About

Hilary Hurt was born in Nairobi, Kenya. Thanks to her parent’s wildlife safari business, Hilary lived in many far-reaching and fascinating parts of Africa filling her childhood with rich and diverse experiences. She is a 5th generation Kenyan and Africa is very much in Hilary’s blood.

Hilary rapidly grew a passion and understanding for nature and the traditional cultures that live in the remote areas of the African terrain. Graduating with Honors from St Andrews University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Animal Biology, Hilary returned to the Kenyan bush where she lived amongst the Mbirikani Maasai in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It was during this time that Hilary wrote her Masters Thesis on the social and environmental issues that pertain to the Maasai, their culture and the environment in which they live. In order to document her observations for her thesis, Hilary photographed the Maasai, their ceremonies and their everyday living. Through this process she cultivated an innate understanding for the Maasai people and their environment. Hilary soon became restless to discover more. Looking back, Hilary sees this time as the catalyst to her photographic career. After completing her Masters from Imperial college of London in September 1999, Hilary moved into the documentary TV world. She was devoted to finding work that would allow her to document and travel throughout the world. Within time Hilary’s photographic records of her adventures started to become an interest within the Kenyan society.

Eager to further develop her photography, Hilary accepted a job with two internationally renowned photographers, Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher. Carol and Angela have spent the last 30 years photographically recording Traditional African Ceremonies. They have published countless books and received many awards for their work. It was during this time that Hilary’s photography of Africa -its people, its Landscapes and its wildlife- really began to blossom.

Hilary completed a course in Professional Photography at Speos in Paris in the Summer of 2007 and is now working professionally as a photographer. She & her husband have decided to be based in Kenya and are bringing up their two children there.