Welcoming Photographer and Director Nick Hall to the Roster!

Some photographers make you notice the landscape. Nick Hall makes you feel like you're standing in it.

With a warm welcome, Photographer and Director Nick Hall joins Heather Elder Represents.

Nick's work begins with a deep connection to the natural world. Long before he was photographing people, he was chasing wild places with a camera, drawn to landscapes that made him stop in his tracks. That passion led him to documenting stories for environmental organizations, where his background in conservation and curiosity about the relationship between people and nature found a natural home.

Every image feels lived in. Whether he's photographing a family, an athlete, or a community halfway around the world, the landscape isn't just a backdrop. It's an essential part of the story.

With an instinct for beautiful light, honest moments, and meaningful connection, Nick creates imagery that feels both cinematic and authentic. As his work continues to evolve into motion, we're looking forward to what's ahead.

Welcome, Nick! We are so happy to have you!

What first drew you to photography?

I've always loved being outdoors, in wild landscapes and remote wilderness. My first connection with photography was making landscape images of the places I loved and yearned to explore. From there I began weaving in my background in environmental conservation science, and became captivated by the human-nature relationship from a scientific and biodiversity perspective. That led me to documenting human-nature stories for NGOs and environmental organisations, and everything grew from there.

I know you have a deep love of wildlife and landscapes. How has that connection to the natural world shaped the way you see and photograph people?

Being immersed in nature, in arresting landscapes, bearing witness to the power and beauty of the Earth, is my passion and my happy place. That deep love and respect for the outdoors informs everything I shoot. I'm always trying to weave human emotion and real moments into the context of place, to capture that feeling of awe we get from standing in front of something vast and beautiful and honouring it in the frame.

Travel has clearly shaped your perspective. How has experiencing different places and cultures influenced the way you tell stories?

Travelling to remote places and immersing myself in unfamiliar cultures has, at some point on almost every project, completely knocked me on my ass. Whether it's being battered by a storm or having my preconceptions about people and places turned utterly upside down. Those experiences have taught me to stay humble, curious, and open. Once you occupy that space, every shoot becomes an exciting opportunity to learn and connect with people and places. And in my experience, it's that ability to connect that lets you dive deeply into storytelling.

What's the first thing that makes you stop and reach for your camera?

When light bursts through nasty weather.

What place has left the biggest impression on you, both personally and creatively?

Many years ago I was lucky enough to spend a long time living with Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. It profoundly changed my perspective on what it means to be a human being. During that time we hunted, ate, slept, walked, foraged, and told stories together. I left thinking, this is what it really means to be human, what we're so perfectly designed to do, and that so much of the extra stuff that bogs us down and stresses us out in modern life just gets in the way of simply being human. Of course, the reality of life in the US and England means we all conform in various ways. But that time remains incredibly precious to me, and I reflect on it daily.

Your work has taken you all over the world for brands like American Airlines, Visit Qatar, Four Seasons, Nespresso, Alaska Tourism, Uber, Intel, and Barclays Bank. What do you love most about traveling for a project and experiencing a place through the work?

Having the camera with me opens up this reason for being immensely curious, to understand a place, to chat with strangers, go behind the veil, I love how the camera gives you a reason to really explore and uncover a place. 

With so much of your work taking you to unexpected places, is there a favorite shoot where the adventure of getting the shot became just as memorable as the final image?

The Nespresso shoot was a dream assignment. Traveling all over the world, documenting coffee farmers and flying drones over epic landscapes. But it wasn't all dreamy. In order to get the specific drone landscape shot in Mexico we had to drive six hours to a rural airport, jump in a little Cessna plane for 3 hours and then drive another 3 hours into the jungle. We hadn't had time to scout the location due to last-minute changes to our schedule.

We arrived with a few hours of sunlight left, quickly scouted with the drone and rummaged around on Google Maps on our phones. We were still miles from the part of the river we needed for our shot and there were no obvious roads to get us there. 

Determined to find our location on the river we drove into the hills, down dirt tracks and past remote villages. Around 11 p.m., in the pitch black we dead-ended at the bottom of a steep dirt road, unsuccessful and spent. As we contemplated our options a local man, Roberto, literally popped out of the jungle and, in Spanish, asked us what we were up to. We explained our predicament and showed him some maps of where we were trying to get to. He said he knows the exact spot and has a canoe to take us. We arranged to come back the following day before dawn, the tide of our luck had turned.

The next morning was like a fairytale. We drifted silently downriver in Roberto's canoe. Mist hung in the river valley, flocks of white egrets flew overhead, and monkeys heckled us from the treetops. The sun came out and we got our drone shots.

Your work has such a strong sense of place. What is it about a location that captures your attention and makes you want to tell a story there?

I just love experiencing everything our world has to offer. The smells, the feeling, the beauty, the ruggedness, the tranquility, whatever a place holds. And when the light and atmospherics hit just right, there's nothing like that feeling of complete awe and wonder at the beauty and power of mother nature. That's what makes me want to tell a story somewhere.

There's a cinematic quality to your imagery that still feels deeply authentic. How do you balance planning with leaving room for real moments to unfold?

It starts with a fantastic producer who loves and respects the process, so we can carve out little pockets of time to be free and let the humans in front of the camera simply be themselves. Making meaningful connections with the people I photograph is essential. We go on the journey together, and when there's real trust, they can let their guard down and be genuine. At the same time, there's always a voice in the back of my mind pushing me further with the light, the angles, the framing, trying to make it as arresting and cinematic as possible. Sometimes that's quiet and subtle, sometimes big, loud, and vibrant, depending on the scene and the vibe.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received, whether creatively or personally?

From Nick Onken: "Make good work. Make better work. Show more people." Pretty simple, but woven within it, I think, is stay humble, stay curious, be grateful.