72 Hours in Shetland: Wind, Whisky & Up Helly Aa

We were invited up to Shetland by the brilliant team at Lerwick Distillery. It lined up perfectly with something I'd wanted to see for years.. Up Helly Aa.

It also gave us a proper excuse to take Bear&Wolf somewhere that would test it properly. Not a studio.

We got the ferry from Aberdeen on Sunday night. First proper sea crossing for me. I won't sugarcoat it, it was rough. We all felt it. When we arrived in Lerwick Monday morning, slightly seasick and running on poor sleep Elisabeth and Martin met us at the terminal and couldn't have been more welcoming.

Within an hour we were stood inside the distillery talking whisky, ideas, and future plans. Bill and I have joked for a while about doing a limited Bear&Wolf whisky one day. Standing there, it didn't feel that far fetched. Hint hint..

St Ninian's Isle

Our first proper shoot location was St Ninian's Isle. If you've never been, it's a narrow sandy tombolo with sea on both sides. A proper surreal landscape.

Jack Gray led on stills as always. We love shooting with Jack as he is constantly calm, methodical, and completely in control of the situation. The still imagery from this trip is thanks to him. 

Exploring the Island & Up Helly Aa

Tuesday morning was more exploring, more wind, more coastline. Shetland feels different. Big skies, and even bigger wind. Scandinavian influence is clear in the houses.

The wind was relentless. Different level to mainland Scotland, and we nearly lost the drone more than once. The kind of conditions where you quickly find out about the gear you're wearing.

The evening brought the main event, Up Helly Aa itself.

It's hard to explain unless you've seen it. Fire, squads, organisation, chaos - all at once. Deeply traditional but still overwhelmingly welcoming.

We filmed what we could, but mostly tried to just experience such a unique opportunity.

The North Sea Again

Wednesday was slower. More photography. More wandering around Lerwick.

Our ferry back that evening was nearly cancelled. When they say about the North Sea, they're not exaggerating. It was a brutal crossing back to Aberdeen.

We arrived Thursday morning, windswept, tired, and already talking about the next trip.

Why We Filmed It

The film wasn't originally the main focus. We went for photography and to spend time with the team at Lerwick Distilllery but once we were there, it felt wrong to not document it properly.

With Jack confidently handling the stills, it gave the two of us space to focus on the film through Ridge Media House, our own small media company. No big production crew. Just us, a couple of cameras, and capturing as we know how.

The result is probably the most honest look at Bear&Wolf we've put out so far. 

If you watch it, you'll get a proper feel for who we are. We don't take ourselves too seriously. We graft hard, we laugh a lot, and that's the brand whether we polish it or not.

Why We Want To Do More

We're constantly looking for ways to show what Bear&Wolf is actually made for. Not posed shoots, definitely not clean backdrops, but real places and real conditions.

If you've only ever seen us through product pages or Instagram posts, our film gives you a full picture.

You can watch the full film here: