Photographing the photogenic FAROE ISLANDS
This past May I joined a F/8 Faroe Islands landscape photography workshop, as a way to see the Faroe Islands, and pick up some new landscape photography skills to improve my travel photography! I first heard about the Faroe Islands when I was in Denmark on a college study abroad trip, when I made some Faroese friends, and learned that there are these isolated islands in between Norway and Iceland that are governed by Denmark. There are 18 islands that make up the Faroe Islands, and most of the islands are connected by bridges and tunnels. Only 50,000 people live in the Faroe Islands, which they share with millions of sheep.
I have really wanted to visit the Faroe Islands, because I love wild and rugged islands, and I absolutely ADORE colorful little Scandinavian country houses. I don’t understand why Americans don’t paint their houses bright red, yellow, and black with white trim, and grow grass on their roofs…
So I know my way around a camera, but I have always approached photography in a quick, point-and-shoot sort of way. I had been following Zoe Timmers, a popular Instagrammer, and I was in love with of her photos of the Faroe Islands and puffins that she had posted from the prior year's photo workshop. This year Zoe announced that she was hosting a Faroe Islands photo workshop again, so I didn’t hesitate to sign up immediately. I’m not really a workshop type of person, but I thought this trip would be one that I could do solo, and I wouldn’t have to do much planning myself. I usually do an exhausting amount of research for my trips, so the idea of just showing up and being taken to all the best places to take photos sounded fabulous. The price was pretty reasonable for 7 days accommodation, transportation, many meals, for a small group of 10 participants to 3 instructors, so I booked it. I mentioned the trip to my sister, Noele (who is also a photographer) and she decided to join me!
Our workshop days consisted of waking up in the morning and driving out to various locations where we would often head out on a long, wet hike to an unbelievably scenic vista; a mountaintop or cliffside overlooking an adorable little town of grass-roofed houses, glorious fjords, waterfalls, or a shear cliff plunging into the raging sea (sometimes the view would incorporate all of the above!).
The workshop was one of the most fun trips I’ve taken. It felt like summer camp to be together each day and traveling to different locations with this random group of people while we got to know one another. I immediately became friends with Zoe and the two instructors, landscape travel photographers Conor McNeill and Jeff Bartlett, and our time together was filled with so many laughs and smiles that my face hurt. In addition to being the workshop's yellow jacketed, blue-haired goofball, I actually learned quite a lot of tips and technical knowledge from Conor and Jeff. I learned some new tricks for processing my shots in Lightroom, and I of course got plenty of training about setting up and taking long exposure shots of waterfalls.
Clockwise from top left: standing looking back at Gjov, Old town Torshavn, taking in the view of Gasadalur Village, fjords at Gjógv, sister Noele enjoys some tea
