About

Lightstalker Adventures

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” Mark Twain

Glen Campbell M.photog

Thanks for visiting and welcome to the Lightstalker Adventures website.

Who am I ?

My name is Glen Campbell, I have been guiding,  teaching  and running photography workshops and tours for over 20 years.

I’m a multi-award winning AIPP Master Photographer with a passion for adventure and the outdoors.  I established Lightstalkers in Scotland back  in 2009 after returning home after 13 years living in Australia. Since then I have been guiding and sharing my passion and what I’ve learned with other photographers all over Scotland, Australia, USA, New Zealand, Namibia  and some of the best locations in Europe and Scandinavia.

My photography journey started a long time ago and I’d always taken pictures. But in 2000 I wanted a solid grounding in all things  photography so I completed an 18 month studio course working with film and dark room. I  then went  back to  college in 2002 full time and graduated from Visual Arts – Applied Photography course at NMIT Melbourne two years later. From then I made stepping stones and grabbed opportunities when they came along and quickly established a varied photography career in Australia.

I started off with a 3 year stint as one of the photography team  being mentored by the extremely talented and award winning Andrew Esposito and Rocco Ancora at Astir Images.

I then moved onto freelancing for newspapers, covering everything from sport, lifestyle and editorial and covered the devastating Victorian Bushfires in 2009.

I then moved into commercial work including regular commissions from the Victorian state government working on Major Infrastructure projects, construction, transport and corporate  work.

I love an adventure and always  in the background was my passion for  travel, wild places and the landscape. Working in this field led to multiple photography awards from 2003 to 2009 through the Australian Institute for Professional Photography. In 2003 and 2004 I won the professional Victorian Landscape Photographer of the Year award.

After a period of guiding and co leading workshops all over Australia, Scotland was calling and I returned home to the Highlands.  In 2009 I established Lightstalkers Scotland and Lightstalker Adventures and have devoted my time to Landscape and Travel photography full time.

I  also ran the extremely popular Master Your Camera Courses at Eden Court in Inverness as part of the Creative Arts program for 3 years,  and given numerous talks and presentations at camera clubs around the country.

One of my former participants wrote an article about attending a Lightstalker’s workshop – you can read it here

A Highlander at heart I’m currently based in the East Neuk of Fife north of Edinburgh with my partner Lynne.

Lightstalkers tours and tuition

“By reducing the art of photography to its essence, and explaining in simple English how my digital camera could best be taken advantage of, I found myself looking through the lens with a new found inspiration and the confidence to nail the images I dream of capturing. Glen powerfully demonstrated that even the most advanced equipment is just a tool that will only work with sound knowledge of the basic principles of photography.” Tim Cope – National Geographic Adventure Honoree 2007 – Australian Adventurer of the year 2006

Lightstalkers Scotland  was one of the first providers of comprehensive photographic workshops in the Scottish Highlands.

Lightstalker Adventures provides you with the same dedicated attention to detail at locations in Europe and beyond.

These photography trips have always been client focused and Glen works hard to get you to the best locations at just the right time in the best conditions. Once there he shares insights and technical help so you can create great images at inspiring locations.

Unlike some workshop providers Lightstalkers does not contract out its services to other guides or overload them with too many participants.

That means every trip, group or solo is guided by Glen –  he has vested interest in making sure you get the best experience possible and benefit of his professional knowledge and experience.

You can follow our adventures here on Instagram@lightstalker_adventures or search for some of my work on 500px as Glen Campbell – @glenphoto1.

I offer varied and well organised photography trips for small, intimate groups of around 3 – 6  like minded individuals. Clients usually all share common goals, to create great images, improve skills, explore stunning locations and share a great social experience making new friends along the way.

All our featured locations are thoroughly researched by myself prior to arriving.

I’ve already made the mistakes which means   you get the benefit of hindsight ensuring we get to the right place at the right time without wasting time.

