A CATCH UP WITH TASH HICKS

15 June, 2023

CHECK OUT TASH'S WORK

With a passion for photography a career as a colourist was an obvious choice for recently promoted Tash Hicks.

Find out about Tash’s journey so far in this interview below.

How did you kick start your career?

I’ve been a photographer ever since I was a kid, and have always had a camera on me since I got my first point and shoot film camera when I was 6. Along with photography I fell in love with theatre when I was 16, and was close to pursuing a career in acting, when I realised my passions lie behind the camera. I didn’t know colour grading even existed until after university when I was looking to work in post production film and tv.

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

I’m really proud of getting to where I am already. I studied English Literature at university and have never formally studied any visual arts as it wasn’t supported within my school and education. When I got into TV I had no contacts or references so I worked from the ground up. I’m proud of the technical and creative skills I’ve learned through working in grading and training hands-on with the best in the business.

So far in your career, what are your top projects?

I love the Acali ‘You Can’t Plan No Shit’ music video because I’m a fan of the artists and they were such a pleasure to work with. The director Whitney also shot it so beautifully, in the midst of the first bout of the pandemic! I was also really excited to work on the AMG Mercedes commercial as its such an iconic brand, and Rankin is someone I’ve admired ever since I was a teenager. It was a real ‘pinch me’ job.

With your background in photography, what’s your take on digital versus film?

Naturally I think film looks very authentic, but I think this is hugely because of the nature of how people use it. Shoots on film tend to be planned out really well because you have less chances of getting it correct. However, I do think there is more sustainability in digital and you can achieve a lot more in terms of VFX and post production. I think shooting digitally with film in mind, is the perfect marriage of the two.

How do you go about building a look for a project, where do you get your inspiration from?

A lot of my inspiration comes from fashion photography but I’ve recently been trying to draw inspiration from real life. As a photographer you have to be pretty observant in your daily life and I'm trying to pull that into my work. London has so many amazing locations, even the colours used in interior design can spark an idea for a look. Books, films and plays are also great sources, mainly how light plays into these - physically or in your imagination.