Tom Clark

PHOTOGRAPHER

I've been taking pictures since I was ten when my folks gave me one of those little box instamatic cameras. It's hard to say exactly why taking pictures stuck amidst the countless other creative things I did growing up. Perhaps it was because living in Italy and traveling the Mediteranean provided an infinite number of people and places to take pictures of. I also suspect that getting the pictures back from processing was a big dopamine hit for a kid who needed lots of it. That feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment continues to this day. 

There is no real philosophy behind my photographic and fine-art nude imagery. When it's not for pay I photograph the people I find interesting. When it's for pay I photograph just about anybody (or anything) that's within my range of skills. In that regard my work is pretty self-serving. Some have found various meanings and backstories in my work and I'm cool with that. Many for example, have suggested that some of my fine-art nude work seems pagan in origin. I take it as a compliment even though I don't purposely try to create pagan imagery or stories. 

What underwrites my imagery is the beauty of our bodies, both naked and clothed. If there is any philosophy to be found in my work it's in sharing that beauty.