The royal photographer who shot Prince William and Kate Middleton's official family photos has shared a series of portraits of some of Scotland's "most remote residents".
The Knoydart peninsula in the Highlands is among the hardest to reach places in the UK. Located on the West Coast of Scotland, it can only be accessed by boat or via a two-day hike through the Scottish Highlands.
To capture Knoydart's residents, as well as its spectacular landscapes, Matt Porteous teamed up with OnePlus in "one of the world’s most logistically challenging and extreme photoshoots". To reach them, one of the company's OnePlus 11 smartphones was mounted to a drone and flown into the peninsula.
Porteous directed the residents of Knoydart during the photoshoot remotely using satellite technology. The photographer guided the locals from his studio over 500 miles away whilst shooting their portraits using the smartphone.
According to OnePlus, all of the approximately 100 residents in Knoydart know their next door neighbour by name, while 82 percent speak to them at least once a week.
The photoshoot was commissioned to celebrate the "incredible close-knit community" in the remote area. Among the residents that had their portrait taken are Finley Greig, Jayne Eddie, and Rebecca Rutherford.
Greig is the Knoydart ranger, whose role consists of managing conservation projects, and offering tours of the village and surrounding land to tourists.
Eddie, meanwhile, is a skipper for Western Isles Cruises, which sails Knoydart's residents back and forth from the mainland. Western Isles Cruises are a lifeline to the Knoydart community and have held the ferry service to and from for over 60 years.
Rutherford owns and operates Doune Knoydart, a family-run micro hotel, with Andrew Brodie and help from her 12-year-old son. She moved to Doune in 2021 after falling in love with Knoydart on previous visits.
Porteous commented: "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 – incredible!
"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."
Celina Shi, Chief Marketing Officer, Europe at OnePlus added: "With the OnePlus 11, we've created the best mobile portrait photography ever. Using the Hasselblad Portrait Mode, you can capture portraits with the quality, look and feel that you'd expect from a professional camera.
"To showcase our camera's portrait capabilities, we channelled our 'Never Settle' spirit and partnered with Matt to make great portraits accessible to everyone, even if people are sitting miles away. Community is at the heart of OnePlus and it's been so wonderful to experience the community spirit in Knoydart.
"Therefore it's natural for us to appreciate and empower that. We're delighted that with the OnePlus 11, we're able to share the story of a remote place like Knoydart that might not get the attention it deserves.”
More information can be found on the OnePlus website.
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