Want some photography envy? Look no further. I recently spoke with drone photographer Hugo Healy who takes incredible drone images. Hugo has worked hard to perfect his craft and in doing so has worked with some huge brands and won awards for his hard work. 

Read the full interview with Hugo below 

Hey Hugo, first of all tell us a little bit about yourself? 

Hey, I’m Hugo, 26 and from the UK. I’m a professional drone pilot, camera man and photographer. I currently work in Dubai flying fpv and traditional drones on feature films, commercials and TV programs. I have worked in the fire service for 5 years and love to travel the world capturing unique images and film! 

You take absolutely incredible photos, can you tell us when you first started taking photos? 

I first started taking images at around the age of 16 and then studied photography in collage. I stopped taking photos for a few years and then at the age of 20 I bought a drone for my

Filmmaking. The aerial perspective re ignited my passion for photography and it all went from there really. 

I know you make videos as well, when did you get into filmmaking? 

I used to do a lot of acting, dancing too. My original plan was to go to drama school. However, I decided to explore work behind the camera and started a filmmaking course at university. I fell in love with the process. This was around the same time I bought my drone at the age of 20. I never went to drama school, and finished my degree in filmmaking and I have been behind the camera and using a drone ever since. 

Do you have a favourite piece of work you have put out? 

Maybe not a favourite, but a number of favourites. A few of which have won international awards. If I had to pick a current favourite. It would be my image from the Dubai fog. Titled city in the sky.  Showcasing downtown Dubai in a sea of clouds. 

What advice would you offer to someone wanting to get into a creative field? 

It’s extremely competitive! Like most things. I recommend to chase your dreams and keep practicing. There will be a lot of knock backs, but that’s part of the process. You must learn from these and always try to improve your craft. It’s important to do it because you love it. Not because you think it’s cool or want followers. Try and find your niche and create things that are unique. For me travelling has always been a great source of inspiration! Networking is also a key to success. Building meaningful relationships. Learning from these and working together. Don’t stop! Keep at it. I’ve always said I don’t want to work a 9-5 and now I don’t. I work 24 hours instead! Haha, but I love it and that’s what counts. 

I know you’ve won awards for your work (congratulations and well deserved), how did it feel being rewarded for your hard work? 

It’s always nice winning an award. It also helps me in my career. However, it’s not something I ever think I deserve. There is always someone else out there who deserved it more. But I am grateful for anything that comes my way. 

Do you have any inspirations in the same field you look up to/admire? 

For sure, I have numerous inspirations, other photographers and also a-lot of other creatives on Instagram. So many it would take to long to name them. However, it’s important to stay inspired. It helps feed my ideas. But it’s always best to take inspiration rather than just copy. There is too much of that out there. 

What do you like to do when you’re not shooting? 

I like to do a lot of things, keeping active is one, also just exploring and hiking my local areas  I’m very social and love to socialise with my friends and meeting new people. I like to climb, run, train, travel, hike camp and party. However I do spend a lot of my free time editing. I do what I love as a job but I also have to find time to work on my own artwork and projects too. 

When you are achieving so much, is it easy or difficult to stay focused as I’m sure the urge to sometimes sit back and relax could be there? 

Honestly, I’m very lucky. I don’t really struggle to stay focused. I also seem to have a problem where I can’t really sit back and relax. I always have to be doing something. I like to be productive but I think that has probably been a part to my “success” if you want to call it that. 

What makes you happy? 

People make me happy. Making people laugh makes me happy. Seeing the people around me doing the things they love makes me happy. I’m lucky as I generally have a very positive attitude towards life. Life is special and I’m just super happy to be here, I always have been! In fact a better question might be what makes me unhappy. As it’s rare that I’m not actually happy! So many things make my happy, travelling being a massive one. Flying back home after a long time away from my friends and family also makes me very happy. 

And finally, what are your plans for the future? 

Honestly I’m not one to really make many plans. But I plan to stay in Dubai for a while developing my skills in my field of work. I would love to head back to Asia this year. Other than that I’ll just go with the flow and keep riding the waves baby. 

Thanks Hugo for taking the time to talk to TravelFoodFilm. 

Make sure you follow Hugo on Instagram HERE and Twitter HERE

All photos in this post belong to Hugo.