In July, I celebrated a big birthday! Instead of having a party, I decided to do a big photoshoot. Fortunately I had been offered the absolutely amazing Castle Menzies to use for such an occasion, and I jumped at the chance.

We set off early on a Sunday morning, driving north into the stunning Perthshire countryside until we reached Aberfeldy. Castle Menzies is located near there, specifically in Weem.

The weather was absolutely beautiful, The Castle stands alone in a big open landscape and is quite an impressive sight on approach. Some of the team had beat me to it, so it was nice to arrive to see them already there. 

I had invited several photographers along, and I was trying my hand at photography myself, as I bought myself a camera for my birthday.

Here's a picture of the whole team.

There were 13 models too, and 3 backstage helpers, so all together quite a big team. Everyone works together at these collective events and we had a brilliant time. Castle Menzies gave us an exceptional welcome, even though we kind of took the place over, nothing was too much trouble for those lovely people. Scott, the manager, even gave us free tea and coffee and water which was very welcome. 

The Castle is a fascinating maze of rooms, built, as these places often are, over several centuries, with an eclectic architectural and fascinating historical perspective. So many of my favourite features....a medieval kitchen with a huge fireplace,  a massive drawing room, victorian parlours, bedrooms with ghosts.....It's a must see place and is open to the public. Check their website for more information. 

Soon we were action stations and everything fell into place. I had imagined the day so obsessively and it went exactly to plan, we all had a fantastic time.

Of course, the day went too quick and too soon it was time to pack up and say goodbye to our new favourite place. We must have been well behaved because they have invited us back ! Im pretty sure we will make a return visit at some point, as we loved it so much. 

Most of the pictures I took myself are catalogue, and you can see some of them on my collection page. Here are some more from the day with their photographers and models named.