About |
THE PERSON BEHIND THE CAMERA
FIND OUT WHAT I'M ALL ABOUT |
MY BACKGROUND, INTERESTS, GEAR & MORE
QUICK FACTS
ORIGINALLY FROM: Eccleston (near Chorley), Lancashire UK
CURRENTLY LIVING: Windermere, Cumbria
CURRENTLY WORKING: Hayes Garden World, Outdoor Plants/Marketing
STARTED PHOTOGRAPHY: Around 2010 with my first DSLR
LIFESTYLE: Vegan / Plant Based / Interested in zero waste lifestyle
MUSIC TASTE: Metal / Metalcore / Melodic death / Rock / Folk / Viking
Curious what I listen to? I do love my music >> Click here/Coming soon <<
OTHER INTERESTS: Slacklining / Tennis / Tech / Art / Nature / Rewilding
Hi. I'm Mike Hilton, a keen amateur landscape photographer based in the Lake District.
I've been living and shooting in the Lakes since 2015, self taught and always learning.
I do occasionally travel away to other locations like Scotland, but I mostly enjoy the challenge of capturing the many stunning views of the Cumbrian landscape throughout the seasons. In-between I work a regular full-time 9-5 job, at least for now.
Here you'll find out a fair bit about me, and I've broken it down so you can either just get the basics or take the time to read more if you're really that curious!
INTERESTED IN MY FULL BIO & PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNEY? CLICK HERE TO SCOOT DOWN THE PAGE A BIT
MAIN CAMERA KIT
FOR ALL YOU GEAR NERDS
CAMERA: SONY A7RIII WITH L-BRACKET
LENSES: SIGMA 14-24MM F2.8 DG DN ART
SONY 20MM F1.8 G
SIGMA 24-70MM F2.8 DG DN ART
SAMYANG 135MM F1.8 (THE BOKEH MONSTER)
SIGMA 100-400MM F5-6.3 DG DN CONTEMPORARY
FILTERS: FORMATT HITECH FIRECREST 100mm SYSTEM
TRIPOD: LEOFOTO LO-324 WITH INTEGRATED LEVELLING BASE
LEOFOTO LH-36 LOW PROFILE BALLHEAD
OTHER GEAR + CAMPING KIT
BACKPACK: F-STOP SATORI EXP + LARGE PRO ICU
DRONE: DJI MAVIC AIR
EDITING: APPLE MACBOOK PRO RETINA 13"
APPLE 27" CINEMA DISPLAY
SMARTPHONE: APPLE IPHONE 11 PRO
IR REMOTE TRIGGER: SAMSUNG S5 MINI
+ ANKER 20,000MAH POWER BANK WITH 12V
+ NEOS TREKKER WATERPROOF OVERSHOES
TENT: VANGO FORCE TEN ARGON 2
AIRBED: EXPED SYNMAT UL 7
SLEEPING BAG: SIERRA DESIGNS BACKCOUNTRY BED 700
FOOD HEATER: TREKMATES FLAMELESS COOK BOX
EDITING SOFTWARE
RAW IMPORT AND DEVELOP: ADOBE LIGHTROOM CLASSIC
PRIMARY EDITING AND FINISHING: ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CC
EXTRA FINISHING TOUCHES: NIK COLOR EFEX PRO & DFINE
DRONE FOOTAGE AND VIDEO: ADOBE PREMIERE CC
PHOTOGRAPHY APPS ON MY SMARTPHONE
WINDY (IOS & ANDROID): This is the big shot, the main man, the absolute first port of call for my
main weather forecast information. Extremely in depth in every conceivable aspect, with the main useful feature being short and long range radar forecasts of cloud split into high, medium and low. Along with the fact that several different forecast models can be compared, all of which
are updated at regular intervals through the day, this becomes an extremely useful app.
WEATHER & RADAR (IOS & ANDROID): An extremely useful weather app for accurate short term
cloud cover and rain shower activity. The "Now" view lets you simulate imminent cloud cover up to 1.5hrs ahead of current time, and gives you a great idea of any potential opportunities for
possibilities of rainbows, horizon gaps, and breaks in stormy weather.
