About

Nikolai Huston

Filmmaker & Photographer

Specialising in action, music, commercial, travel, and lifestyle subjects, I combine my perspective on life with a camera to document the interaction between people and their environment. I am currently based in Cirencester, UK.

How I got into it

I have always been a visual learner. I grew up painting random things that came to mind, and playing the piano, which has now formed into the digital format of photos and videos.

I am also fond of nature and sports. I've been riding bikes for over 7 years now — the same amount of time I have been taking photos and videos. Filming and taking photos came naturally when I was mountain biking with my friends, I used it as an excuse not to hit unnecessarily dangerous features.

The joy it gave to all of my friends to have epic photos and videos back then is a core moment, and I strive for that same moment each time I go out to video and take photos today.

My style

In my videos I visually represent music, mixing sound effects and atmosphere accordingly — visual deejaying I call it. I focus heavily on the sound design of my videos, as I want the viewers of my work to physically feel it. As for the colour schemes in my photos and videos, I like to emulate film — for that cinematic, nostalgic, real look. All this combined means my work doesn't just show footage — it moves.

Background

Having graduated with a First-Class degree in Filmmaking, alongside working as a Monster Energy Student Marketing Ambassador, I have built a strong combination of technical editing skills. While working for Monster Energy I won best photo and video each month which gave me bonus money – showing that I can stick to brand briefs. I am also BAFTA Albert certified in sustainable production, which is relevant to people that care how content is made, not just how it performs.

Nikolai Huston, action sports filmmaker and photographer, on location
Cirencester · South West UK

Credentials

  • First-Class Filmmaking Degree BA (Hons), awarded with First-Class Honours
  • BAFTA Albert Certified Trained in sustainable production practice
  • Monster Energy Ambassador Action sports filmmaking & content

Selected highlights

  • Video and photos for Muc-Off with Moto GP Rider — Scott Redding. Shooting this was fast paced with minimal planning time – something that your role needs on the trail and at events.

  • On the storytelling side, I directed a mental health surf documentary, ‘Noise’, about the ongoing head-noise when people cannot escape and do their sport. This is something I am passionate about as I believe sports such as surfing and biking provide real benefits to mental health – when a story such as this is tied together through video, with a sport I am truly passionate about, I am truly satisfied.

  • I did the cinematography for a mountain bike documentary called ‘Moment’ where the rider overcomes his fears of hitting a jump for the first time. Due to the well storyboarded structure of this, people with no interest in the sport watched till the very end. This makes me happy as my overall goal with media is to get more people outside – mountain biking, even if I am the one spending late nights editing inside.

  • After producing content for Monster Energy each month and winning best video every time, I eventually got noticed and worked with Monster on their non-student events with ‘Homebass UK’ at a pop-up event in Bristol.

Testimonials

What people say.

Nikolai produced exciting, engaging content for The Senders Club across a range of sports and cultures.
Morgan Holden Digital Content & Community Manager, Monster Energy
He was professional throughout the shoot, made me feel comfortable in front of the camera, and had a great eye for capturing footage that fit my business. Turnaround was really quick and the final photos and videos exceeded my expectations.
Khalid Aslam Owner, KB Retro
Nikolai shot our swim shorts campaign and got it spot on first time. He’s got a real eye for colour — the sand, sky and shorts all came out bright and punchy, properly editorial rather than the usual flat product shots. No faffing about with reshoots either. Would use him again.
Rolf Skeldon Managing Director, Rolf Skeldon — Sustainable Men’s Clothing