216273881-HWY5Q4YBSO7CSMR85NJB/2025-05-26_0005.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/5b7fa90b-5905-4ece-9931-e523468b7b3b/_R000200.jpg SCOTLAND '26 - Make it stand out You’ll have the chance to create something truly rare, your own polymer photogravure, a process that bridges photography and fine art printmaking. Under gentle light, your photograph is exposed onto a light-sensitive plate, etched, inked, and pressed by hand to reveal a print rich in tone and texture. It’s slow, tactile work, the kind that invites you to breathe, to notice, and to connect with your image in a way that pixels never could. The result is a one-of-a-kind artwork: a photograph made permanent in ink, paper, and craft; a piece of you, shaped by your own hands. Also on these days we’ll break to make photographs along the banks of the River Ness and take a dawn/dusk photowalk in local woodland to our base. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1760052682435-MRTJCHZ29G2BTV6GLKMX/_R000522.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1760052681974-W306GSO9FJT8SN7X9MEX/_R000527.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1760052683290-ZPCYJUJU3UQOC2C9PHM4/L1016730.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1760052683682-1T6VA5MU0L7A1BJDC43W/L1016732.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1760052684935-G103K61B3ZZ3VSIRWL2T/L1019347.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1760052685284-CA9Q0PZWDWZN6Y7E9M6I/Polish.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1760052686246-TQZC5DLTZPJ4CSDK34SH/Print.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1760052686665-OM7S81ZVTKYSBX6Q5L96/Brushing+2.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/e39a98c1-1803-483f-9fad-a17a7829f379/2025-05-26_0011.jpg SCOTLAND '26 - Make it stand out Photography is a way of sharing our wonder for the world pictorially and emotionally, though articulating our experiences as short stories, prose, poems, or curated thoughts for social media is a skill seldom discussed in photographic circles. In the morning, we’ll be joined by author Merryn Glover, who writes fiction, drama, poetry and non-fiction, with work widely published and broadcast on the BBC. In the afternoon we’ll be visit a beautiful Highlands location to put our writing into practise. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748279317994-G8JKMIMTE2KF6MUZEBSE/2025-05-26_0028.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217504606-V7MSSYXVXAJS6E1HH593/2025-05-26_0012.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217503897-KUO37JPYWOWH5C6HJHD5/2025-05-26_0013.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748279317496-1YQF2VC5CBBV5706KAKH/2025-05-26_0029.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217913733-D90LN62933UUNEAL1W81/2025-05-26_0017.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217913069-GY2TOHX1P3GM8Z3RLOTX/2025-05-26_0018.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217917752-FHGSXO96VS6SLDQ04R06/2025-05-26_0020.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748217917419-NG0G4CV4J32980D5ISNK/2025-05-26_0019.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/75ade191-d99e-4713-bca7-f4515e9b4f16/2025-05-26_0021.jpg SCOTLAND '26 - Make it stand out The Photowalk Retreat is an opportunity to enjoy time with like-minded friends and occasionally alone with your thoughts in the glens. We'll make pictures, talk about photography enveloped by and in the beautiful scenery we're blessed to be only a short drive away from, on our Black Isle base. The fifth day of the retreat is a day of relaxed photowalking, with a visit to Loch Maree, before returning to our base for a farewell dinner where we'll share our favourite photographs of the week. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748218372362-1KA0BKUMUXZ0V07FAWER/2025-05-26_0022.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748218372599-J9QR428PXK5J87R73DY5/2025-05-26_0023.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748218375531-CM650F86U2O6O4I2B92O/2025-05-26_0024.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/1748218376009-K1TO44FYQAG0CBO0OCX2/2025-05-26_0025.jpg SCOTLAND '26 https://www.thejourneybeyond.uk/venice-26-phototrip daily 0.75 2025-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/36a869d8-500a-46ed-bc4e-c4ef356b5e43/_LF_3121.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out We gather in the lounge at Hotel Ala, our comfortable base for the long weekend of photography ahead, a chance to meet one another properly, and share what we’re hoping to achieve from our days together in Venice, after which we’ll take our first steps into La Serenissima. As the city slips into blue hour, and then night, we walk from the steps of the Salute to the point of Punta della Dogana, watching lights shimmer across the Grand Canal to San Marco. Then into the quieter Dorsoduro backstreets, getting our bearings over bridges and narrow fondamenta, starting to feel the rhythm of the place. Tomorrow, Venice reveals more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/33deed97-ce9e-4df7-b71a-a883bb8327c5/_LF_4921-Edit-2-Edit.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/c307abc1-95ec-4a1d-87cd-4704056bf164/_LF_4217.