Photography students capture Scotland's charm

Laurence Chen A young passenger stands on the platform of a station in Mallig, Scotland, as one of the region's last coal-fired steam engines arrives.

Scotland's forests, hills and seashore provide a majestic setting for tourists. But the diverse nation becomes something entirely different when you are immersed in its culture.

For the past 15 years, Ohio University photography students have made summer trips to Scotland to capture images of its interesting people and breathtaking landscapes. School of Visual Communications Professor Terry Eiler coordinates the five-week photo excursions in Edinburgh, Scotland. The next trip is scheduled in July.

Students put their visual storytelling skills to the test through a series of documentary projects and photo essays. Because of the intensity of their work, students say they get to know Scotland better than the average sightseer.

"As a tourist, you are just observing and looking," says junior Liz Baylen, who participated in last summer's trip. "I feel like I got to know Scotland because we interacted with people. I became a part of the community."

Scotland is an ideal atmosphere for a budding photographer, says graduate student Larry Chen, who also went on last year's trip. The country is different enough culturally, he says, to be interesting to Americans and, at the same time, presents no language barriers.

But more than anything, the trip gives student photographers the undivided attention of Eiler and his wife, Lyntha, both former National Geographic photographers.

"Probably the most significant aspect was being able to receive feedback on my work on a daily basis," Chen says. "Field school is a real-world experience."

Eiler says he wants students to experience what it's like being in the field, alone and working long hours.

"It changes the way they shoot as a photojournalist," he says.