Published work over the past couple weeks….
Here are a handful of shots where my work has appeared locally and around the world. Included is a write up with Eastern Surfing Magazine about a wave shot with a flash, images published on EPSN.com, various images published in publications for Fanatic paddleboards and also my interview with a school in the UK about my images appearing in National Geographic!
ESPN / Xgames.com Ben Hicks Portfolio Review
Apparently I like hues!
Here I am speaking in front of the crowd at my third annual Photos 2012 slideshow at Island Water Sports. Photo credit to Leon Legot!
Espn recently did an interview / portfolio review on my last year of shooting surfing around the world. Here are some screen shots from the article.
Noah Flegel named to Liquid Force pro team
Jr. World Wakeboard Champ Noah Flegel was recently named to the Liquid Force Pro Team. Here are some shots of him with his new gear from LF!
Fanatic and I wish everyone a happy new year!
Here is a happy new year and merry xmas banner add featuring a shot of mine on Fanatics homepage.
3rd Annual 10 FPS Photos 2012
Take a look at the 2012 edition of my 10 Frames Per Second (FPS) video which is a review of the last 12 months of shooting. Check out more with my 3rd Annual Photo Exhibit at Island Water Sports on Friday January 4, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. where I will present my most memorable images and describe what it took to get each shot. Win some cool stuff from Quiksilver and Electric while supporting the local Jr. Surfrider Foundation.
Extreme Family portraits with the Flegels!
I often shoot the duo world champion Flegel brothers flying through the air behind a boat but this time, I shot the entire family for the xmas card portrait. Here are some outtakes! 2 boats, 2 drivers, an assistant, 2 lights and four pretty awesome family members shot in Deerfield Beach, Florida
Atlantic Current Cover and spreads
A new mag has emerged in South Florida called The Atlantic Current. Many images of mine were chosen for the inside of the mag including the cover. Here are some screen shots…
Covering Hurricane Lesile through the Bahamas
Recently I was hired on a trip to chase the waves of Hurricane Leslie in the Atlantic Ocean. We took a flight to Eleuthera, Bahamas start the chase all over the island for 5 days. You can read more each days stories here: http://slavetothewave.com/ben%20hicks/
Scroll to the posts labeled Bahamas.
Also below are some of the published images from the trip so far in different publications.
Nicaragua Surf photo trip: Aug 2012
Traveling to Nicaragua my second time this year keeps me on my toes to create new and interesting angles for the riders and their sponsors. Here are a few….
You also read about the entire trip in my blog series on www.SlavetotheWave.com http://slavetothewave.com/category/photographers/ben-hicks/
New Lifestyle image campaign with Salt Life brand
Recently Salt Life purchased a handful of images for use in their in house ad campaigns. Look for them at their retail stores. They will be featuring their team rider Cappy that I recently shot on a trip to Indonesia. Here are two images below that have been featured thus far. 
Indonesia Photo trip April 2012 – Mentawai Islands about the Indies Trader 3
I was asked to cover 8 guys on a surfing trip of their lives aboard the Indies Trader 3 throughout the Mentawai Islands over the course of 12 days. Adventure is not even the word. Chasing waves with the best boats and technology available….. in the best place in the world is an experience I wanted to share. So I did, everyday on my blog partnership with www.Slavetothewave.com! I had a series of blogs where I wrote and posted photos of everyday and the people, waves and experiences we encountered. You can see them all here www.slavetothewave.com/ben-hicks/
Here are some of my favorite images from the trip.
Coverage for Eastern Surfing Magazine of the Florida Surfing History Exhibit that also is home to some of my work
After being asked to have my work shown in the first officially gathered Florida Surfing Exhibit, Eastern Surfing Magazine asked if I would do a portrait for their latest issue. Here is the image run in print.
Surfing Florida History Exhibition opens in Boca Raton at the FAU University Galleries. Check out Eastern Surfing Magazine’s pre coverage of the event with a photo gallery by yours truly!
Recently Eastern Surfing Magazine enlisted me to get some shots for the upcoming gallery opening of Surfing Florida Exhibition at Florida Atlantic University. Using a handful of shots for the pre coverage of the event online, there will also be pre coverage in their print issue this month. Check out the live article HERE.
