I recently had a brilliant few days working with American clothing brand Rhone on a fashion shoot at Alladale Wilderness Reserve in the Scottish Highlands. It was one of those jobs that was just a pleasure from start to finish. A lovely bunch of people, everyone incredibly relaxed, nobody getting stressed, and plenty of laughs along the way.

The shoot was organised by Stramash film (https://www.stramash.film), with Deva Smith bringing me on board. I've worked with Deva on several productions around the country over the years, so it was great to get involved with another of his projects.

Kirk Watson, Hyo Kim and Connor filming social media content for Rhone Clothing at Alladale Estate in the Scottish Highlands, with the DJI Inspire 3 drone hovering nearby. — Hyo, Inspire 3, Kirk (me) and Connor

The main photography was being handled by James Meekin, shooting Rhone's autumn and winter clothing collection. Alongside the stills, there was also plenty of video content being captured for the brand's social media channels.

Hyo Kim from Rhone was overseeing the social content, and I spent much of my time working alongside him, flying my DJI Inspire 3 drone with the X9 Air camera and a selection of prime lenses. Hyo kept me busy with different shots throughout the day, and it was great having the freedom to capture the models and landscapes from the air.

Highland cow standing among sunlit wildflowers at Alladale Estate in the Scottish Highlands during the Rhone Clothing fashion shoot.

It's always interesting watching other photographers and filmmakers at work, particularly on a fashion shoot where so much thought goes into the clothing, poses, lighting and backgrounds. I'd generally wait for a suitable moment between the main photography setups, then get the Inspire 3 into the air to capture a few aerial sequences.

Our two models, Jemima Rose Wyatt and Jacques Saayman, were both brilliant. Very professional, great fun and completely down to earth. It was quite fascinating watching them work. One minute they'd be chatting away and having a laugh with everyone, and the next, as soon as a camera was pointed at them, they'd instantly switch into modelling mode. There's clearly a real skill to making it all look so effortless!

ARRI Alexa cinema camera filming a red deer stag at Alladale Estate in the Scottish Highlands during the Rhone Clothing fashion shoot.

The wider crew were equally good company. Ashley, our creative director, had various ideas for aerial shots throughout the shoot, while Connor was busy capturing social content on the ground as part of Hyo's team. Pierce was also filming throughout with his ground camera, capturing the moving images for the main campaign.

Rhone's founders, brothers Nate and Ben Checketts, were there too, and both were great fun to have around. At one point they even got a bit Bravehearted, which seemed appropriate enough given our Highland surroundings!

It was also lovely to be back at Alladale. I've filmed there on several different productions over the years and have also spent time there working as a mountain guide. It's a spectacular part of the Highlands, with beautiful old Caledonian pine trees, Highland cattle wandering about and some wonderful mountain scenery.

There were plenty of wildflowers around too, although we were generally trying to keep those out of shot. Not ideal having colourful summer flowers popping up everywhere when you're trying to make an autumn and winter clothing campaign!

It was good catching up with Innes, the estate's gamekeeper, who I've met many times over the years. My good mate Graham Douglas, from Mountain and Water Safety Specialists, was also looking after mountain safety for the production, so it was great having him there.

Large dining table inside Alladale House in the Scottish Highlands, where the Rhone Clothing fashion shoot crew gathered for evening meals.

Most of the crew were staying at Alladale House, where we enjoyed some lovely meals together in the evenings. Graham and I were staying at a B&B about 40 minutes away, but we still managed to enjoy the hospitality and catch up with everyone after filming.

One of the nicest moments came at dinner on our final evening. There were about 20 of us sitting around the table, and we went round one by one, with everyone sharing something they'd appreciated about the previous three days. It was really interesting hearing everyone's different perspectives, from the models and photographers to the production team and everyone working behind the scenes. We all experience a shoot slightly differently, so it was lovely hearing what had stood out for each person. A really nice way to finish off what had already been a thoroughly enjoyable few days.

Looking back, it was just one of those really enjoyable shoots. Beautiful locations, interesting work, a great crew and absolutely no unnecessary drama. Everyone simply got on with their jobs, helped each other out and had a good laugh along the way.

I came away from Alladale feeling very happy with the week's work. Hopefully there'll be another opportunity to work with the Rhone team again sometime.

Kirk Watson
Drone Operator and Aerial Cinematographer
Perfect View Productions, Scotland