Hugh Hamilton

My university course (Communications - at Sydney's University of Technology) was very left wing and feminist. There was the occasional rich kid posing at being at marxist but mostly I think the feelings and thoughts were genuine and it was eye opener for the surfie I was then. I can't help thinking that education is why I'm drawn to the roller derby - here are women who are strong and unafraid to be who they are - loud proud and mostly (it seems) tough as nails. Its exhilarating watching them skate, and its odd to find them oddly shy when they come in front of my camera. I just tell them to do what they want - and then they let loose.

It seems to me that photography has been kind of taken over later by photographers who practice fiction rather than non fiction. For the last century, with a few truly great exceptions, photography has been the arena of the documentarist, of images trying to capture reality. There have always been fabulists of course, but lately they have come to dominate the photographic world I think. I have done my fair share of fiction (I can't pretend my butterfly swimmer was anything but complete fantasy) but lately, and particularly since moving to America, I find myself more and more interested in documentary work. Telling lies, however truthful they really are, is losing its appeal. I'm finding the world more and more interesting every day.

To borrow a phrase from Werner herzog, a man who works in both fiction and documentary, I want the ecstatic truth...not the accountant's truth.

And so I give you my second run at the Angel City Derby girls. I'm going to shoot some portraits soon - its just co-ordinating the shoot thats holding me back. They want to do it, I want to do it! Watch this space.

I had no idea people still did this...to me it was memories of a Raquel Welch movie (Kansas City Bomber) and saturday afternoon TV from my childhood...but having heard of its resurgence I had to go see it. And shoot it. More soon. This stuff is wild to watch. I'm a sucker for a crazy sport.