Hugh Hamilton

I recently attended the Mopla portfolio reviews and the feedback and comments were generally good (I have a nice new portfolio)(it was my first time) I was a bit taken aback when one of the reviewers asked me who my ideal client was. The glib answer is of course one with lots of money and a healthy love of anything I do....but at the time I simply answered "a client with a good idea", which the reviewer didn't seem to like. But if I had answered, for example, Levi's, am I not simply saying that I wish I was Ryan McGinley or Melodie McDaniel instead of myself? If I'm in the business of bringing an idea to life, why would I have an ideal client? My dream is the art director who rings me and says "I have this crazy idea...."

I used to do a bit of animal work in Australia. I really wouldn't describe myself as an animal shooter, but I am a very patient guy. And I do like working out how to make an idea work...

I have always loved flight. My father was an airline pilot before I was born and I grew up with the thought that one day I might fly too, but I never learnt. But like a lot of us, I dream of it. Apparently Freudians think it symbolises sex but sometimes the cigar really is only a cigar. Apparently I got this job from the lightness of some of my portraits which is nice since I tend to think I have a tendency to dark and heavy...but it was enormous fun to hang large people from wires and encourage them to be blown away by the wind. 

Shot five years ago for a kitchen ad, it was lovely to spend an afternoon with one of Australia's, indeed, one of the world's greatest chef's. We got to eat the food! A highlight was some guy walking into the middle of my shoot (well, it was in the restaurant) and handing Tets a gym bag that clinked loudly.

Tets and this guy proceeded to pull about ten thousand dollars worth of wine out of the bag (I photographed some of the labels and showed a friend who whistled appreciatively - it was only a few bottles. Just that they were very good bottles).....unfortunately nothing got opened.

But this guy had just walked through customs calmly with all this wine (I think it might have been a gift from Charlie Trotter) and climbed in a taxi and come straight to the restaurant.