22Photo Stories
O
liver Hellowell rst showed an
interest in photography aged 11,
back in 2008. He reveals, ‘My
Dad takes pictures and I wanted
to too, so I used his spare camera and it was
really good. I did it more, got my own camera
and loved it. I like it when other people like
my pictures too; it makes me feel proud. I like
being outside and photography is good for
me. It gives me something to do, to focus on.’
Part of Oliver’s remarkable story is that
he had open-heart surgery at three months
old, to correct three serious cardiac
defects, and, when he was three, his Down
Syndrome led medical experts to predict he
would never produce intelligible speech.
Oliver has proven the doctors wrong and
photography has given him a huge passion
and a massive creative outlet.
Now 23, Oliver’s work has featured twice
on BBC’s The One Show, he has gained
over 65,000 followers on Facebook and he
recently launched his YouTube channel. He
says ‘it’s very dif cult to choose’ but
names his favourite photographers as Andy
Rouse, Ben Hall, Ross Hoddinott, Jasper
Doest, Bence Máté, Peter Cairns, Alan
McFadyen and Ken Jenkins.
Oliver frequently documents the
behaviour of birds near his home in the
Blackdown Hills in Somerset, England. He
explains, ‘We made a big hide out of a
garden shed and built a re ection pool in
front of it. We found mossy logs and things,
and set up feeders. We have pop-up mobile
hides too; we’ve got one on a scaffolding
stand to see right into the apple tree and
get pictures of birds in the blossom.’
Unlike many nature photographers Oliver
chooses to shoot handheld, with his Canon
EOS 5D Mark III DSLR. He says, ‘I’ve got a
good steady hand for it and I can keep
moving around, looking and can use my
camera at any angle.’
Oliver continues, ‘I use a Canon 100-
400mm [zoom lens] and a Canon 17-
40mm. I use the long lens a lot, especially
for birds, and I use the other one for
landscapes and owers. I sometimes
borrowmyfather’smacrolens.I wantedmybig lens for a long time and I call it my
“monster”. I bought it with money from my
exhibition. Now I want an even bigger one,
but I haven’t got enough money for that!’
He has a speci c approach to shooting
birds. ‘I just worry about the eye – it has to
be sharp. Often I don’t worry about getting
the whole bird in, I just like the eye.
Sometimes I lie on the ground or crouch
down and put my camera on the ground – I
get good pictures that way. I use autofocus
all the time with automatic ISO. It’s easier
for me and I don’t have to worry about all
the settings. I can concentrate on taking
pictures, framing and composition.’
Oliver’s bird shoots have included one in
the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee (a
commission from Tennessee Tourism), on
the Farne Islands and at the Abbotsbury
Swannery in Dorset. Over 150 of his bird
images feature in the 2019 book Oliver’s
Birds. He explains, ‘Almost all the pictures
in the book were taken in the two years
before it came out. I needed lots of sea
birds for the book so we went to the Farne
Islands just before we had to have the
pictures ready. That’s a great place.’
The book edit started with more than 1,000
shortlisted images, which were whittled
down. Oliver doesn’t like to heavily edit his
images. ‘I use an old version of Photoshop,
Elements 9, and I like to boost the contrast
sometimes and the highlights. I do a bit of
sharpening and I like to crop, but that’s it.’
As for photographic advice Oliver recalls,
‘Ken Jenkins said to me, “Never lose the
wonder”. I love that.’ For his bird
photography top tips, Oliver advises, ‘Get
some feeders in your garden, even if it’s a
small garden. Then make yourself a hide in
the garden or get a pop-up hide – they’re
easy, like a tiny tent. Sometimes you have
to wait a while, so take snacks with you!’
The follow-up to Oliver’s Birds is the book
Oliver’s Britain, released in August. Oliver
reveals, ‘I am very excited about it. It’s all
my favourite pictures I’ve taken in England,
Wales and Scotland. The book is going to
be so beautiful; everyone will love it. I
can’twait!’Bird’s eye views
Oliver Hellowell is a young photographer with a
big talent. He talks to Steve Fairclough
The book Oliver’s Birds, by Oliver Hellowell, is published by ACC Art Books (ISBN: 9-781788-840101) at £17.99.
To nd out more go to http://www.accartbooks.com/uk.