Dean Allan Photography Limited

14/09/2026

I’ve photographed many lighthouses around the Scottish Highlands and Islands over the years — and I still get excited every time I see one appearing on the horizon.

There’s something about photographing them that I never tire of.

Standing alone against the sea, exposed to everything the Scottish weather can throw at them, they have a wonderful sense of place, isolation and history.

Perhaps it’s the photographer in me… but I’ll never drive past a lighthouse without wondering what photograph might be there. 📷🌊

13/09/2026

Seilebost, Isle of Harris.

There are some places that never lose their impact, no matter how many times you return.

A beautiful afternoon on Harris, with the colours of the water constantly changing as the light moves across the landscape.

Just a little glimpse of where we’ve been today.

12/09/2026

📩 A new season begins…

After fifteen weeks at home, the cameras are packed and I'm heading back out on the road.

In this week's newsletter, I share a rather personal summer of change, ask whether photography workshops really are for everyone, look at the growing popularity of my private photography days and tours — and wrestle with the temptation of buying a new camera that takes me right back to where my photography began.

And at the end, four photographers and me - all from very different corners of the world are heading to a small group of islands in the Atlantic…

The Outer Hebrides are calling.

📷 Read this week's newsletter below — and if you enjoy it, you can subscribe to receive the next one

Subscribe to my newsletter and be notified first of new blogs, YouTube videos, photos and workshops, get occasional exclusive discounts on prints, workshops and any other products.

11/09/2026

Is a Photography Workshop Good for Everyone?

That’s the question I’ve tried to answer — honestly — in my latest article.

And perhaps surprisingly, my answer is no.

Photography workshops can be incredibly rewarding, but I don’t believe everybody needs one. Sometimes photographing alone is exactly what we need. Sometimes we need guidance, encouragement or simply another pair of eyes to help us see what we’re struggling to see ourselves.

My new article, “Is a Photography Workshop Good for Everyone?”, is an honest look at who I think workshops can help, who perhaps doesn’t need one, and why there really isn’t a right or wrong way to develop as a photographer.

It’s also one of several subjects I’ll be talking about in tomorrow’s newsletter, including the possible return of one my favourite and very first camera.

My newsletter has become a place where I can share a little more — thoughts about photography, creativity and learning, new articles, stories from my workshops and travels around Scotland, behind-the-scenes moments, and occasionally what’s happening in my own life away from the camera.

There’s no hard sell and no constant stream of marketing emails.

Just one newsletter, usually each Saturday, with something I hope is worth sitting down with a coffee and reading.

If that sounds like your sort of thing, subscribe today and tomorrow’s edition will be waiting for you.

And in the meantime, have a read of the new article. I’d genuinely love to know whether you agree with me.

📖 Read: “Is a Photography Workshop Good for Everyone?”
https://deanallanphotography.com/are-photography.../

📩 Subscribe to my newsletter and join me each Saturday.

https://deanallanphotography.com/newsletter/

10/09/2026

Up early this morning to collect my American client from North Carolina for a private 1-to-1 photography day along the Moray & Aberdeenshire coast.

These are just a few of the locations I’ve chosen for us to explore and photograph today — although, as always, where we end up will depend on the light, weather and conditions.

The forecast? A fairly typical Scottish mixture of rain | sunshine | wind… possibly all three within the same ten minutes! 😂

Cameras packed. Coffee required. Let’s see what the day gives us. 📷☕️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

09/09/2026

I KNOW WHAT I DID LAST SUMMER…Probably the most personal article I've written so far.....now published on my website.

https://deanallanphotography.com/i-know-what-you-did.../

I’ve been thinking a lot about this summer over the past few days.

Fifteen weeks at home sounded like such a long time back in May when I finished my 25th residential photography workshop of the winter season in Orkney.

Now, with my cameras packed and another workshop season about to begin, I’m wondering where on earth it went.

But something changed during those fifteen weeks.

I made a conscious decision to look after myself.

My right eye improved. My dry eye condition will never go away and neither will the corneal abrasion - but they are improving and under control.

I lost 48lbs and am lighter than at any time in the last 30 years.

I stopped drinking alcohol.

I walked more.

Sally and I explored the Cairngorms on our e-bikes.

And I found time for my own photography again.

Somewhere along the way, I simply began to feel better.

Healthier. Calmer. More positive. More present.

This weekend, another nine months of photography workshops begins. I’m excited—but slightly apprehensive too.

Can I hold on to some of what I’ve found this summer when life becomes busy again?

I’ve written about it in one of the most personal articles I’ve shared:

"I Know What I Did Last Summer".

If you have a few minutes, I’d love you to read it.

You can read the full article here:

https://deanallanphotography.com/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer/

08/09/2026

"I Know What I Did Last Summer…"

And no, thankfully, this isn't the beginning of a horror story. 😂

For the first time in a very long while, I had a substantial break from running residential photography workshops this summer.
15 weeks in total.

And I made a conscious decision that I wasn't simply going to let those weeks disappear.

I wanted to use them.

I wanted to slow down, spend more time at home and, perhaps most importantly, start looking after myself a little better.

That meant dealing properly with the problems I'd been having with my right eye. It meant doing something about my weight rather than continually telling myself I would. It meant getting out walking and cycling more. And it also meant making the decision to give up alcohol — something I hadn't originally intended to become quite as significant as it has.

Alongside all of that, something was happening with my photography too. I had the opportunity to also travel a little and spend time doing my own personal photography - images that have no commercial value but are for me only.

I was increasingly drawn towards simplicity.

Fewer elements. More space. Quieter landscapes. Long exposures. Photographs that don't necessarily shout for attention but, hopefully, encourage you to stop and spend a little time with them.

Perhaps the two things aren't entirely unrelated.

I'm currently writing a rather personal article for my website about "what I did last summer" — the changes I made, what I've learned from them, and the slightly uncomfortable question I'm now facing as another busy workshop season begins:

Can I hold on to them?

I'll share a little more in this week's newsletter, with the full article coming to the website very soon.

And despite the title, I promise...
nobody gets chased around with a hook. 😂
https://deanallanphotography.com/newsletter/

06/09/2026

Why Go on a Photography Workshop?

The second article in my series of 14 articles titled, "Inside Photography Workshops", is now live.

If we can travel independently, learn almost anything online and find photographic locations at the touch of a screen, what does attending a photography workshop actually give us?

This is a personal reflection based on my own experiences of leading workshops and working alongside photographers over many years.

No hard sell. No marketing. Just an honest guide to photography workshops.

📷 Read Article 2: Why Go on a Photography Workshop? - a 4 minute read.

Why go on a Photography Workshop? While photographing alone can be rewarding. Being alongside others can accelerate your learning enormously.

05/09/2026

📩 A little more than social media…

This weekend’s edition comes after three wonderful days in Torridon and Assynt, privately guiding and mentoring two photographers who travelled from Pennsylvania to experience the Scottish Highlands.

My newsletters are where I share a little more of the story behind my photography — life on the road, thoughts on landscape photography, teaching, new articles and the latest news from my photography workshops.

I’ll also be sharing news of my forthcoming article for Outdoor Photography and looking ahead to another busy winter of photography.

If you enjoy my photographs and posts here, you might enjoy the newsletter too.

Subscribe and come along for the journey. 📷🏔️

Subscribe to my newsletter and be notified first of new blogs, YouTube videos, photos and workshops, get occasional exclusive discounts on prints, workshops and any other products.