I volunteered with the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre in September from the 22nd to the 26th after being accepted which I was so happy about as I have been a fan of the Centre since moving from England up to the Highlands five years ago. I fell in love with Aviemore and the Cairngorms quite early on and experienced a Hill Trip after my husband surprised me with a reindeer adoption (Dr Seuss) for my birthday and since that I have been on three further Hill Trips in varying weather but particularly enjoyed it in snow.
I love reindeer, I find them fascinating, beautiful, calm, serene and endlessly photogenic plus I have acquired a passion for wildlife in the Highlands from seals, dolphins, whales, deer and to my favourite animal which is the reindeer. I am a very keen hiker and am getting to know more of the Cairngorm hills and mountains as time has gone by and my experience grows, so the combination of being amongst my favourite Highland scenery in addition to helping out with this physically demanding and rewarding role was an absolute must for me.
I am also a photographer who specialises in landscapes, locations, scenery and mountains but not much experience of wildlife so I really wanted to explore how to capture these majestic and friendly animals.
On my first day at the Centre I was struck by the amazing images that have been taken by herders already and that are produced into postcards, calendars and prints in the beautifully presented and stocked shop which only opened earlier this year. I noticed that landscape was the preferred format for a postcard and was inspired to try and produce my own stunning image when I first went out into the Paddocks and then onto one of my many Hill Trips that week. I was blessed with great weather luckily, some lovely blue skies combined with dramatic cloud over the Cairngorm range and plenty of sun too.
My first attempt was to capture the reindeer in the Paddocks first thing in the morning when the cold breath was visible from their nostrils and the trees surrounding them made the early sunlight more interesting.
My second attempt was when I was up at the top area of the hill enclosure with the other herders tending to a couple of poorly reindeer and while I had a few moments I managed to snap the other reindeer through the fence and a gate, plus an open door of the shed. There was I thinking I was clever and that I’d nailed it I went and showed Fiona back at the Centre, who has taken her own amazing photos over time that have made it on postcards. She told me very nicely that anything interrupting the view of the reindeer does not appeal to the public as they prefer to see the animals in their natural, free habitat without fences etc, great advice which I straight away took on board, even if a little crest fallen…
On my other Hill Trips once we had done our jobs feeding the reindeer and engaging with the public, answering their questions or taking photos of them with the reindeer near them, I was able to walk around a bit and try to get my own images from that day, depending on which reindeer was still enough or what would strike me as an interesting shot.
I did manage to get a couple of photos through the antlers with a reindeer herder in the background which was a treat and I was very lucky one lovely day when I spotted the most amazing reindeer under the big photogenic tree with Meall a’ Bhuachaille (the hill) behind it and I took a few different pics while it was reaching up to the branches of the tree as if it was a giraffe on the African plains feeding from the high up leaves and then the same reindeer around the base of the tree with beautiful sunlight on it.
On my very last day I was blessed at the end of the second Hill Trip with a quick dash up to the ridge with Maisie to call and feed the roaming reindeer. on the top of that ridge (which I have hiked many times before) you get the most incredible view of the Cairngorm plateau so I was very happy to be in one of my favourite places. Maisie did a brilliant job of calling the small herd who swiftly ran down into the valley below and headed up into the wild heather just below us to have some food. I was amazed by the stunning scenery around me and the very beautiful reindeer with pristine antlers that came and stood right in front of me, so I promptly fell back into the soft heather behind me and started to photograph this unique scene.
I believe I was very fortunate that afternoon to have the blue sky, mountains with the dramatic cloud and the joy of the prettiest reindeer around. Maisie did also take a photo of me with Cairngorms behind me which I very much appreciated.
Of course I did not want to leave at the end of the week as I was so loving being in this familiar environment with the animals that I had admired for ages and the herders that I had wanted to be like and learn from too, who all turned out to be amazing, helpful and friendly. What I learnt in those five days will stay with me for ever and the gratitude I have for the most amazing experience is as real as the reindeer and I remain hopeful that maybe one day a photo of mine will make it into the shop…
Anna
