William Hickie at The Photography Show
The importance of exploration.
In before I give you my presentation, I have to ‘set the stage’ so to speak. I have been working with NiSi Optics and their filters to help improve some areas of my photography, such as long exposures. They kindly invited me to speak at their stand, at the Photography Show in the NEC, Birmingham which was a great honour and I am very, very thankful for. This is the first talk I have ever done like this - I have done workshops and spoken to groups of over 20 let’s say, but not in this environment. This was totally new to me, and also very nerve racking… which I think was seen by the attendees. However, I got some amazing feedback, it’s an experience I can learn from and is a step in the right direction for my photography career. With all that being said, a huge thank you to the NiSi team and the amazing hospitality provided for day, I can’t wait for next year! Here is my presentation.
Intro (Skye waterfall image behind)
“Exploring and embracing unpredictability is incredibly important for me in photography.
BUT- I suppose I should start with a little bit of a background story.”
“I’m a professional adventure photographer. I’ve been around cameras a very long time it seems like. I started almost 10 years ago when I was 14 - just photographing anything and everything simply for the enjoyment and understanding how a camera actually works.
I then went on to study photography in high school, then A-levels, and then a Foundation in Art course at higher eduction.”
“All the while, I was using my weekends to build my portfolio, shadowing other photographers and getting my foot in the door to the industry. It was great, I made that choice to be a photographer when I was 14 and thats what I wanted my career to be. So When I got out of study I worked at a leisure vehicle dealership photographing caravans and motorhomes, which was alright - and I had the title of a “professional photographer “but it wasn’t the photography that I wanted.
Fast forward a little bit and in June 2024 - almost 2 years ago now- I made a plan to leave that job and go all in on landscape photography. I had enough money to last me 6 months, and that was my window of opportunity - so I took the leap. And that’s when everything changed. “
“I totally fell in love with hiking, exploring the Peak District, and landscape photography. So that became the focus.
While exploring the peaks I managed to get some incredible images, and it’s what really helped get my work noticed. I was out maybe 4 times a week shooting, and I built my whole photography brand around the Peak District , and at that point and it started to get a bit of attention.
Here’s a few of my favourites from that time:
Salt Storm! - This was such a fun evening, chasing the light on Derwent Edge. The atmosphere was thick, humid and sticky. We just knew that something was going to happen. We witnessed a few passing storms, taking shelter under a nearby rock. It was one of the moments that was un avoidable, we were going to get wet, but we could also see the gap on the horizon - so it was all in good faith. Eventually the sun dropped, below the clouds and blasted through onto the landscape. And it was so windy, I ended up taking my camera off the tripod (because I was using such a fast shutter speed in an attempt to stop the motion on the grass) and just ran around taking loads of different compositions of this scene. I had no idea that I got such a great photo until I got home and looked at it.”
“Birch Kingdom - A much gentler image, and another great memory of my landscape photography. This was taken on the morning where I witnessed my first proper cloud inversion, and it was really stable so I wanted to drop down lower and try and photography some foggy woodland. I just love this image, it may not be technically incredible but the story it holds is much more valuable than that. There’s heather, there’s silver birch, bracken, fog. Love it.”
“Golden Crown - Although it’s a classic and may not seem like anything special, it’s where I found my interest in overcast golden hour. This is something that comes up in my work more and has become my “style” I guess, and what really look for when creating a good image. Salt Storm was one of those.”
“Royal Stag - Now this image, surpassed all expectations. It wasn’t planned, I was actually out photographing woodland in the Peak District. I was aware that it was rutting season so I knew there was a chance for deer to be lurking around but never did I imagine getting an image like this. Being able to get so close, shooting with a 24-120mm bare in mind, was just un real. A little bit scary actually. I think it speaks for itself, an encounter with such a majestic animal is something that will always stick. “
“And that led to one of the biggest opportunities of my life, I was contacted by BBC Countryfile - and ended up going on the show, then the radio, and the news, it was crazy. I think it’s important to mention Nigel Danson here because he has been a huge inspiration for me and he let me borrow his 100-400 lens for the shoot which I am incredibly grateful for. Legend.”
