A Closer Look
Youth.
Jo Hammar who is of SWEDISH origin was growing up in the aftermath of Word War II. Father electronics engineer, mother former model, one brother.
Sports: skiff rowing, training in the youth crew of the national Olympic team of his hometown.
Interests: photography of people and nature. Natural sciences, especially astronomy! After school hours studying, working and learning at a nearby astronomical observatory.
High School graduation with 18 years, with a mediocre grade (good in art and natural sciences, but lousy in math).
Originally he had intended to study astronomy and astrophysics, but the lack of mathematical talent made him abandon that plan.
He accepted this, buried his dream of a scientific career and set himself a new goal.
Instead: Air Force! Top Gun and so on...
With 16 years JH won the 1st prize in an international scientifical astronomical competition “Evaluation of the Light Curve of the Star Algol (β Persei), the Eclipsing Binary BD +20º 785 (6.0m) and an Attempt to Orbit Determination“.
It was a unique and character-shaping chapter in is life. It was the time of the Cold War, also of the terrible and unjust Vietnam War.
Despite of his successful career in the Air Force, the global political and military development made him think twice whether this profession would be the right choice for him for the rest of his life.
Air Force.
Well. JH learned quickly that "Top Gun" was preceded by a hard selection procedure and a lengthy military and aviation training.
But he made it. Air force officer, fighter bomber pilot, intelligence officer, survival expert, close combat specialist, wing commander.
JH survived two serious air accidents - one with a fighter bomber jet from which he rescued himself with the ejection seat, the other one, years later as a private pilot, with a seaplane.
This era - the sixties, the seventies of the last century - also was the age of sociological, cultural and sexual awakening. The world changed significantly, and JH felt that he should be part of it in his very own way.
After many years in uniform he decided to start something new. He finally resigned from the Air Force and made another dream come true: becoming a freelance photographer.
Photographer.
After his air force time JH moved to the city of HAMBURG, GERMANY, at that time one of the global centres of the media business.
He started first of all with advertising photography for international clients, then also with fashion / lingerie, and became successful in quite a short time.
JH became known as that photographer who even did advertising - and of course also fashion and lingerie photograhpy - mostly with a strong erotic touch.
These fields of activity were soon complemented by assignments from the music industry. Shooting classic interpreters, pop artists as well as rockstars for their lp covers.
For several years JH was a leading photographer for the music scene in GERMANY and beyond.
Want to know more? Read here - "Commercial Photography".
Other professional activities in between.
Although photography had become and remained his main profession, now and then JH also spent some time with other jobs:
Touristic manager of a wilderness hotel in the TAMAN NEGARA, the deepest and at that time untouched rainforest of MALAYSIA.
This time was a unique opportunity for JH to study the nature of the Malay wilderness. From here he organized his photo safaris into the ancient rainforests of ASIA. Wildlife photography, travel reports, but also nude photography with the most beautiful Asian and European models - rare photos of beauties in untouched nature.
General manager of the globally known and (in)famous nightclub "CAFÈ KEESE“, located at the red light district St. Pauli in the city of HAMBURG, GERMANY.
Here with a famous guest, the young Natalia Muehlhausen.
But JH was and always remained being a photographer, and he always returned to his main profession.
"As long as my clients book me, value my work and pay me well, I will do this job," JH once said on television. "I would be a fool if I didn't. Besides - this is an unbelievable life, full of adventures and of beautiful women, and it's a profession that really fulfils me."
Director of a crocodile breeding farm in VENEZUELA as part of an international nature preservation programme of the United Nations.
And, much later,
President of a television production company in HOLLYWOOD, CA. Producing soaps (Oh God, how embarrassing! But it paid the bills!) and wildlife reports (Yeah! That was his real intention!).
Rainforest Safaris.
Besides of flying and photography, JH always had two passions: astronomy, and safaris in tropical rainforests. For scientific astronomical work, he hardly found time. All the more, however, he always set himself up to visit the rainforests of ASIA. MALAYSIA, BORNEO, INDONESIA, THE PHILIPPINES - these last and already in those days threatened wildernesses fascinated him.
He spent a lot of time and money on these trips, but of course, being a photographer and businessman, he always brought a lot of unique photo material home with him.
Want to see more wilderness?
Go here Wildlife Photography
Traveling and living.
JH has travelled the world, and he has lived in various places and countries, a.o. in KIRUNA/SWEDEN, in the U.S.A. in WEST HOLLYWOOD and MALIBU/CALIFORNIA, in HAMBURG/GERMANY, in BARCELONA/SPAIN, on the CANARY ISLANDS, on several Caribbean islands like BARBADOS and NEVIS, on the PHILIPPINES, in HONG KONG, MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE, VENEZUELA and others.
The places where JH prefers to live are not the big cities. "London and L.A. are for making business, and now and then for having fun and wild times. But really worth living in are the remote places, the areas where nature still reigns, the last hidden paradises."
JH's taste in music was strongly influenced by his Californian years. The Eagles ("Hotel California“), The Beach Boys (“California Girls“), Janis Joplin (“Summertime“), Aerosmith ("Crazy"), but also nowadays artists such as Mary J. Blige ("Family Affair"), Prince ("Purple Rain"), Rihanna ("Love On The Brain“), as well as the outstanding video with Laetitia Casta ("Te Amo") and others.
So it is only consequent that today JH lives together with his young wife Helena, who is as passionate about nature as he is, together with their cats secluded in a remote place what they call "our wilderness paradise".