Ben Higgins
Photographer Feature

In Focus: Ben Higgins

Kolla Photographer Feature
Posted on 12/01/2019

Ben Higgins is a nomadic soul who calls Bristol home.

A relentless traveller, we're constantly enamoured with Ben's landscape work. It's easy to be whisked away with his work, and carried away in thought to a mountaintop, open field, or some other open space.

Let's dive in now with our short conversation with this worldly-Brit!


Who are you, where are you from, what do you do?


I'm Ben, a UK native currently living in London and working as a wedding photographer.

Although around 50% of the weddings I shoot are destinations, so during the summer months I'm rarely there more than two weeks at a time.

I only moved here a short while ago so it's all still pretty new to me, but it's a great city and I'm eager to explore more of what it has to offer now I'm home a lot.

Take us through your most memorable photography experience.

There have been so many amazing experiences over the years, but the most memorable has to be my trip to Uganda last year. For most destination weddings, I'm only in the country for a couple of days but for Uganda I decided to make a trip of it and spent 11 days there - 4 days with the couple at Murchison Falls National Park, sandwiched between 7 days alone travelling all corners. It's a beautiful country, rich in culture, incredible wildlife and breathtaking landscapes.

Trekking through the Bwindi forest to photograph and spend time with the mountain Gorillas in their natural habitat was a life highlight.

Despite packing a lot of stuff in over a short space of time, I left feeling like I'd only scraped the surface of what this country had to offer so I'm looking forward to returning in the near future to experience it all at a much slower pace.

Simply getting a photo is enough. Ben Higgins

Within your photography career, what are you excited about right now?


I have a lot of ideas for projects and products that I'm excited to work on over the winter months.

Some will undoubtedly fall by the wayside, or get put on the back burner but there are a few that are really drawing me in and I can't wait to put more time into them and see how they develop. It's all early stages, so unfortunately I can't say a great deal right now.

Other than that, I'm excited about new places I'm travelling to for weddings in 2019, and re-visiting some more familiar spots too.

Image Left: Casa Mila

How does your personal work differ from you professional work?

In some ways they are not too dissimilar. I like to create images that feel genuine and have a natural quality to them, whether it's professional or personal. However my personal work (holidays, day to day life etc) is a lot less precise.

When I was a child I was fortunate that my parents did a lot with us, and would always have the camera out wherever we went. I look back at those images now and I don't care for light, colours or off beat compositions when I'm viewing them, it's just cool to have the memories of the fun times I had growing up. Now I'm the one capturing my experiences, I keep that in the back of my mind and try not to worry too much about the technical side of things. Simply getting a photo is enough.

In that sense, it's the polar opposite to my approach to weddings.

 

When you're unmotivated to take photos, what gets you out of the funk?

If I'm struggling creatively, I'll put the cameras down, switch off and just do a mix of things I enjoy - watch a film, go for a long walk somewhere remote or hang out with family and friends. For me inspiration comes via so many channels, often by chance and the source differs each time, so it's impossible to know where new ideas will stem from. But from past experiences, just getting out of my routine, presenting myself with a change of scenery or indulging in good conversation can help stimulate new ideas and add a fresh perspective to my work.

And if nothing comes from it creatively, I'm still doing things I love, which puts me in a positive frame of mind and that can only help to get out of a rut.

What is one thing you're obsessed with right now?


Candles and candle making! I admire all forms of creativity and believe anything can be fascinating if you invest enough time and energy into learning the process and nuances of that craft. And for me right now, that's candle making. It's very therapeutic.

Image: Smoke Winter


Embrace the freedom and tranquility in Ben's work and shop his entire collection today.

For more interviews like this, as well as promotions and special offers, sign up to Photography Art News by Kolla. We'll knock 10 % off on your first order.


 

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