Simon Hill Honfrps

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT SIMON HILL HONFRPS

is an award-winning editorial photographer living in the north of England and working internationally. His work embraces a range of genres including portrait, heritage, landscape, and documentary. Simon has publication credits in over 300 periodicals which include National Geographic Magazine, The Observer Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine; and almost all UK newspapers including The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Sunday Times. His work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery (London), the National Media Museum (Bradford), the Imperial War Museum (Manchester), UNESCO (Paris) and UNICEF (New York). An experienced expedition photographer, in 1986 Simon became one of the youngest elected Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). He is a previous winner of Kodak Professional Photographer of the Year (1987), BIPP Professional Photographer of the Year (2019), and the only British winner of the International Art Portrait Award (2019). Simon\'s photography is held in the National Portrait Gallery, the RPS New Collection, and by The Martin Parr Foundation. In 1991 Simon was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society (FRPS) and, in January 2021, he was elected President and an Honorary Fellow (HonFRPS). Simon is the longest serving President of the Society since it was granted its \'Royal\' title by Queen Victoria, in 1874. In February 2025 Simon was confirmed as the first ever Chartered Photographer (CPhot), the terminal qualification for professional photographers in the UK. An experienced BA/MA lecturer/examiner in \'Photography\', in \'Design Thinking & Creative Process\', and in \'Communication Design\', Simon also devotes time to tutoring and mentoring young and emerging photographers, particularly those living with mental health issues.In October 2024, Simon began a year long photographic commission to document ‘The North Revisited’ - the largest Arts Council England (ACE) funded photo-documentary project ever undertaken in the north of England.In 1985 Simon founded the exhibition design practice, VIDAR Media Group. VIDAR has won many awards including AHI Best New Museum, HLF Renaissance Museum of the Year, and the HLF Arts Inspiration Award; it\'s landscape designs for the Woodland Trust have won medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show; and its project at \'Fortress Spike Island\' in the Republic of Ireland was voted European Tourist Attraction of the Year at the World Tourism Awards, and Global Attraction of the Year at the International Travel and Tourism Awards.