A TALENTED local photographer has brought the beauty of the Peak District to national TV screens after being featured on the BBC’s Countryfile.
William Hickie specialises in capturing the outdoors – particularly landscapes and wildlife.
The 23-year-old’s stunning snaps and appreciation for the British countryside earned him a spot on the popular programme, where he showcased his work and passion for nature – including striking photographs of deer.
The episode last Sunday (October 26) saw presenters Anita Rani and Sean Fletcher explore the renowned Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire, with William offering viewers an insight into his creative process and the personal challenges he has overcome to pursue his craft.
William, who lives in Tameside, first picked up a camera almost 10 years ago when he was just 14. Reflecting on how his journey began, he told the Correspondent: “I’m still not entirely sure what the inspiration was.
“I’ve always been creative and loved art subjects, so it was just another avenue of ‘art’ to go down and I fell in love with it.”
Despite living with a visual impairment and being colour blind, William hasn’t let that hold him back.
“I was born with Ambylopia and Deutranopia,” he explained. “I have a light refractive error in my left eye. When I was young, it could have been fixed if I wore eye patches but I refused and hated wearing glasses (I still do).
“Not aware of the consequences over time, my brain started ignoring the blurry eye and only used the eye with clear vision to see.
“This does affect me in my day-to-day life but it’s nothing I can’t deal with and I certainly won’t let it get in the way of my photography. I think that’s one of my motivations to pursue this even more, to prove myself worthy, having these predisposed conditions.”
On appearing on the programme, William added: “As a local photographer, I’m proud to represent Greater Manchester and the Peak District on a national platform.”
You can explore more of William’s photography on his website at williamhickie.co.uk or follow him on social media under @williamhickie.
The Countryfile episode featuring William is available to watch on BBC iPlayer here: bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002lh39/countryfile-chatsworth-an-evolving-estate.