I had a fun few days working with Rupert Shanks and Robbie, on a beautifully creative project for Cairngorms Connect. The film is being led by Robbie, who has a background in dance and movement, and this piece brings that expressive energy into the landscape and everyday work of the young rangers from the Cairngorms National Park.

Over a couple of days, we filmed the rangers as they carried out conservation work like tree planting, using a mix of Steadicam, traditional handheld camera work, and some macro-style close-ups using my new probe lens — great for getting right into the detail of nature.

Robbie had choreographed some simple but expressive movements that tied into the surroundings and the actions the rangers were doing — giving it a very organic, art-meets-environment feel.

Then, one evening, we headed up near Badaguish to capture a more stylised sequence in the woods. The rangers — and a bunch of other kids — moved dynamically through the trees, jumping, climbing, and swinging. The sequence built up to a really striking final scene centred on a moth trap — a glowing, bright light source in the darkness. As dusk fell, we filmed them swarming around it like moths themselves, using the drone to capture wide, elegant aerial movements.

It was an unusual and rewarding project — a nice mix of nature, movement, and cinematography. I’m looking forward to seeing what Rupert and Robbie piece together from the footage.