Robert H Clark Photography

Hi everyone. I am back from a much anticipated trip to Iceland and, as is always the case with such photographic endeavors, I am in the process of cataloging and processing all of the images. On this trip of nine days with my friends Colby Brown and Peyton, we came close to circumnavigating the island via the Iceland Ring Road. In that time I managed to shoot over 2700 exposures, which included location specific images as well as various exposure or focus brackets. Of all of the more iconic locations we visited, including Kirkjúfell, Jökulsárlón, Vik, and Bú∂ir, and of course a myriad of waterfalls, none captured my heart as much as Vestrahorn.

Hi everyone. I have just returned from a ten-day trip to Iceland, traveling with Colby Brown and Peyton Hale. I have quite a few images to share from this trip ranging from some of the iconic locations to architecture, and even the Icelandic Horses. A lot of this trip is still sinking in as I continue to ponder the sheer beauty of Iceland.

In the countless images I have made here this is the first time I have crawled out to this perch above the canyon to make an image. It is certainly not hard to get here but I often spend more time inside the gorge and forget to take advantage of the myriad other views. It is easy to get pulled into the short view with all of its details but sometimes getting up higher and taking the long view can achieve great results. There is probably a lesson in there somewhere.

Hi everyone. For the last few months I have been preparing for an upcoming trip to Iceland, in June, and working to hone in on the exact combination of gear to take. In anticipation of the trip I added a Sony a7RII to the kit and will be taking this along with my Fuji X-T2 and X-Pro 2 cameras. Hauling around two different camera systems is not a new concept for me, having shot Sony and Nikon at the same time, but it did present me with a lens dilemma that needed some resolution.

Hi everyone. I have been working on a series of architectural shots featuring abandoned buildings, barns, and other structures. I wrote a small blog post about this which you can see here. Many of these old buildings are located in and around the area I live and have provided hours of photographic enjoyment. The 340 Barn is located along Highway 340, hence my title, at the apex of a fairly tight curve.

Hi everyone. One of my favorite characteristics of the West Virginia winter landscape is the think, and wispy, nature of the trees and shrubs. Layered with the grasses and trees the whole of it looks feathery and light, though looks can be deceiving. Walking through this can be extremely difficult and challenging as the branches do not part so easily to let you in.

Hi everyone. In my last post I discussed the idea of using Photo Walks as a simple way to move past creative blocks and to help energize your shooting. Personally I have employed this method to help reduce the everyday stresses and strains that can come from pursuing busy lives. I have told friends in the past that one of the only times I do not have any noise in my head is when I am behind a camera. Photography, for me at least, reduces the complexities I sometimes face into a simpler, more intuitive act of creation.

Recently a photographer friend of mine was lamenting about their lack of desire to make images and a general loss of creativity. Creative block, such as what my friend is immersed in, is indeed a real and crippling challenge for artists. Many of us who write, paint, and photograph face it from time to time. I read an article that said there are seven kinds of creative blocks ranging from mental blocks, to emotional, monetary, habits, and so on. I cannot say for sure where the the creative block comes from but I suspect it generates within an emotional or mental state. Creativity can be an intensive process and becoming trapped by your thinking can force you into making assumptions that are limiting to the creative process.

In September of 2014, Tropical Storm Norbert rolled across southern Nevada and Utah, unleashing a torrent of heavy rainfall in the desert. Flash floods caused significant damage in the area, washing away portions of Interstate 15 north of Las Vegas, and cutting off access to Salt Lake City, Utah. The flooding stranded vehicles and closed 30 miles of the interstate in both directions. This was the situation as I flew into Las Vegas to begin a landscape photography trip with my pal Bill Ratcliffe. Our itinerary included locations in Zion National Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

"Do you trust me", Jody said, as I was setting up my Fuji XT-2 for a series of action shots. I said "sure", and turned around just as Jody was speeding towards my camera bag, and with a quick upward flick, executes a perfect "bunny hop" over the top of my unsuspecting, and fully loaded bag. "Wow", I thought, thinking I might be calling my insurance agent by the end of this shoot. Without missing a beat, I asked if he could do it again, settled into a camera position, and fired off a sequence of shots as he executed another perfect hop over my bag.

Hi everyone. I hope and trust that you all had a great holiday. I have been quite busy over the last few months with several projects, both work related, and photographic in nature. Recently my newest article was published in the Second Edition of Fuji X Passion Magazine as well as two new articles on my switch to Fuji Cameras and the settings I use for the majority of my photography. I have been working on a new series of barns and I recently shot a series of images to test out the auto-focus system on the Fuji XT-2. That blog post is coming in the next few days.

