Posted by Brydon Thomason on Monday 8th October 2012 | News, Otters

Another fantastic season of Otter encounters and images. Again 2012 was an extremely busy season and is far from over at the time of writing! Even in the ‘shoulder seasons’ of late winter into early spring my 1-to-1 Otter photography itineraries continue to be popular. Of course the core season between May and August each year is in growing demand and has sold out over recent seasons but also now the off peak seasons are becoming more and more popular for photographers seeking to study, learn about and photograph these wonderful animals. This is of course little wonder, as I study Otters all year round and the winter is a fantastic time to study Otters behaviour as it is well known for them to condense their feeding activity into the available hours of day light.

Each year it is inspiring how many photographers come to photograph Otters but also how far they come. This year as well as from the UK I enjoyed the company of guests from all over including the USA, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France to name but a few. Adding to the growing number of top professionals seeking Otters in the isles this year I had Neil McIntyre out with me, who enjoyed some wonderful encounters and left with great images;

Otters have long since been a species have I wanted to photograph and although I have had a few brief encounters have never managed anything great. A couple of colleagues mentioned Brydon’s name to me and to get in touch with him about my forthcoming trip to Shetland. Once there I meet up for 2 of the days with Brydon. The first day we did not have a lot of luck, however we thoroughly enjoyed the day and learnt so much by listening and watching Brydon. On the second day I think we saw in the region of 8-10 otters, with one particularly fantastic encounter with a mother and 2 cubs. I have to say Brydon’s local knowledge and enthusiasm is wonderful and anyone going to Shetland would be wise to get in touch with him, not only for otters but for all of Shetlands wildlife. Since my trip to Shetland I have since had a few of my own otter encounters on other locations and the experience of being out with Brydon helped enormously.
Neil McIntyre

Here is a further selection of some of this years guest images (and a couple of my own), accompanied with a few words of their time with Otters. If you are interested in joining me in 2013 it is strongly advised to get in touch soon, there are few dates left available, as usual June and July are long full with March, April and May similarly so, the diary is fast filling in, availability is limited but i will do what I can…

Hi Brydon – here are a few from that magical day when you took us to this otter family. I’ll never forget the experience and also the hard work you put in to give us the photo opportunity – many thanks. I hope to return some day for another visit to Shetland and more otters. Once again, thanks for all your hard work.
Neil MacGregor

Thank you for a great day that has left an indelible mark on my wildlife memories. I found your experience and knowledge of otters exeptionally helpful. Your passion and energy for the day offset and motivated what was an energetic walk, until the magical moment we sat down and watched an otter family appearing out of the surf, photographing them until they once again returned to the sea. I wish you every success that you rightly deserve in all your adventures and that many more photographers/guests will enjoy such memorable moments.
Steve McLaren

Click here for information on my Otter Photography trips..