THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED
Beetle Campbell, a professional film-maker and photographer who grew up by Loch Lomond, skipped to the university of life and has since worked with luxury and travel brands across the globe
Exploring Scotland and beyond with luxury film-maker and photographer Beetle Campbell
One way of recollecting the pattern of our lives is through a camera lens, writes Rosie Morton. Precious few of us, however, have the resolve to turn this into a successful career. Beetle Campbell, a professional film-maker and photographer who grew up by the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, has done just that.
Choosing to work three ski seasons instead of traipsing down the welltrodden path to university, Beetle’s final stint in Verbier saw him working as a ski instructor and video reporter. Since then, the 25-year-old has created content for travel and luxury brands (including Schöffel and Holland & Holland), worked in country and field sport sectors, and has explored more countries than some of us may see in a lifetime. His work has even been featured on BBC Earth and ESPN.
Yet, for all the charms of road-trips in Africa, fjords in Norway, and sailing trips in the Caribbean, Scotland will forever be the place that this self-taught creative calls home.
‘The top third of Scotland is just raw, it’s real,’ says Beetle, who has fond memories of adventures in the countryside with his grandfather. ‘I’m happier on a Munro, or on a fishing bank, or in a field than I am bustling about in the city.
‘I was a deer ghillie for two seasons. It was me, on my tod for much of it, exposed to all kinds of weather and horrendous midges – and that was the charm of it. It will forever be one of my fondest memories, getting to work in that environment. That’s when you really begin to understand it and see what an amazing place Scotland is.’
Keen to dispel the myth that shooting is a pursuit reserved exclusively for bloody-thirsty trophy hunters, Beetle is more interested in the conservation side of deer management.
‘Something I’m passionate about is making it more approachable and helping people understand why country life works the way it does. There can be a lot of misunderstanding, particularly with shooting, and for me, it’s about using the animal – if you’re going to take an animal’s life, you use it as best you can.’
The lion’s share of Beetle’s time is dedicated to videography, and the ‘run-and-gun’ approach which sets his work apart. ‘I’m lucky now that my clients give me creative license and freedom to express things in the way that I believe will work,’ says Beetle. ‘There’s a lot of movement in my images and in the way that I showcase my work.’
The beauty and romance of Scotland has never been in doubt, and yet seeing it through the lens of this talented young film-maker and photographer gives this well-worn theme a fresh, exciting perspective.
‘It’s about being in the outdoors, as I have done my whole life. I’ve managed to make that – with a twist of cameras – a profession. It’s about getting out into rugged environments that I love, getting to capture that visually, and sharing that with the audience I have.’
|
‘Scotland will forever be the place that this self-taught creative calls home’ |
|
‘The beauty and romance of Scotland has never been in doubt’ |