Delray Beach Barrels and Slave to the Wave.com Mastermind Chris Beeman on ESM.com
Last week we got a little pulse. I went out for a swim and got a few empty tubes. Slave to the Wave’s own Chris Beeman was out giving a clinic on riding the nose and flew by me. Here is the image run on Eastern Surfing Magazine!
Tanner Strohmenger Dura Trans Outdoor ad for Electric Sunglasses at Island Water Sports in Deerfield Beach, Florida
Some of you may remember this shot that was run on Surfline back in August during there coverage of Hurricane Irene. Here it is again in black and white. 
Mexico vs Columbia at Sun Life Stadium
Here are a few shots from my coverage of Mexico vs Columbia soccer in Miami Gardens at Sun Life Stadium.
World Champ Flegel Brothers wake shoot
Brothers Keenan and Noah Flegel talent make my job easier everytime I shoot them. Here is the latest shoot with the boys. I worked with Keenan ( 2010 World Wakesurfing Champ ) a bit more with some new angles. Getting up close I was towed on a surfboard next to Keenan as he performed. Shooting with one hand and holding the rope with the other. Noah’s shots are done by have him launch over my head while I am towed laying on my back on a tube.
Some Keenan’s shots were used on www.wakesurfers.net and also on his board sponsor Inland Surfers website.
Island Water Sports Surf Team Trip to Nicaragua
Recently I traveled with Island Water Sports on their surf team trip to Nicaragua. Los Cardones Surf Lodge hosted us and we scored with 4 perfect days of surf to ourselves. Here are some shots from the trip. *NO commercial use of these images without permission
Tanner Strohmenger
Portraits for Eastern Surfing Magazine Portraits of Florida Surfing History Exhibition setup
Eastern Surfing Magazine contacted me to try and get some portraits of the creation of this first ever gathering of the history of Florida surfing.
FAU University Galleries Director Rod Faulds
Fanatic Paddleboard 2012 Stand Up Paddle Board shoot
We finished the 2012 Stand Up Paddle board photoshoot for Fanatic Paddleboards. We shot throughout Miami, Biscayne Bay, South Beach, Port of Miami and so on. Here are a few from Day 3….
Long Island State University Baseball
I was recently hired to cover Long Island State University Baseball while they visited South Florida. Here are a few shots….
2011 State Games – Soccer
I recently shot a 3 day Soccer Tournament for my friend Haim who runs Glossy Finish.com. Here are a few….
How I got the shot: ESM magazine Tony Hawk mctwist at the Quicksilver 80′s comp. Surf Expo 2011
Surf Expo in Orlando Florida is usually one big party for half the people and an insanely long weekend of business for the people actually getting work done. I shot up with a couple local pros to show our faces to sponsors and industry regulars.
Quiksilver brought in the legendary skaters from the 80′s for The Quik all 80′s Vert Contest with heavy legends such as Tony Hawk, Andy Mac, Christian Hasoi and others. Every photographer there was getting the same shot… right up on the vert ramp in the skaters face or on the side of the ramp on a raised platform. Don’t get me wrong, they were great shots but were all seen before and there was no reason to go compete with all them up there when I didnt need to. Capturing the crowd and the interesting venue was much more interesting. In order to light the skater I purposely relied on someone’s point and shoot flash. Everytime a skater would go for an air a ton of flashes would fire. All I needed to do was pull a chair over to get above the crowd, set the camera about a half stop down to compensate for the flash I was hoping to get and I would get it. Well, not that easy. security didnt like me standing on tables or chairs so I had to get Quik to tell them I was ok to be up there. About 4 tries into it shooting 10 frames per second it looked as if I had the shot I was looking for. But you never know till you get home. When I did get home, I discovered I got it but it was really busy so that is when I converted it to Black and White. It was shot hand held with a Canon Mark 3, Canon 16-35L II lens with no tripod, raw files converted and touched up in Photoshop and bridge. Nate from Eastern Surfing Magazine was stoked on it!
