Fight photography by John Hicks

John Hicks is a photographer from the the UK who produces fantastic images and video for a variety of clients and person use. His website displays his full portfolio and an immense body of work over at www.johnhicks.co.uk. Of special note to anyone from a fighting background are his photo series 'Boxing kids' and video/photoshoot 'The hardest fight.' This is a story of chance encounters. At fightstore, we have our own in-house graphic designer who is a burgeoning talent yet as with any human being, sometimes makes mistakes. In this instance, we accidentally used an image that did not belong to us on our new website. The image in question, 'Boxing kids,' was quickly identified. Our managing director Alex immediately got in contact with the photographer, John Hicks to ask his permission to use the image on the site. After we'd solved that issue, we all found ourselves intruiged by John's photography portfolio. A fantastic array of images taken on all manner of subjects as well as a series on fighting. Alex's partner Rebecca is a photography graduate and has shot professional fighters both in and out of the UFC for Fightstore. We were keen to get more involved and have therefore asked John if he'd get involved with us more in the future. John's 'The hardest fight' video is viewable below. Featuring Lanzarote gym owner and long-time boxer Dave Payne, the video shows Payne as an aged man narrating his experiences across a life that has evidently been tough. 71 years of age, his prescence in a film titled 'The hardest fight' is left to interpretation. Does it refer to the narrator's monologue, in which he claims "The hardest fight is with yourself" or rather does it relate to the fight against time? All fighters invariably age. What is left of a life of fighting and athletic prowess when the muscles degrade, the body slows and the joints stiffen? This video is a beautiful exploration of that. This video and accompanying images are displayed over at john's website. Check out his entire portfolio here Stay tuned for an interview with this extremely talented photographer. Written by Craig Thomas boyle All images © John Hicks www.johnhicks.co.uk