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Dawn (pre-breakfast) We head out before the city wakes, to the gondolas by the Doge’s Palace with San Giorgio Maggiore resting quietly across the water. Soft light, gentle lapping, and that first moment where Venice feels like it belongs only to us. Back to the hotel for breakfast and warm hands. Morning A slow wander through Dorsoduro, watching everyday craft unfold. We pause by the Squero di San Trovaso to observe gondola builders shaping the city’s most famous boats from across the canal. Then the wide steps of the Salute, the dome catching the low sun, before a coffee stop along the Zattere waterfront where life moves at its own pace. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/bfa3cc1a-1a17-48ab-992e-293964126f53/_LF_2937.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Lunch in Campo Santa Margherita. If the market is out, it’s a lively backdrop. Time for a little journalling or simply taking in the sounds of a real neighbourhood going about its day. Afternoon brings a visit to one of Venice’s working ateliers. Choose between the sculptural curves of a forcola workshop or the bright theatre of a mask-maker’s studio. A short, respectful glimpse into traditions kept alive by skilled hands. Sunset → Blue hour. Over the water again at Accademia Bridge or the Zattere, the sky and canal trade colours as evening arrives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/05749c67-ffee-471b-ae95-6dcf75ce05d6/_LF_4315.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out After dark, a gentle loop through the canals around San Barnaba and San Trovaso. Reflections stretch across the water, footsteps echo softly, and the lamps turn every bridge into a photograph waiting to be made. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/c3e55286-6340-4fc7-b6c1-ce48454b6131/_LF_4911-Edit.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/e4513301-5e89-4ffb-8cf9-ec7cb09fbecf/luca-bravo-UKJev6G45f0-unsplash.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Pre-breakfast An early start at the Rialto Market. The Pescheria’s stone floors are still wet from the morning haul, voices quick and purposeful as chefs and neighbours make their choices for the day. We move lightly through the bustle, noticing the colour, the gestures, and the small dramas between stallholders and regulars. A respectful, swift session, this is their workplace and rhythm. Late morning Into the calm of the Frari. Cool air, footsteps soft on the stone, a feeling of space to think while the city outside speeds up. Just a short walk away, San Rocco surrounds us with dark wood and lofty canvases. We take our time here, soaking in scale and light before a well-earned coffee at a nearby café. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/4690fe2e-423f-4bbd-8661-bbc6cb6f200a/_LF_0896.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Afternoon Across to Castello for a slower, more local rhythm. A short stop at Libreria Acqua Alta, a beautifully chaotic corner where stories pile into bathtubs to escape the tides. Then along Via Garibaldi, where laundry, chatter, and everyday errands set the soundtrack. We carry on to San Pietro di Castello, a grassy, unhurried island that feels almost like a village in its own right. The light softens, shadows lengthen, and the lagoon seems to breathe. Did someone say Garibaldi? Blue hour and night Evening settles by the Arsenale basin — brick walls and quiet quays reflected in still water. Then, Riva degli Schiavoni after dark, the waterfront mostly emptied of crowds, giving us room to play with long exposures and the hush of the lagoon beyond. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/a04b8775-b0bf-4403-b212-43a2f1d74fdb/_LF_0881.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/0436a030-4606-43e8-b1d7-e9cc1942b5ed/_LF_1260.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Morning A short vaporetto ride takes us to San Michele, the island of cypresses and quiet footsteps. We move slowly, noticing weathered stone and soft light on marble, giving space to the people who come here to remember. Architecture, atmosphere, and the sense of time passing — we photograph carefully and respectfully. Afternoon Back across the water into Cannaregio, where canals narrow and daily life unfolds without fuss. We wander through side streets and into the historic Jewish Ghetto, pausing outside synagogues and bakeries, finding those gentle moments of neighbours chatting, children playing, laundry shifting in the breeze. Nothing staged, nothing rushed, just scenes that belong to those who live here. Evening As the day thins out, we head for the Zattere or the quays looking toward Giudecca. The skyline takes on its evening glow, colours softening across the water. Later, near the hotel, a final stroll with our cameras, lamps mirrored in canals and a kind of hush that feels like Venice whispering goodnight. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/11869185-d61b-4128-b704-3036ba3b5b35/_LF_1380.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/682371251cfa82271c15277a/bd23bbd3-9137-4f4f-9b21-3fcc0d2c2c66/_LF_4843.jpg VENICE '26 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.