William and Kate's photographer snaps a VERY remote Scottish community

William and Kate’s photographer turns his lens on a VERY remote Scottish community in an amazing new photo series – shot on a drone-mounted phone he controlled 500 miles away

• Matt Porteous has captured pictures of the residents and epic landscapes of Scotland’s Knoydart peninsula 
• The peninsula, populated by just over 100 residents, is home to Britain’s most remote mainland pub 
• Read more: The astonishing winning shots in the 2022 Travel Photographer of the Year awards

He’s used to photographing Britain’s most famous family – but now he’s turned his lens on a community that couldn’t be further removed from the public eye.

Matt Porteous, the royal photographer behind Prince William and Kate Middleton’s official family photographs, has captured pictures of the residents of Scotland’s remote Knoydart peninsula for his latest project.

Set along the country’s beautiful western coast, the extremely isolated community of Knoydart can only be reached by boat – there’s a ferry service from the Highland village of Mallaig – or via a challenging two-day hike. Populated by just over 100 residents, it’s home to what the Guinness World Records declares as Britain’s most remote mainland pub – The Old Forge.

As part of the series, Matt sent a drone over the peninsula’s breathtaking landscape and photographed a local ranger, a skipper and a hotel owner.

Interestingly, all of the pictures were taken on a camera phone, the OnePlus 11 5G, as the photography series sets out to celebrate the launch of the new mobile device.

Royal photographer Matt Porteous has captured pictures of the residents of Scotland’s remote Knoydart peninsula for his latest project

The extremely isolated community of Knoydart can only be reached by boat or via a challenging two-day hike

Matt is the royal photographer behind Prince William and Kate Middleton’s official family photographs. Above is one of his shots of the royal family in 2021

One of Matt’s subjects was Jayne Eddie, a skipper for Western Isles Cruises, who also ferries residents’ shopping, freight, goods and mail. 

She tells MailOnline Travel that one of the perks of her job is having ‘close encounters’ with dolphins, minke whales, porpoises, orcas and sea birds as she sails to and from the peninsula.

Knoydart ranger Finlay Greig, another resident to feature in the series, has similarly sighted some stunning wildlife in the area. 

One of Matt’s subjects in the new photo series was Jayne Eddie (above), a skipper for Western Isles Cruises 

Jayne ferries residents’ shopping, freight, goods and mail on her boat 

All of the pictures in the series were taken on a camera phone, the OnePlus 11 5G, as the photography series sets out to celebrate the launch of the new mobile device

Jayne says that one of the perks of her job is having ‘close encounters’ with dolphins, minke whales, porpoises, orcas and sea birds as she sails to and from the peninsula

He says: ‘If you wait long enough in solitude you will be gifted something from nature. 

‘Minke whales, otters, red deer, roe deer, pine marten [a type of weasel], golden eagles and white-tailed eagles are all regularly encountered.’

Finlay says that part of his job is helping to run the ‘most scenic campsite in Scotland’ – Long Beach campsite – which he says is ‘blessed’ with views of the isle of Rum to the west and the peak of Meall Buidhe to the east.

Knoydart ranger Finlay Greig, pictured above, was another resident to feature in the series

Finlay has sighted minke whales, otters, red deer, roe deer, and golden eagles in his time as a ranger on Knoydart

Finlay’s truck driving through the magnificent scenery of Knoydart 

Finlay says that part of his job is helping to run the ‘most scenic campsite in Scotland’ – Long Beach campsite

Are there any downsides to living on Knoydart? Finlay admits that the ‘lack of a barber shop is one’, adding: ‘Not being able to get a haircut before the photo shoot was devastating.’

The third and final resident to appear before Matt’s lens was Rebecca Rutherford, who owns and runs the Doune Knoydart hotel and restaurant.

The biggest hurdle in running a hotel on the peninsula, she reveals, is bringing in supplies. She says: ‘We have no road to our property so everything, including guests, supplies, fuel, furniture, and materials all have to come on our own boat.’

Rebecca Rutherford (above), who owns and runs the Doune Knoydart hotel and restaurant, also appeared in the series

Rebecca says that the biggest hurdle in running a hotel in such a remote location is bringing in supplies 

Hotel owner Rebecca reveals: ‘We have no road to our property so everything, including guests, supplies, fuel, furniture, and materials all have to come on our own boat’

Most of the business’s walk-in custom comes from passing yachts – though one previous guest did reach the peninsula via sea kayak, she reveals.

Adding another layer to the photography series, according to a statement, Matt carried out the entire shoot from his London studio, directing the drone and the camera remotely.

The statement says: ‘With zero network connectivity to contend with, OnePlus connected Matt via satellite technology to enable him to expertly guide the locals from his studio over 500 miles away, whilst shooting their portraits using the smartphone.’

The camera phone was mounted to a drone and flown over Knoydart. Matt carried out the entire shoot from his London studio, directing the drone and the camera remotely

Reflecting on the shoot, Matt says: ‘This was the most challenging test because I’ve never before led a portrait session using a smartphone, much less one that is soaring through the air while I’m hundreds of miles away’

Pictured on the left is the remotely-operated drone capturing shots of Rebecca. ‘The residents of Knoydart have incredible stories to tell,’ Matt (pictured right) reveals

It continues: ‘Using the industry-leading colour science of Natural Colour Calibration developed with Hasselblad [a camera brand], the smartphone was able to capture the landscape’s natural beauty in true-to-life colours and deliver DSLR quality photography, thanks to optical image stabilisation capabilities.’

Commenting on the shoot, Matt – who recently captured the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Christmas card pictures – says: ‘This was the most challenging test because I’ve never before led a portrait session using a smartphone, much less one that is soaring through the air while I’m hundreds of miles away. 

‘However, the OnePlus 11 boasts an outstanding camera system that made it possible for me to capture DSLR quality images, even under challenging circumstances… the residents of Knoydart have incredible stories to tell – from Jayne Eddie, the Western Isle Cruises Skipper, to Finlay Greig the local Ranger – and I’m honoured to have been able to use the OnePlus 11 to help share a visual snapshot of their way of life.’

Source: Read Full Article