“See for me, photography is almost a by-product for my complete love for nature. I love being outside, hiking, and documenting that in a way which allows me to keep me present in the moment .
Whilst all this was happening, and I recognised that my work was getting better, the pressure to get good images and meet that standard was building up alongside it.”
“I often found myself focusing on the feeling of pressure to get a good image, rather than the “getting the good image”. It got to the point where it just consumed me. I couldn’t even remember the hike because I was so in my head to meet these expectations. And that’s not why I enjoyed photography, it’s the opposite. I enjoy photography, when my images make me feel something, when they become portal back in time to that moment. And I think those images have an effect on other people too.
When I was focusing too much on the feeling of pressure, my work declined in quality and I didn’t get anything worthwhile to create that portal.”
“This is an example of one of those portals, this is one of my favourite images I have taken. Titled ‘Peekaboo’, again with the blue and orange, but also because it tells a story and me and Jack on the day, taking these images. We were literally peeking over the walls to find compositions, similar to the two shrubs on the bottom left.
Try and think back to a time when you were truly lost for words, witnessing nature in its chaotic beauty. Its incredible, and I was losing that. So I had to change my approach. And I did. And thats where this talk really starts”
“It was on a trip to the Isle of Skye, a place which was on my bucket list for years, and did not disappoint. I had no solid plan, I just wanted to turn up and explore, of course I had places in mind, but I didn’t have any planned photographs to take. It’s abit of a ‘gung-ho’ approach, where I kind of figure it out in the moment. (And) That approach for me, gave me an immense boost of adrenaline, it felt like - “when it was like quick get the camera out!!” I’ll just be going about my day, hiking - exploring, and when I saw an image, or the atmosphere changing, it just got my heart pumping, especially when there’s some really incredible light. I think it’s the surprise factor, and not knowing what’s in store for me each time I’m out, I love going out in unstable weather conditions because that often gives me a higher chance of getting something dramatic. And to be honest, I also like the struggle and “earning” a photograph through physical work.
So I’ll go through a few of those photos from that trip.
I haven’t titled these images yet, in fact I’ve not even added them onto my website as prints which I will make sure to do when I get home.
Fairy Pools - Genuinely felt like I was on another planet. I’ve never been to a place so beautiful in my life. I remember walking past this section and seeing the image in the corner of eye. It was wet and windy, a pain in the backside to photograph because the lens wouldn’t last half a second before getting splashed so it took a few attempts. I probably took the same shot about 50 times wiping the lens making sure I definitely had 1 image clear from droplets. I didn’t need to use any filters on this shot because the water was running so fast. But, the L-Plate is a serious bit of kit that I think every landscape photographer should have. It makes it so easy to switch into portrait.”
“Storr - I love this shot. I find it difficult to talk about some of my photographs. I’m just not really sure what to say about it other than it’s a good image. I like the juxtaposition between the dark and the light, the rugged landscape and the soft clouds. The good and evil I guess. You can see the light is around the corner and in reaching distance but you have this huge obstacle in the way.”
“Rainbow - The more time you spend outside, the more you can gauge the weather and get a good read on it. And I was 100% sure that there would be rainbow, so as we were driving back from Elgol beach and I saw the light starting to shift and the rain was coming down, I just needed them ti line up. Of course they did, so I slammed on the brakes and ditched the car into a passing place - I know you can’t park there but I took this literally ten steps from the car. Very insitu and tough to make a strong composition. Luckily I had a nice little tree to frame up with the rainbow.
All of this trip was filmed too so I’ve got a YouTube video on that if you want to watch the behind the scenes. I recently just got an Outstanding Work award from Hasselblad with this set of images as well which is pretty epic.
When I’m photographing like this, a lot of it comes down to instincts and muscle memory, we all know how quick light can change, and it’s in those moments where my brain is forced to run at a hundred mile an hour and figure something out. Working overtime finding a foreground, and composing something to present how epic the landscape is. It’s like a gateway into becoming hyper-aware of everything around me. It’s that, which re-igninted my creativity, each and every time, being forced into a situation where I have to react fast, with intention. Maybe this is just me, I really don’t like controlled environments, I just get bored. I want it to be unpredictable.
