Accustomed to photographing Britain’s most famous family, he now turns his lens to a community that couldn’t be further from the public eye.
Matt Porteous, the royal photographer behind the official family photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton, took pictures of residents of Scotland’s remote Knoydart Peninsula for his latest project.
On the country’s beautiful west coast, the extremely isolated parish of Knoydart is only accessible by boat – there is a ferry service from the Highland village of Mallaig – or via a challenging two-day hike. With just over 100 residents, it is home to the most remote pub in mainland Britain, according to Guinness World Records: The Old Forge.
As part of the series, Matt flew a drone over the peninsula’s beautiful landscape and photographed a local ranger, boatman and hotel owner.
Interestingly, all the photos were taken with a camera phone, the OnePlus 11 5G, as the photo series is meant to celebrate the launch of the new mobile device.
Royal photographer Matt Porteous captured images of the residents of Scotland’s remote Knoydart Peninsula for his latest project
The extremely remote community of Knoydart can only be reached by boat or via a challenging two-day hike
Matt is the royal photographer behind the official family photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Above is one of his royal family photos in 2021
One of Matt’s subjects was Jayne Eddie, a skipper for Western Isles Cruises who also transports the residents’ supplies, cargo, goods and mail.
She tells MailOnline Travel that one of the perks of her job is having “close encounters” with dolphins, minke whales, porpoises, killer whales and seabirds as she sails to and from the peninsula.
Another resident of the range, Knoydart ranger Finlay Greig, has also seen some amazing wildlife in the area.
One of Matt’s subjects in the new series of photographs was Jayne Eddie (above), a skipper for Western Isles Cruises
Jayne transports the residents’ groceries, cargo, goods and mail on her boat
All the photos in the series were taken with a camera phone, the OnePlus 11 5G, as the photo series is meant to celebrate the launch of the new mobile device
According to Jayne, one of the perks of her job is having “close encounters” with dolphins, minke whales, porpoises, killer whales and seabirds on her sailings to and from the peninsula
He says: “If you wait long enough in solitude, you will get something from nature.
Minke whales, otters, red hearted cattle, roe deer, pine martens [a type of weasel]Golden eagles and white-tailed eagles are all regular sightings.’
Finlay says part of his job is running the “best 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 of the range
During his time as a ranger on Knoydart, Finlay saw minke whales, otters, red hearted cattle, roe deer and golden eagles
Finlay’s truck drives through the beautiful countryside of Knoydart
Finlay says part of his job is managing “Scotland’s best campsite” – Long Beach Campsite
Are there any downsides to living on Knoydart? Finlay admits that “not having a hair salon is one thing,” adding, “Not getting a haircut for the 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 obstacle to running a hotel on the peninsula, she reveals, is getting supplies. She says: “We don’t have a road to our property so everything including guests, supplies, fuel, furniture and materials have to go on our own boat.”
Rebecca Rutherford (above), who owns and runs the Doune Knoydart Hotel and Restaurant, also appeared in the series
Rebecca says the biggest hurdle in running a hotel in such a remote location is getting supplies
Hotel owner Rebecca reveals: “We don’t have a route to our property, so everything including guests, supplies, fuel, furniture and materials have to go on our own boat.”
Most of the company’s hacking habits come from passing yachts — although a previous guest made it to the peninsula in a sea kayak, she reveals.
To add another layer to the photo series, Matt executed the entire shoot from his London studio, controlling the drone and camera remotely, according to a statement.
The statement said: “Since there was no network connection, OnePlus connected Matt via satellite technology so he could guide locals from his studio over 500 miles away as they took their portraits with the smartphone.”
The camera phone was mounted on a drone and flown over Knoydart. Matt directed the entire shoot from his London studio, controlling the drone and camera remotely
Looking back on the shoot, Matt says: “It was the most challenging test as I’ve never done a portrait shoot with a smartphone before, let alone one floating through the air while hundreds of miles away .”
On the left of the photo is the remote controlled drone that Rebecca is photographing. “The people of Knoydart have incredible stories to tell,” reveals Matt (pictured right).
It continues: “Using leading color science of natural color calibration developed with Hasselblad [a camera brand]Thanks to its optical image stabilization capabilities, the smartphone was able to capture the natural beauty of the landscape in true-to-life color and deliver DSLR-quality photos.”
Matt, who recently shot the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Christmas card photos, said of the shoot: “This was the most challenging test as I’ve never done a portrait shot with a smartphone before, let alone one what the sky shows flies .the sky while I’m hundreds of kilometers away.
“However, the OnePlus 11 has an excellent camera system that allowed me to capture DSLR-quality images even in difficult conditions… the people of Knoydart have incredible stories to tell – from Western Isle Cruises skipper Jayne Eddie to Finlay Greig, the local ranger – and I’m honored to be able to use the OnePlus 11 to share a visual snapshot of their way of life.”
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
