CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | Contact
Devastating revelations in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley this week have seen one man questioning both his self-confidence and self-worth among the people he believed to be his friends.
Hamish Bloom, a 27-year old from the city’s northern suburbs, has spent the last eight years believing that his easily dispensable position as a nightclub photographer was one that garnered him respect from the patrons at ‘Bowler Bar’ on Brunswick street.
He has since discovered that very few people know his name. In fact, no one does.
“I started out in this game in a hope to get into event management or night club promo… But I’ve been here for eight years and still haven’t had one chick invite me into a toilet cubicle with her,”
“I was lured into this industry by cool guys. I was going to be one of those cool guys,”
“I had the same dreams any young, middle class male had… I wanted to do glamorous drugs with glamorous women in a secret nightclub lounge. That shit never happened for me. For the last eight years, I have honestly believed that I was important”
Mr Bloom, who has spent every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday completely sober photographing young patrons in an array of nightclubs throughout “The Valley”, has made it clear that he feels under-appreciated by both the subjects of his photography as well as the bar-staff and security team.
“Man, I’ve seen about six rotations of bouncers since I’ve been working in this club. They get paid $35 bucks an hour to flog people half their size – and they still get phone numbers from chicks,”
“I get paid $100 a night and they only let me have a two soft drinks from the bar. The manager still doesn’t know my name. I think they forget the four or so hours I spend each morning going over the photos before I put them online”
Hamish says he will continue in his quest to revolutionise the trade of “nightclub photography” – as he has very few career options available – after having chosen to not apply for any form of tertiary education, seven years ago.
“I really thought that this is what cool guys did after school,”
“I feel bad for the way I have treated my parents and family over the years. I really did have a big head… I thought I was the shit.”
