Bringing ‘The Same Heart Beat’ to life through liquid photography and in-camera special effects.

Some projects really do make a splash. This one quite literally.

It’s always a privilege to create imagery for an iconic institution, and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is certainly that. Our latest advertising campaign brings the spectacular 2027 show, The Same Heart Beat, led by The Royal Marines, to life in an explosion of colour, energy and liquid.

Working with Sunshine Agency Edinburgh and Creative Director Matt Higgins, the challenge was to capture the power and rhythm of a Royal Marine drummer emerging from a dramatic burst of water, as though the military beat itself had brought him to life.

A concept that was right up our street.

Over two days in our London photography studio, we set about creating and capturing the intricate liquid formations needed to build the final key visual. Using carefully choreographed splashes and in-camera special effects, we photographed the individual elements that would give the image its extraordinary sense of movement and impact.

Having spent a few decades specialising in liquid photography and high-speed imaging, we’ve learnt a thing or two about making water perform on cue. Although, as ever, it took a considerable amount of experimentation, patience and some very well-timed splashes.

Every drop was photographed for real. No CGI. No AI. Just the controlled unpredictability of liquid, captured in-camera.

The result is a striking campaign image celebrating the energy, spectacle and unmistakable heartbeat of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2027.

A fantastic collaboration and one of those projects that reminds me exactly why I love what I do. And, perhaps more importantly, why having a ground-floor photography studio with a concrete floor is an absolute necessity.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2027 runs from 6–28 August 2027 at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland.

Discover how Jonathan Knowles created the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2027 key visual using high-speed liquid photography and practical effects in his London studio in this behind the scenes film – https://jknowles.com/behind-the-scenes/royal-edinburgh-military-tattoo-2027/