Philip Clark is a photographer based in the South West United Kingdom. 

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How did you develop your particular style?

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I would describe myself as a 'Narrative' photographer who merges a Topographic viewpoint with a style honed through street and landscape photography. My aim is to tell stories through my photography and challenge the viewer to dig deeper and understand what the themes and ideas are behind each series. 

 

The development of my photographic style has been influenced by photographers such as Joel Meyerowitz, Robert Adams, Richard Misrach and Sally Mann, and artists such as JMW Turner, The Futurists, Andrew Wyeth and Jackson Pollock.

 

As I developed as a photographer I have moved toward a more personal, narrative-driven approach. I learnt to develop an idea first, explore the theme, and then go out and shoot it. There is something very fulfilling about researching a subject, using an Ordnance Survey Map to plan my photography locations, and then travelling out to see if I can achieve what my initial ideas were. 

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Why is your photography work known as 'The Awful Sublime'? What is the sublime, and why is it awful?!

  

In my view, 'the sublime' recognises the constantly changing nature of life; what some describe as 'the circle of life'. Everything changes, whether it grows from birth to death, young to old, beautiful to decayed. There is a life span and within that span of time (which could be days, months, years or centuries), everything progresses through a state of transformation. The longer the time, likely the greater the transformation. 

 

Much of my work in photography is rooted in how the 19th Century artists known as 'The Romantics' depicted the sublime based on scientific and religious interpretations. The Romantics, including JMW Turner, understood the sublime as something that is both "awesome and terrifying". The sublime has contrasting positive and negative elements. It could be both beautiful and decaying at the same time, or it could illicit both awe and fear, such as powerful sea waves that can destroy boats on the open sea.

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The reason I chose the term 'Awful Sublime' to represent my work is that the subject-matter possibilities are so far reaching. It allows me to indulge both my interests in the natural environment whilst also exploring 'inner' psychological and philosophical concepts. I can dip all the way back into ancient history, look at the natural world through a present-day perspective, whilst also considering future scenarios of how the world will evolve due to human intervention.

 

I like the grouping of the terms 'Awful' and 'Sublime' as they appear to be a contradiction. The sublime is usually associated as being something exceptional or awe-inspiring. So when grouped with the term 'Awful', it makes you consider how those two states of being can exist in the same viewpoint. But that contradiction really cuts to the core of my work. The duality of life; the fact that the world and everything in it are both living and dying at the same time. It's an underlying truth that is present throughout all my work.

 

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Your work seems quite melancholy in it's world view. What's the intention with this viewpoint?

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I aim for my photography to have a level of introspection, which is perhaps more easily communicated in literature and music than photography. I think 'tone', in terms of the feeling a photographic series imparts, is key to achieving that communication and understanding with the viewer. For my initial phase of work, the tone is often quite dark and sombre as it describes the sublime not as a terrifying object of nature, but something intricately connected to the mind - and hence to mortality. Mortality is a key theme throughout these photographic narratives.

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Whilst my vision may appear melancholy, the vision is under-pinned by a sense of optimism. For example, how change and loss can lead to affirmation, rejuvenation and new life. It is a reflection on the ebbs and flows of the natural world, to remind us all of what it is to be alive. Much of my work also looks at the intricate architecture in nature, which has a more bright and a upbeat tone. To truthfully represent the duality of life, it is important that I also represent the "sunny side of life" too (Yes, that is a reference to a Coen Brothers film soundtrack, in case you were wondering!)

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What particular techniques do you use to tell your narratives?

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Each of my images are created in-camera, on location, using a mixture of single frame or multiple exposure techniques.  I often shoot through a polariser lens filter to enhance contrast and reduce unwanted reflections. I am not an advocate of compositing, layering or re-touching techniques in post-production, as in my opinion this moves the work away from being a photographic series to being a work of digital art. With my particular style I feel that if the image looks like it has been created in a computer, rather than on location, it creates a false narrative which may lead to a sense of dis-belief in the viewer. Unless of course the narrative is specifically trying to draw attention to a digitised world - which will be a theme in one of my later projects!

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What's up next in your photography work?

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Over the last several years, I have developed my multiple exposure and Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) technique to represent the theme of ‘Time’ within my work. I call this style 'Dynamic Still Life'. This particular style will feature in my upcoming project 'Natural Harmonics', which focuses on the inter-connectedness in nature.