Group Storytelling Mentorship
Saturday 13th April - Sunday 14th April 2024
We are so excited to bring to you our second In Person Group Storytelling Mentorship Session. Taking place on Saturday the 13th April 2024 - Sunday the 14th April 2024 on The Isle of Skye.
With our approach to storytelling being our most commonly asked question we wanted to explore different ways in which we can truly show this and offer education on this outside of a quick reply via DM’s.
Our heart behind this has been that we wanted to create space for our mentorships to be more accessible to more people and to allow for an exploration of storytelling to take part in a more refined way. Whilst these days will allow for you to take away content for yourselves this is not a content retreat and we’ll be focusing more on how to tell stories through photography, learning about composition and our personal approach to this.
We’d be truly honoured to have you join us and we cannot wait to work with you in an expansive way.
We will be capping this event at a maximum of 6 attendees.
Tickets cost £650
Once you have preliminarily booked your spot below & filled out the information we’ll be sending you a contract and invoice via email. The invoice of the total amount can be paid in full OR a payment plan of 2 payments of £325 can be arranged also.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE
The areas of the Quiraing we will likely be shooting in, do require us to do a bit of walking with a very steep grassy section (2 mins of the walk) that will likely leave you breathless. (I have a bad knee and a bad back and I can manage this wee hike but it does often trigger my knee pain so just something to keep in mind) If this is a dealbreaker for you please let us know and we can amend the route to not include the higher viewpoint — sensible footwear is a must as is a good waterproof coat. Also if you take a look at the steep bit on the day and don’t feel comfortable with it that’s absolutely not a problem please just let us know! Your safety is the most important thing!
This Group Storytelling Mentorship does NOT include any transport*, food** or accommodation and all attendees will be expected to make their own way to and around The Isle of Skye - we will send over recommendations of accommodation and can connect you with other attendees should you wish to car pool.
The couple will NOT be in bridal - our choice for this is to keep the experience feeling as authentic as possible and to really strip back any distractions - wedding attire does play a roll in how you view the story you’re telling and can be distracting you from the real story that is lying in-front of you.
*If we do the Misty Isle Boat Trip we will cover the costs of the boat tickets.
**on the 13th we’ll have some nibbly lunch bits provided - please let us know if you have any allergies. We will NOT be providing food at any other point throughout the duration of the mentorship so we would recommend packing lots of snacks and having budget set aside for grabbing lunch together on the 14th.
Rough Itinerary:
Saturday 13th April
Meet at our home (we live near Elgol) at 1pm for a late lunch, a wee presentation on storytelling and composition, and a candid Q&A. We may then head out and take some headshots if you would like. Rough timeframes of the 13th would be 1pm - 5pm giving everyone time to check into airbnbs if people are planning on arriving to Skye on the 13th.
Sunday 14th April
Meet Declan & Olivia (our couple) in the North of Skye at 6am (exact location will be provided closer to the time). We’ll then spend a couple of hours exploring a couple of the Northern locations within Skye with Declan & Olivia. We’ll be focusing on storytelling through prompts and loose language and direction. We’ll be looking at how to use the landscape in compositions and how to not rely on the landscapes. A Very Rough Itinerary is as follows:
06:00 - Meet Declan & Olivia at the Quiriang & shoot around the Quiraing for roughly 2 hours.
08:00 - Start heading south
08:30 - Viewpoint off the Storr (if it’s a clear day)
09:00 - Head to Sligachan
09:30 - Arrive in Sligachan & take photos around here.
10:00 - Finish up at Sligachan.
THEN…
GOOD WEATHER PLAN
10:00 - Head to Deli Gasta for Brunch & a break (Lunch is not included in ticket cost)
12:00 - Head to Elgol and catch the Bella Jane Boat to Loch Coruisk - possibly stop in Torrin & take photos on Elgol Beach
14:15 - Bella Jane Sailing to Loch Coruisk - Standard 3 Hour Trip (We will cover the boat fees)
17:15 - Arrive back in Elgol - Finish up for the day - come back to ours for a cup of tea & a de-brief.