CLEAR OUTSIDE (IOS & ANDROID): A purely data-driven weather forecast app, this is useful for double checking local conditions such as wind speed, fog/humidity and cloud cover type.
THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S EPHEMERIS (IOS & ANDROID): A fantastic sunrise and sunset planning app that lets you check the current angles of the golden hours and also analyse where light will fall. Partnered with the integrated Skyfire service, you can be alerted to the potential for those extra special sunrises or sunsets where the high cloud catches colour right across the sky.
TPE 3D (IOS EXCLUSIVE): A hugely useful 3D-mapped interactive aerial view of the landscape that casts virtual sunlight on the terrain at any time of day/year so you can essentially get a visual on where sunlight will fall for any view that you're planning to shoot.
KOMOOT (IOS & ANDROID): Really useful for planning hikes in conjunction with ViewRanger.
What's great about it is that it analyses the route in terms of elevation, terrain and also fitness,
which means the estimated route times are actually accurate according to the ascent profile.
Mike |
I'm originally from Lancashire, in a small village near Chorley; Eccleston. A quiet place, much like myself. I grew up introspective and creative, with a fondness for nature and the outdoors and nature.
My artistic streak began early in primary school, becoming adept at detailed drawing as I went through high school. At college I studied Graphics and Fine Art, and went on to graduate university with a BA Hons in Illustration before ending up working at... a local garden centre. Naturally! Ahem.
It was about this time in my life that I started finding my love of photography, and it was oddly enough kickstarted by the rise of Instagram and smartphones. I'd previously dabbled in traditional darkroom film photography during college and thoroughly enjoyed it, but this proved to be a rewarding 'instant' creative outlet, and the growing followers and increasing "likes" on my posts motivated me. I posted my filtered iPhone pics of local countryside or, contrastingly, urban exploration adventures - accessing derelict buildings on the sly was quite the thrill. The adrenaline rush of being somewhere off limits, and being visually enthralled by the aesthetics of decay and nature taking over again.
Potential |
THE INSPIRATION
So, it was time to get serious, and I invested in my first DSLR and lenses, to really get stuck in, to see where my photography would take me.
I first tried my hand at nature and bird photography, but after venturing on holidays away to the Lakes, Wales and Scotland, it was becoming clear that it was landscape photography that I had caught got the bug for.
My first ever morning in the Lake District was a stunning calm sunrise at the shoreline of Grasmere, with lake mist and reflections. I didn't really know what I was doing with the camera, I think even the horizon level was wonky, but I savoured the moment and wanted more.
Scotland was to impress me even further with the vastness of the scenery and the sense of the wild.
The various appealing aspects of landscape photography became all too apparent over these few years. The challenge of being in the right place at the right time. Figuring out how to plan a shoot. The anticipation of what may happen. Being often the only person around, in silence apart from the sights and sounds of nature, and just being in that moment. The reward of a beautiful scene, and then the creative challenge of portraying and editing the scene in a way that brings the vision to life.
THE LAKES
Destination |
After several holidays spent in the Lake District, it began to feel like a place I wanted to live in the future - easy access to fantastic scenery and a chance to become more dedicated to what was now a growing interest in landscapes.
When my job at the time began to make my life feel more like a work-sleep-work cycle, I decided enough was enough and made enquiries at Hayes Garden World in Ambleside, in the hope that my experience would get me in. It did. Almost as if my current job had played a hand in my fate.
Once the Lake District had become my new home, in my free time I was keen to get out at all hours in a bid to "chase the light" without the prospect of a trek up the motorway, to capture the stunning scenery of the Lake District at its very best whenever I wanted to, even before or after work. All the while learning from my experiences and mistakes, and building a portfolio through seasons.
I'm now living in Windermere which is a fantastic village in so many ways, not least the fact that it's so close to a lot of the great scenery and I can be enjoying the views from up Loughrigg or Lingmoor in under an hour or two.
