Bowmore Great Outdoors whisky tasting & photography workshop

We were recently invited to a special evening at the London branch of The Whisky Shop to celebrate an event held by Bowmore single malt whisky to celebrate the launch of the National Geographic UK 2011 International Photography Contest. The competition asks budding photographers to enter their favourite photograph for the chance to be featured in a future issue of UK National Geographic magazine and to win a trip to the isle of Islay, the home of Bowmore.

The evening was hosted by Colin Prior, renowned landscape and travel photographer. The event was an inspiring mix of photography workshop and informal whisky tasting. Throughout the evening we tasted Bowmore 12 years old, 15 years old 'Darkest' and the 18 years old.

We were handed a glass of each expression of Bowmore single malt whisky which Colin tasted with us in a refreshingly informal manner. He then got serious and ran us through a number of collections of his work while the crowd supped on their drams. All throughout the presentation Colin was imparting valuable tips and tricks to make any novice photographer get that bit more out of any holiday photos. Colin provided us with an insight into his choice of subjects, a few tales of his adventures while trying to get the 'perfect shot' and more than our fair share of helpful photography tips. we thought the best way we could pass on the experience was to pass on a few of his easy but intelligent photography tips and tricks.

Colin's Tips and Tricks
- Consider the background of any image. A simple plain background will work best for many posed images, however when the location is the key to the image ensure that you include a few key carefully positioned items in the background. Never make the background too cluttered.
- When the subject of the image is a person, make sure that their eyes are sharply in focus, as you will always look at the sharpest part of the image.
- Morning and dusk are ideal times of the day to take landscapes as the soft warm light helps bring out depth in the image making the composition feel more three dimensional.
- Use points of reference for scale. An object of know size can help give a larger object real scale and drama.
- Understand your camera's ISO. This feature is on almost all cameras and can really help you exploit the light available to you. A low ISO will suit bright sunlight and avoid images being 'washed out' while a high ISO will stop low light images being 'murky' and dull.

Have a look at some of Colin's inspiring images at www.colinprior.co.uk.
To enter the competition visit the National Geographic website. Don't dawdle. Closing date Monday 31st October 2011.