Mull Summer Photography Tours

The summer Mull Photography Tours usually begin with Andy and me looking for the wildlife in advance of the guests arriving, but as we'd both spent time on Mull just a few weeks prior, there was no need for such planning in advance. We already knew where the otters would likely to be, and what other species were showing well around the isle.

Our tours generally focus on three main subjects, puffins, otters and white-tailed eagles. I know in the past, my blogs from such trips have been long and detailed most of what happened during the weeks, so this time, I'm focusing on the images, and not the tales behind each shot. Just a visual feast of what can be obtained during one of our summer tours...

Puffins

To see these charismatic birds, we take a trip with Turus Mara, out to the smaller island of Lunga. Puffins are an absolute delight to work with, and Lunga has a very healthy population of them to watch. As well as close up portraits, we aim to take shots of them in action, running if possible, but usually flying. Against the sea or sky, this is relatively easy, but against the dark, shaded cliffs, such images are much harder to achieve.

This year we were fortunate (if you can call it that) to see some rain fall when we were out there - admittedly not everyone's cup of tea, being exposed to the elements on an island with no shelter, but the rain adds something to shots, and it was the first time we had seen such conditions in all the years of visiting Lunga.

Otters

With one otter for every mile of coastline, Mull should in theory have over three hundred individuals living around it. Of course some areas of the coastline are more accessible than others, and we managed to catch up with many otters over the three weeks, unlike quite a few photographers we spoke to, who had really been struggling to find them. I guess this shows the value of knowing a place like Andy and I do, and where to look. Plus it helps when we both spend so long on the island throughout the year.

White-Tailed Eagles

After the bliss of the previous year's sailings when we were treated to t-shirt weather out on the seas, flat calm water and of course constant eagle sightings, this year's wet weather was not so welcome. While the rain can add something to shots, it also tends to close in around the boat, and can prevent or at least discourage the eagles from leaving their perches, and flying out to see us.

That said, we still managed to get some awesome encounters, and the light between downpours was rather unusual at times.

And the rest...

Of course Mull and Lunga have more to offer us than just the three main subjects, and I've included a few of my favourites of other subjects from the time spent on the islands.

I hope this photo-blog post gives a quick, visual idea of what can be achieved during one of our tours. Alternatively of course, you could book on to a private guided tour, run just by me, targeting your preferred subjects. I'm happy to run workshops for otters or eagles, or anything in between!