Paul Clarke is not so much "a photographer" as an artist who uses the medium of photography. He regards the world with a passionate and curious eye, especially (although not exclusively when viewing people through his lens. If I were to commission a portrait of myself, I would want to commission Paul because I know I … Read more

Paul Clarke is not so much "a photographer" as an artist who uses the medium of photography. He regards the world with a passionate and curious eye, especially (although not exclusively when viewing people through his lens. If I were to commission a portrait of myself, I would want to commission Paul because I know I would find the resulting photograph/s really interesting. I would trust him absolutely to make the portrait a collaborative process (as all great portraits should be). His portraits possess truth and beauty. I enjoy Paul's photographs of people at events. He finds unusual angles, spots unusual details, or captures a fleeting and expressive gesture which results in some of the most outstanding conference and formal speech photographs I have seen. Technically, I admire greatly his ability to obtain clearly-focused images without flash in low lighting conditions, and the wonderfully rich and natural colours in those conditions. His photographs of people reveal an intelligent mind exploring humanity. One can sense his delight at the crisp texture of one person's curly hair or the precise curve of a specific cheek. His photographs of people are fascinating. His landscapes and cityscapes often have a brooding intensity. There is a physicality about the weather or lighting that is almost literally tangible. The buildings, or the trees and ground come to vivid life through the lens of Paul's camera. When I was young, I met a very good professional photographer (now working as an artist, I think). He said to me that it didn't matter what equipment you had, nor how much technical knowledge, because what makes a really great photograph is the artist-photographer's eye, how they look. It is Paul Clarke's intelligent eye, that notices and records things in a way that others' do not, that I truly appreciate and recommend. If I had enough money, I would commission him. If he had time and inclination, he would be the artist with whom I would most like to work collaboratively on an art project. Just to give some context to my testimonial - I have a BA (Hons) in the History of Modern Art, Design & Film, an M Phil in art history. The V&A Museum has collected 2 small pieces of my own artwork for its permanent collection. I have been involved professionally with cultural heritage and contemporary visual art for 25 years.