Colin Hawkins

Colin Hawkins has worked directly with clients and advertising and design agencies for over 30 years. He draws from his Fine Art education which gave him a deep understanding of the principles of composition, concept, colour & form.

Colin’s expertise is grounded in many years of industry experience combined with continuous personal practice and experimentation with various techniques and processes. Through this, he has learnt to appreciate the subtleties and intricacies of lighting and composition. He has always enjoyed problem-solving, making sets and backgrounds, and creating or adapting gadgets and equipment to help achieve a certain effect. His relaxed style allows him to be creative and resourceful. Colin’s approach is more about “Getting it right in camera” to begin with, rather than relying on photoshop in post-production.

Throwing Snow – Music Portrait For Press & Promotion

Colin refrains from being pigeonholed into any one category of photography, and his imagery delivers a carefully crafted concept or idea which encapsulates the essence of what a particular image or brief should communicate, sometimes complex or seemingly simple but always effective.

Hawkin’s work with people is often done almost candidly to create a relaxed natural realism to the perceived character or model, whilst his still-life imagery, and product photography is usually transforming the mundane or elementary into something intriguing and dynamic.

His work has won numerous industry awards, and he became an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society, for whom Colin has lectured and facilitated workshops realising the importance of sharing his knowledge & experience in photography, lighting techniques and generating imaginative shoot ideas.

Colin assisted some of the most influential London-based advertising photographers during the mid-1980s, followed by long periods spent in New York City working in the art scene and on Hip Hop music videos, where he started to realise his lifelong passion for music.

Pete Josef – Music Portrait For Press & Promotion

Returning to London in the late 1980’s he quickly established a photography career travelling globally shooting bands and musicians for record covers, press and editorial features. His unique urban photographic style developed over many years spent in the darkroom and by cross-processing film, his style of shooting people and objects gradually attracted commercial advertising and design commissions.

In the early 1990’s he was asked to join Tony Stone picture library, now Getty Images and his images are now licensed through various image libraries with his broad spectrum of photography, either commissioned or licensed, now appearing in a large number of national & international campaigns, publications, magazines and books.

In 2000 Colin returned to his rural roots & moved his family & studio to the beautiful city of Bath.

Colin is running workshops at Xposure 2022 that give a hands-on opportunity to enhance photographic, lighting & compositional skills in shooting people or products for publishing on the web or other promotional material.