Hi everyone. This past week has been somewhat quiet, thankfully, and afforded me time to catch up on image processing and begin to think about some overall changes to my website. I also was able to get out for a little bit of photography at a family dinner event. This stunning red barn has been high on my list to photograph but I have just not been there at the right time when all of the conditions you might want - think clouds and light - have come together. As we pulled into the farm I knew it was going to be great, though I had barely a half an hour until sunset, which meant I had maybe 45 to 50 minutes of shooting time. While my wife went on in to the dinner I was running through a pasture of emerald green grass to get to the barn.

Hi everyone, and welcome to this blog post on my camera settings with the Fuji X System. It is a question I have received several times and it often comes up during workshops where I see so many folks struggling with their cameras and settings. Now, while the focus of this post is centered around my Fuji cameras, I will say that the best set-up is the one that works for you and makes you feel confident as you operate your camera. And in order to do that you need to learn your camera forwards and backwards, develop and understanding of how you want to approach your photography, and then work on it until it becomes automatic. The last thing you need to be doing when in the moment of capture is to fumble with your camera or the settings.

I was recently contacted by Sleeklens - a company that develops and publishes Preset Packages for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop - and asked if I would try out one of their Preset Packages, and prepare a blog and review. I was quite busy at the time and did not pursue the initial request. Sometime later they contacted me again and I decided to look into their collections. As a matter of disclosure I am not being paid by Sleeklens for this review but did receive one of their Landscape packages to try out. 

It would seem that the fortuitous occasion to photograph combines working the Fall soybean harvest continues. Only a few days ago I was able to shoot a harvest while who-leading a photo walk in the Ag Preserve of Montgomery County, Maryland (See "Chasing the Harvest at Shepherd's Hey Farm"). And now today, while heading home from the office I happened upon another harvest just outside of Shepherdstown, WV.

On a recent photo-walk I co-led with my friend Martin Radigan we were treated to a fortuitous  opportunity to photograph combines working through a field of soybeans. Though I have watched single combines working a field this was the first time I have watched a group work in tandem to complete the harvest. The lead combine would enter the row and was followed at intervals by the other two. I can't say for sure how many acres this field was but it only took about 30 minutes to complete the effort. 

Recently I made my annual trip to attend Photo Plus Expo in New York City. The event is all consuming and I often do not have time to get away from the convention to visit sites within the city. This years event was dampened by rain for the better part of the morning but a good friend suggested we have lunch at Blue Smoke down on Vesey Street, at Battery Park.

Hi everyone. I have had quite a busy month of October that included a shooting trip to Zion National Park which was followed by my Fall in West Virginia Workshop with my partner Martin Radigan. I am still working through a myriad of images and will get some of these up here as soon as I can. I am holding off on the Zion images as I am waiting for the publication of my new article in the upcoming edition of Fuji X Passion Magazine, Volume 2.

I am just a week back from a great trip to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument with my southwest shooting friend Bill Ratcliffe ( and joining us for a day, Holly Ratcliffe). I have quite a few images that I will be working on to share to all of you as well as a field review on the new Fuji X-T2, which joined me on this trip. I will give you a small hint - it performed flawlessly and was the complementary bookend to my Fuji X-Pro 2.

For some time now I have been making fairly regular visits to St. Louis and have enjoyed getting out into the city on photo walks, or "photo parkour", as one of my colleagues has labeled the outings. Though we are not jumping through obstacles or attempting dare devil-like movements we are nonetheless discovering some amazing vantage points to take in the city.

When I made the ultimate switch to Fuji I did not imagine at the time that I would be off exploring the world beyond the grand landscape. Though landscape remains a primary pursuit I have enjoyed the blissful freedom of street photography, portraits, architecture, and the other ephemera of opportunities afforded by a camera system that simply gets out of the way of making images.

At 94 feet, Ganoga is the tallest waterfall in Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania. It is an impressive series of stair steps and small plateaus that gives the falls their shape. But despite its stature among the waterfalls along Ganoga Glen, it is one that I have found difficult to photograph.

Hi everyone. Over the next few posts I will be presenting a series of new images shot with the Fuji X-Pro2 and the Fujinon 16-55mm, f2.8. I have begun to make a subtle move towards an all Fuji kit, some of which I will attempt to explain as I go through the images. Some of my initial thoughts can be found in my most recent Equipment Essay Post on the X-Pro2.

Hi everyone. I don't have a real editorial purpose in today's post, a dangerous concept I realize, but sometimes a little rambling is just fine. Let's just say the point is to show a few new images from a recent shoot. A lot of commitments have kept me from being behind the camera over the past few months, a situation it seems, that puts me in a state of anxiety. So when I can muster up an escape for a few hours I will take advantage of the opportunity. 

Muddy Creek has featured prominently in my work over the last few years. This is largely due to it's location near my daughters college and the special permission I was granted to shoot here. Located on private land, Muddy Creek plunges through a gorge cut from the last glaciers to recede from Western Pennsylvania over 20,000 years ago.