Tributes have flooded in for renowned music photographer Mick Hutson who died suddenly last week aged 58. Hutson made his name photographing the world’s greatest rock musicians, with many of his images appearing on album and magazine covers.
He photographed official album covers for Nirvana, AC/DC, Primal Scream, Queens of the Stone Age, Mike Oldfield, Judas Priest and many more.
Hutson began working for music photographer David Redfern. He struck out alone shortly after and was immediately invited to tour with U2 after Select Magazine saw his spectacular images of singer Grace Jones published in The Sun newspaper.
People who knew Hutson would allegedly talk of his natural charm, a trait which seemed in contrast to his humble upbringing in Aberdeen, Scotland.
“The real secret of my photography, if there is one, is charm,” Hutson once told Digital Camera World. “Charming the PRs into a few more minutes with the band, charming the artist to let me photograph them somewhere other than the hotel corridor, and charming the tour manager to let me stay that little bit longer in the photographers’ pit at a gig. It’s all about constant negotiation.”
Hutson shot dozens of cover images for Metal Hammer magazine. During that time, stories of the shoots became almost legendary as he pushed the limits with artists and the surroundings. In 2003 he allegedly closed down an entire New York City street for a shoot with Metallica. It wasn’t planned that way, it just happened, with taxis blasting their horns in frustration as the photographer breezily photographed one of the world’s biggest bands walking down the street.
“Mick was a physical representation of what Metal Hammer strived to be,” says James Isaacs, Art Director of Metal Hammer from 2006-16 to Louder Sound. “Creative, fun, interesting and surprising. Working with him was never boring, and he thrived being in the eye of the storm, right where the action was.”
“When the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards came around, he could always be found holding court in his photo studio, greeting metal legends like old friends, their face lighting up when they saw him,” remembers Isaacs. “But he was like that with everyone. Not just Robb Flynn or Ozzy or Lars Ulrich, but with every person who was lucky to have met him. I’ll miss him dearly.”
DIYP sends our heartfelt condolences to all of Hutson’s family and friends. Rock music will be mourning the loss of a legendary photographer.
[Cover Image: Mick Hutson]
[Via Louder Sound]
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