Photographer Hugh Stewart is one of the best in the business, and that he is based predominantly in Australia is something for the country to be very proud of. His intimate portraits unveil a side of celebrities often hidden; there's a rawness, not so much in style, but in the truth that Mr Stewart's lens captures. Such a talent has served the photographer well - he's photographed everyone from Michael Caine and Clint Eastwood to Nicole Kidman and (above) Leonardo DiCaprio, for magazines as broad as Australian, French and American Vogue through to Vanity. "The confidence to take the picture and all of those assured technical elements are second nature to me by now," explained Mr Stewart of his process. "The visual result should be an authentic instinctive reaction, but it has taken 20 years of shooting to reach this point." That experience will be on show next week when the photographer unveils 50 Portraits, an aptly titled exhibition, at Sun Studios in Sydney's Alexandria, with each signed print, limited in edition to one, available for purchase with proceeds donated to The Newborn Care Centre at Royal Women's Hospital. The exhibition opens on Tuesday 5 June at 6.30pm.
All images copyright Hugh Stewart.