Conversations with Derrick Hicks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Derrick Hicks. 

Hi Derrick, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey as a photographer and filmmaker started in 2011 with my best friend Alan Hutson who is now deceased. His mother bought him a camcorder that year for Christmas, and we were just being goofballs with it. We did speak of taking it seriously, but the camera had gotten stolen. Years after he passed, I was in a bad financial situation. I was thinking of ways to make legit money outside of working. My senior pictures from high school inspired me to try photography, especially since I’m an artist at heart. In 2018, I decided to invest in a camera and practice photography. I had a great response from social media after I posted a few photos I had taken. Eventually, I started shooting videos as well. It was very frustrating trying to get the quality I wanted in the beginning, but that led me to start learning more about cameras, lenses, lighting, etc… the more I learned, the better I got. I started interviewing music artist, shooting music videos, vlogs, or anything I could until I found my niche. In September 2021, I enrolled into Full Sail University for Digital Cinematography to learn everything I could about storytelling and shooting different styles of film. My goal is to shoot a successful feature-length movie. My story is still unfolding, so I’ll have much more to speak on in the future. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey hasn’t been smooth. Starting out, it was fun just being creative. I fell in love with photography and shooting videos. When I started opening myself up to do business, things began to change. I’ve encountered a lot of bad business and clients that sucked the fun and passion out of projects. It really became more of a hassle than something I enjoyed doing. I struggled with finding balance between being creative and doing business. Being an artist myself, I dislike when clients want to imitate the creativity of other photographers/videographers. I take pride in being original and coming up with new and unique perspectives with my creativity. This taught me the importance of building relationships with anyone I work with. 

Another struggle was proving myself and earning respect as a business owner. I learned that outside looking in, being a photographer or cinematographer seems like an easy job. It’s way more work than it seems and very expensive. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I mostly work alone when I’m booked for projects or dealing with clients. So, I’m sort of like a jack of all trades. I specialize more in photography than I do with shooting videos. Photography is just more simple than shooting film. But I’m known for vlogs and being an interviewer. People love my personality, and I usually connect with most people that I meet. That is something that sets me apart from others because it’s just who I am as a person. And I would also say that is something that I’m proud of because it’s gotten me so far since I’ve started my journey. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Social media brings a huge need for content creation. The demand for photographers and cinematographers are growing more as time goes on. This industry veers off into every other industry you could think of. Actually, film and photography has really become a part of our everyday lives if you sit and think about. It’ll continue to grow and stay in high demand in the next 5-10 years, in my opinion. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhicksmedia/

Image Credits
DHicksMedia
ProlificGoldVisuals