New Mills Web

Immortalising the moment

Having a photographer on a special day or to hold memories of your chilldren is very important, especially when they grow up so fast. Having someone provide you with captured moments that you can keep for ever is is something we all would consider, but firstly we need to know who to chose. 

As part of our work experience we interviewed a local photographer Tim Hensel. He moved to New Mills with the intention to make photography his full time occupation. Since the age of 15 his passion has been photography and he would turn his bathroom into a dark room for days, to print his pictures and his passion continued, finding himself now as a very successful photographer. Before becoming a photographer though, he continued with his A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths and then successfully completed a degree in Biology. He also has an A level in photography which he did in the evenings after leaving university. His artistic background inspired him more and helped him along the way - no wonder with his father being a sculpter and his mother being a painter.               
                           

His work is mainly photographing weddings and doing family portraits and he said that the nice thing about doing this, is that every wedding is different and every family is different, and he loves meeting new people. This leads onto one of the most important parts of being a successful photographer. Tim is confident enough to be able to get along with families and to be able to interact and ask if there are any preferences for photos and making the connections with his clients really helps them to be more relaxed and makes his job a lot easier!

There is always room for improvement in anything you do, and Tim thinks this is very important in what he does and if you get to that point where you stop learning, then you have lost your passion and in photography passion is key. Talking about being able to capture a moment and showing exactly how that moment was in a photo is one of Tim's inspirations, in his own words he likes to ''immortalise special moments.''

His modern studio at his home makes it able for clients to come to him and for him to spend as much time as he needs with them. Our interview took place in his studio and we found it to be very welcoming and it seemed appropriate that it took place in there, so we could get a feel for his work and see some of his acomplishments. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and Tim was easy to get along with, like he said, that's very important if you want to be a photographer.

We asked him what photo he is most proud of and he replied: "I am proud of a lot of my work, but I think the ones I am most proud of are the ones that needed no editing. The ones that the camera just captured..." His studio was filled with canvases with his work displayed on the walls and with only seeing a glimpse of what he can do, we were very impressed.

He has teamed together with the Cavandish Bridal House and the Sycamore to produce a wonderful set of photo's to help promote these local businesses. He is also part of New Mills Original and he thinks New Mills is changing and with that the art and photography is growing within the area.

Occasionally Tim gets asked by magazines, charities and organisations to use his skills, and has also been to Windsor Castle to photograph Prince Edward. Recently he was asked to photograph The Duke of Edinburgh, but unfortunately wasn't able to make it, as his friend's wedding in Italy was on the same day. In 2008 he was the winner of the UK Diesel Wall a prestigious international public art competition, displayed on the side of Urbis, which was approxiamately 100 feet x 60 feet and he is extremely proud of this piece of work.

Tim gets most of his work through word of mouth and referrals, but also promotes himself online and has his own Tim Hensel Photography website showing a great selection of his photography, and his contact information.