I know that in theory, landscape photography is a game of patience, but it just doesn’t work me. I’ve done it, and I still enjoy it, but no-where near as much as this. So I urge you to try something different in your photography, and I don’t mean camera settings, or compositional layouts. I’m talking about what makes you feel something, your approach before picking up the camera.”
“Doing this, really allowed me to just enjoy being outside again, not worrying, just having fun with it. Embracing the unpredictability, battling tough conditions, things not going to plan. Not just hoping, but having faith that there will be a moment to capture a great image.
Hebrews 11:1 describes faith as “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”
The faith, takes away the doubt that lies in just hoping, therefore taking away the stress and pressure of needing to perform.”
“Here’s a few more images that I particularly like:
King’s Farm - Taken on an evening in the Lake District, up the Old Man of Coniston. A beautiful day of hiking in the mountains, and also the first time I used the NiSi JetMag Pro filters - not on this image but on the next one that I’ll show. We stayed for two nights, camping each time. I also filmed this so there is a YouTube video where I go through some of the set up and how to use these filters.”
“Easedale Light - So this was on, not the next morning, but the one after, camping next to Easdale Tarn. I believe I used the 6 stop nd on this because the water was really bright as the sun was rising behind me. That just helped to soften it, and because the shutter speed was longer it meant that with the light on the rocks, there wasn’t a harsh line with light and shadow - so yeh I really like this one.”
“Taking a dip & Milkyway - We had a clear night aswell, so it would be rude to do abit of astro while I was there. I really like this one, taking a dip. Thats Ursa Major, also known as the big dipper, reflected in the water - hence taking a dip! “
“Lucid - For my woodland shots now, I really enjoy using the CPL because it really strips away that top layer of reflected light on the surface of the leaves. I find it really useful to bring out the colour and it just gives it that extra punch. This was in the New Forest, I got a few pointers from Lee Cooper while I was down there who is an incredible photographer and has really helped me with my woodland photography.”
“Untitled - Untitled, I don’t have a name for this one… sometimes the titles of my work just come to me when I get the shot, and sometimes I find it really difficult to actually give it a title. But I think the title is part of the work and I don’t like to publish an image in to my portfolio without a title. So for now this is just untitled. But, I took in in North Wales o the back end of an incredible hike, I really love the texture here, how the rocks almost mirror the patterns in the snow, and the clouds in the sky. It all flows together very nicely.”
“On to some ideas and techniques you can use with the filters. The main one you will be thinking of for an ND filter is a long exposure, so tested out the different ranges on a waterfall in the Lake District. Here you can see the RAW images of no filet, and the NiSi 10 Stop. On this occasion, I think the 10 stop was a little bit overkill, and smoothed out abit too much of the texture that I like to keep in flowing water.”
“So I dropped it down to a 6 Stop ND filter, making the shutter speed abit faster, retaining the texture in the water. The JetMag Pro set is really useful in these situations because it’s really quick and easy to use, you don’t have to mess around”.
“Another way you can have control over how water looks in your image is by using the NiSi JetMag Pro CPL. The same way it cuts out reflected light in woodland photography, it also does it in water. In the foreground water and on the road on the right hand side it’s night and day difference compared to the left. “
“When you look at this image taken with the CPL, it’s only possible because of that filter. Even with post processing, it’s just not the same. This is one of my favourite Autumn location in the Lake District, called Ashness Bridge.”
“Ultimately, I want to inspire you to just get out and explore. Try not to take it too seriously, w do photography because it’s fun. There’s a shot everywhere no matter what the weather is, so let’s just keep it fun and enjoyable. Embrace the weather for what it is.”
“I’ll finish with this photograph. Taken on Snowdon at sunset. The most incredible cloud inversion I have witnessed, and totally unexpected. The hike up was miserable, dark and a little bit wet because of the moisture in the air. And all of a sudden our heads poked above the clouds.
Thank you everyone for being here, I hope you have enjoyed”.