I hope you can join me on an adventure soon.

Cheers Glen

Top 5 reason to choose Lightstalkers 

Experience and knowledge – I’ve been guiding and operating workshops and photo tours for 20 years.

Pro Photographer guide with years of photography experience in the industry.

Local Knowledge – extensive knowledge of Scotland and all the locations are throughly researched by myself.

I don’t dilute the experience by using other contracted guides – I personally guide every Lightstalkers workshop – single or group.

Over 80%  client repeat rate – I invite you to check out our testimonials page for some client comments..

… a few more reasons

Keeping it simple. I like to keep my photo tour groups small, sociable, informative and fun. Many other operators run trips with 8 – 20 participants, that’s great for them but not for you.

This dilutes the experience on location and can get frustrating with too many competing photographers overcrowding  a location. This is something you won’t have to contend with as I believe it defeats the purpose of experiencing wild places. Our small groups consist of 3-6 photographers. This creates a good social environment as well as a more practical one, so you can get the images you want without feeling rushed.

I keep our fees as low as possible to offer you the valued client the best deal while maintaining a high level of quality. The locations are the same but our level of service and commitment to our clients is second to none

There’s no ego here, these trips are all about you, getting “you” to the right locations at the right time and working hard to ensure you get the very best photographic experience possible.

Friendly technical advice and assistance is always on hand as well as pointing out where and how to capture key shots and suggestions on how to improve every aspect of you photography.

The Planet

As travel has become more accessible, more people are getting out there and exploring the natural world, which is great. However, this can as we know create a negative impact. So I try and tread lightly and visit more out of the way places when I can.

Some locations are getting crazy busy with tourists , Instagramers,  large groups and photogaphers descending on popular places.

Again, I’m trying to avoid diluting the experience by having small groups and visiting more out of the way places when I can. I’m also looking into offsetting the emmisons of the vehicles I drive on tour, stopping the use of plastic bottles and other unnecessary packaging. We also  eat out in places that use local produce as much as possible. Every little helps.

The Objective

My key aim is to create a friendly, supportive, informative, memorable and fun experience for all my valued clients, regardless of their of level of experience. I am very proud of my 80% client repeat rate and I invite you to book a trip online and create your own Lightstalkers experience.  So join me to explore and photograph  some of the most  inspiring  locations out there and create a personal portfolio of stunning photography.

My Philosophy

Camera skills and principles of exposure and light are key.

Image editing software  plays its  part in contemporary photography and its important to have a good grasp of which ever platform you use. However the key to becoming a great photographer is an in-depth understanding of camera craft and skill in developing your vision. From understanding exposure to creating clever compositions, using your own personal perspective to defining your own style is a journey that can have its ups and downs. Failure is part of the road to success and I’ve enjoyed seeing many participants evolve into great photographers through their own journeys with me over the years. Practice, experiment and learn.

Understanding light quality is also key , adapting to changing conditions and combining great light with great locations is more important than relying on post production to resurrect a poor shot.

Remember – “The type of camera you have isn’t that important, it’s  what you do with it that counts”. It’s a well used comment, and it’s totally true. Sure a great camera with great lenses will produce a better quality final image and we all the want the best. However it’s knowledge, practice and creativity that contribute to bring success.

My Camera bag

 I keep it simple and my bag light with minimal fuss and gadgets. I usually work between focal lengths of 16mm to 200mm.

I use Nikon and Fuji kits.   Full frame Nikon SLR, Nikon Mirrorless and Fuji XT5 cameras.

Mavik Drones for aerial work

Filters systems:  Lee filters

Tripods:  Gitzo  Signature, Benro Tortoise and Manfrottos

Camera bags: Big and small – Low Pros, Manfrotto and Mindshift

Post production: Adobe Photoshop for 80% of editing and some Lightroom Classic

Hardware:  Macbook computers and Samsung solid state drives for back up in the field. An iMac with western digital  back ups back at base