BAD WEATHER PLAN
10:00 - Head to Glenbrittle Beach or Talisker Bay Beach (both are black sand beaches)
10:35 - Arrive at the beach
11:30 - Possibly shoot at another spot in the general area
12:30 - Finish up - head back to Sligachan and go to Seamus’ bar for lunch & de-brief. (Lunch is not included in ticket cost)
The Landscapes:
Meet Declan & Olivia
So me and Olivia met through an online dating app. I’m sure some people think its not very romantic, but I feel that romance is what you make of it. The fact that two people can find each other and fall in love through any means is a miracle in its self.
We met in Glasgow in November 2022 while I was home caring for my gran who was ill. I had been living out of my van in Europe for the last 6 years and this was the first time I was home for a considerable time. Olivia was a newly qualified pharmacist starting a new job and enjoying life outside of uni. I didn’t have much free time out from caring for my gran so dating was quite difficult.
I won’t lie and neither will Olivia, our first date wasn’t great.. ahaha. I dragged my dog along because I didn’t want to leave her in the house and Olivia wasn’t much of a dog person. We were both quite shy but still had nice chat, we ended with the night with a not very good kiss and parted ways. Despite that, I still remember feeling all nice and fuzzy on the bus home.
As we met in autumn, finding fun outdoor dates can be a challenge but I’m very much a winter person so I bought Olivia a pair of ice skates as an early Christmas present in hope that the pond would freeze over at Queen’s Park in Glasgow. As luck would have it, the day after I bought the skates the temperature plummeted and the pond froze! So after work we got our skates ready (and our retro ski suits) and headed to the park. It was a magical evening, it couldn’t have been any more perfect. Ever since it has been a favourite hobby of ours, to wait patiently for a pond to freeze and take to the ice (we even managed to skate on a pond up a mountain on Skye).
In February 2023, I took Olivia on a weeks trip to Skye in my van, it was Olivias first van experience so I was nervous to see how she would adjust. After only a day I could see she absolutely loved it. I can remember on our way to Skye driving through Kyle Olivia said “ooh I wonder what the pharmacy is like here?” Who would have guessed in just a few months time we would move here and live right above that pharmacy.
Accommodation is not included but below is a list of some recommendations of where to stay on the Island.
The Cowshed - https://www.skyecowshed.co.uk (A nice hostel which does also have private cabins - this is located 1hr 16mins from our home where we’ll be meeting on day 1 and a 20min drive from the Quiriang where we’ll be meeting for the start of day 2)
The Ridge Pod - https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms (a wee cabin located just a 10minute drive away from our house where we’ll be meeting on day 1 and 1hour 50mins from the Quiriang where we’ll be meeting on day 2)
Otterburn - https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/ (another wee cabin located in the Breakish Area - 1 Hour 20 mins from the Quiriang and just half an hour from our home.
For accommodation you’ll want to try to stick around the areas along the red line on the map below to offer a minimal amount of driving.
REGISTER BELOW
* Please note places will be filled on a first come first serve basis and will only be fully confirmed when payment has been received along with a signed contract and booking form.
Once you’re sent the invoice you’ll have 2 weeks to pay (hopefully giving you time to get accommodation / travel all sorted) - if you haven’t paid in 2 weeks we’ll send a wee ‘last chance’ email and then your spot will be opened back up.
FAQs
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It very likely will - and that just adds to the story!
We would recommend investing in a cover for your camera though & if you have a dry robe to wear that too!
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No, storytelling can be streamlined into any and all love stories being documented and attire doesn’t alter this too much.
Declan & Olivia will be in Normal clothing.
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The finalised itinerary will be sent out a week before but the rough one we have above will be the basic guidelines for it!
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If you need to cancel your place you you will be refunded up until 2 weeks before. Cancellations between 2 weeks of day 1 and the day before day 1 will receive a partial refund of 50% — cancellation within 24 hours of the event will not receive a refund of any type.
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We have 0 tolerance for discrimination of any kind.
We are extremely passionate about creating a safe and welcoming space in order to protect the couples we work with we expect you to share these same values and that you are inclusive and supportive of all love regardless of Race, Gender, Identity, Sexuality, Disability, Political Views, Age, Religion or Belief.
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If you’re based in the UK you can pay the invoice via bank transfer and if you’re based outside of the UK you can pay via WISE.
All details for both will be sent along with the invoice! Any questions let us know!