All photos by: River Clark
Mr. Clark you have some very sexy photographs....would you agree with this?
Haha, of course.I like that you incorporate a very artful look to your photographs even though they are more commerically motivated...What spawns an idea?
Hmm, it's different every time.sometimes I plan things out weeks in advance, other times it just happens spontaneously. The world around me creates me. Friends,Family, Love, Life, emotion. My girlfriend is my greatest inspiration. I love to
collaboratewith other talented people too.What is most difficult about getting that perfect shot? what do you find is easy about it?
Ill let you know when I find one. I am never content. When I am I will probably find something else that amuses me.
Why do you choose the subject matter you do? There are tons of beautiful pictures of beautiful women out there, so how do you feel you stand out?
I don't choose them, they choose me. I shoot what I get paid to shoot. I think my style is motion and emotion. I'm a good director and good at getting inside people's heads and bringing out the best in them.
Your photos have very exotic backgrounds...Do you travel a lot? How do you choose where you're going to go?
Most of my travel is for paid work. Sometimes I choose the locations, but most of the time I'm catering to the client.
You captured this lightning bolt streaking down Manhattan, it's an intense photo...was this a random shot? No, I was on the roof of my studio for hours in the rain toget that. I just left the camera open shooting 8 frames per second until the card filled up. When lightning struck, I'd stop and look and see if I caught it, most of the time I missed. Than I'd delete the card and keep trying. It was very dificult and cold and wet, but worth the effort I think.
What do you do to motivate your subjects?
Hmm. I guess I just like to make it fun. when people are enjoying themselves
they tend to do anything. Sometimes I'll throw a party around a photoshoot and just have a bunch of people goofing off.Who would you most want to photograph and why?
Whomever is next on my calendar! Haha. I love finding beauty in unexpected places. Everything and everyone has beauty. I love my job and love bringing out the best in things and making people feel beautiful.
What photographer today do you feel is breaking boundaries and why?
I honestly dont pay much attention to other photographers. Not that Im not interested or respectful, I look at a lot of work, but I don't follow names much. I'm too self absorbed I think. Not in a conceited way persae, but just inside my own head. My mind is always in 7 different places at any given moment.What do you love about your photos the most? What do you dislike or want to improve on?
I love the physical rush I get from taking them. I hardly ever look at them or edit them. I shoot almost every day of the week and have literally thousands and thousands of shoots and millions of photographs that I have never done anything with. I actually lost a harddrive the other day with 5 yrs of my work backed up on it and I got mad for a minute, but then got excited and
inspired to shoot more to make up for it. I definitely feel that I have a lot of room for improvement. Im constantly looking for new techniques and new toys and always searching for the next idea.if you could invent something what would it be?
Haha. Ive always said I wanted to be the first person with cameras inplanted in my eyes, but I dont think I would go first. I'd probably let the technology advance quite a ways before being a guinea pig. I actually invented sunglasses with built in projection TV's when I was younger. I sold the copyright for 500 dollars and now I see them every now and then in techy magazines. Live and learn right. Haha!
If you are interested in River Clark's prints or want to know more about him you can visit his site or his MySpace.
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