Chris Nicholls  

Where are you from?

I was born in England and moved to Canada as a child. My grandfather ran a storefront portrait and wedding photography business in Taunton, England in the 1940’s and 50’s. So photography is kinda of in my blood. I grew up in Oshawa, Ontario and attended community college for photography at Fanshawe College in London Ontario. 

Education background (school or self-taught)?

My real education began while assisting other working fashion photographers in Toronto. I have been working around the world with Toronto as my base for many years now. I mostly work in Toronto, Montreal, NYC, LA and Miami. I live with my wife Lorca near Elora Ontario and I have three children.

What is your signature style/artistic expression in your work?

My work is known for my sensitive use of light and colour in both editorial and commercial imagery.

What type of images or people do you like to shoot?

After working in the industry for decades, I always enjoy new experiences and new opportunities. A great photo can be a simple beauty shot of an interesting person, or a huge set with many elements. I especially love exciting challenging locations. My dream shoots always involve amazing dramatic landscapes. A volcano? Antarctica? Count me in! 

Do you prefer digital or film?

Like most photographers producing a lot of work commercially, I very much prefer digital instead of film. Artistically, film can provide some interesting effects, but digital is reliable and easy to use. Clients demand a predictable result and digital is so good at that. I shot film commercially for many, many years and the glamour of it (that some people imagine), is in sharp contrast to the difficulty of providing consistent reliable results. Digital is just way easier. Add some grain and make the black tones weak in Photoshop and voila, you have film.

Do you have a career turning point or big break that has helped your career?

I don’t think that I have had any big breaks that have influenced my career, though I am thankful for everyone that has hired me and believed in me. I think that every assignment is an incremental change that leads to the next opportunity. Students often ask me this, as if there is a magic door to walk through that leads to success and it’s just not like that. It comes down to a lot of hard work over a very long period of time and also never losing enthusiasm for every new opportunity.

Was there a memorable, scary or proud moment in your career?

I have had countless memorable shoots over the years and I am very grateful for every one of them. I often say that the shoots that have a little drama in them are the best. I don’t mean personal drama.The teams that I work with are the best and there are rarely any disagreements. I am describing the idea of planning shoots that try to achieve big creative ideas. 

We challenge ourselves to push unexplored creative ideas that could fail as easily as succeed. We travel to locations that are unknown and work with elements that could backfire dramatically. Whether planning a shoot in the desert, on a mountain top, in a lighting storm, or with a tiger, these are the shoots that remain in our minds years later. We take chances and it pays off.

What is next for your career goals?

I hope to keep doing this for many years to come and continue to shoot with the amazing, kind, and creative people that work in this industry.

Any advice for someone starting out?

My advice for people starting out in this industry would simply be, do great work. People will notice.

IG:   @chrisnichollsphotography

Website:  https://chrisnicholls.live/