About the Photographer:
South Florida based photographer Ben Hicks has journeyed across the Americas and ventured to exotic locales spanning the globe to compose a profoundly diverse collection of fine-art photography that truly captures the majestic beauty of the natural world. This self-proclaimed “adventure-boy” not only strives to portray the familiar in extraordinarily original ways, but also takes big risks to capture the most complex, often dangerous situations including big waves and precarious animal encounters all to share his admiration for Mother Nature’s creations. Ben’s distinctive vision and inimitable approach to photography renders intricately detailed images that captivate viewers and serve as a testament to his enjoyment and reverence of nature.
The Shot:
Taken during Hurricane Sandy in October of 2012 with a Canon 5D Mark 2 with Canon 16-35 F/2.8L II Lens at 1/500, F/11, ISO 400.
“As I pack my bags to travel to Puerto Rico with 10 guys for a bachelor party, the phone buzzes with texts about the swell to hit the next day. The Groom, Matt Oberman, a good friend of mine and avid surfer had friends from all over town ready to all leave to go to Puerto Rico. It was a tough call; cancel a bachelor trip and disappoint a lot of people to potentially score a hurricane swell. Many of the hurricane swells never pan out, and you only have one bachelor trip, especially when the wedding is the next weekend. I rose super early that next morning as our flight was at 10:30 am and headed to the beach and shot as much as I could of this now epic swell that was unfolding upon us. This shot was taken a bit back from the beach to see the typical elements of Deerfield Beach mixed with a massive swell. I framed it this way to show the entire scene at that moment to better tell the story of what was unfolding that morning. We all met at the airport and contemplated what to do. In the end we decided to go. Waves were also massive in PR but it’s always is a bummer to miss a 100 year swell in your backyard.”
To check out and purchase some of Ben’s work, visit benjhicks.com. You can also follow him on instagram @benjhicks
