Early Work by John Hicks

I’m rubbish at archiving my own work.
The minute I’ve got the shot in camera I’ve lost interest in it and I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve left a trail of negatives and archive prints to their own fate – many lost along the way.
I came across these images of some of my early work just recently.
It’s frightening to see the pure and instinctive photographer I started out as become diluted by the business and the advice of so many people I really shouldn’t have listened to.
I didn’t have a clue technically but I spend my life now trying to get back to that place where I first started out – fresh, true, orignal and free

Careers Advice from John Hicks in Digital Photographer

While I’ve been a professional photographer for over 20 years it always seems strange to me when I get asked for careers advice because I’ve only ever had one ambition in life – to be a photographer.
The fact that I earn a living from what I love is a privilege I try not to lose sight of but I’d do it even if I didn’t because it’s so much a part of what I am, who I am and what defines me.
I wasn’t very good at school.
I’m not the academic type.
I never assisted anyone and am totally self taught.
I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way.
I’ve learnt the hard way.
I’ve always liked to share the knowledge I’ve acquired so if you plan to go pro or have an interest in the working life of a photographer click on the images below for my double page Q&A Careers Advice in Digital Photographer

Story Behind The Still – FireBlower

I get asked about how I shot this image more times than any other.
Fire is more usually captured at dusk but the fact that these flames were caught in high light against a deep blue sky is what makes this picture so arresting.
Click on it to reveal the story behind the still image as seen in Digital Photographer
I’m a little late with this post so blame it on being lazy or just being out of touch in Lapland.

Lapland

I’m intrigued by loneliness. I think of myself as a sociable person who thrives in the company of others. How would I deal with being alone? Why do some people cope with it better than others? Is it something that will one day happen to us all? Is being alone the same as being lonely?
This summer I travelled to remote wilderness in Northern Lapland to visit Maria who lives alone there during the months of the midnight sun. She has no electricity, no tv, no internet and her only contact with the outside world is a weekly supply boat. She’s extraordinarily happy, euphoric even, and surrounded by an environment so energised that it’s as if the whole of nature has befriended her.
We swam every morning in water so cold it made your heart beat out of your chest.
We caught fish and cooked on open fires whilst eagles flew overhead and reindeer came within touching distance.
We spent hours in the forest and never tired of watching the light – lost in the moment when sky and water merge to form a continuous landscape of infinity.
In today’s virtual world dominated by twitter, facebook and networking with high speed internet on the move, it was fascinating to step away and get back in touch with the raw, intense and healing power of nature.
I still don’t know if I could live alone but maybe it would be easier with a friend like Mother Nature.