Robert H Clark Photography

Of all of the incredible locations we visited in Iceland in 2017, Vestrahorn in Stokksnes, was the one place that literally brought me to tears. I have never seen such a view where mountains, coastline, black sand dunes, and sky all combined to create such wonder. There were compositions everywhere I looked and at times I just framed and shot, reacting to the light and my own visceral feelings. It was truly magic.

I took quite a few photo walks, which my fellow shooter, Kevin Brookes, and I often referred too as "photo-parkours", while working on a multi year project in St Louis. This is the last shot I made, on my last trip, and my last last parkour through the city. I think its uplifting, (sorry about the bad pun). There was quite the festival happening in this plaza in the city center with music, the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile, and these balloons.

The subtlety of our rural landscape takes some time to understand and appreciate. I know for a fact that it took me quite a while to not only appreciate the light, textures, and forms but to actually find a joy in peeling away the layers. It is not the grand "scape" like many of the western images I shoot, but I like the challenges of finding compositions nuanced by subtle light striking the dense patterns of grasses and leaves.

In 1986, while working on my Master's thesis in architecture, I made a research trip to New Delhi. During the near 24 hours of continuous travel I made a brief stop in Frankfurt where I saw, and held, my first Leica camera. As a poor, and married graduate student, I could not afford it, but knew even then that I wanted one. It is hard to believe that it took me 32 years to get one. And even harder to believe is that it was prompted by my desire to return to the simple challenges of making images - reliance only on the exposure triangle and manual focus.

This is another in my continuing series of personal explorations in the subtle landscapes of my hometown. There are times when I tend to lose my way relative to my photographic work. It is somewhat inevitable as I tend to look at a lot of images, and in doing so, succumb to the flotsam and jetsam of viewing so many photographs. Just how many beautiful sunsets over misty mountains can one take. It is my fault of course because I only have myself to blame. No one is making me look at all these images and all I have to do is stop, put down the phone, and shut down my use of Instagram.

This image is from a series of photographs I am working on that embraces the subtle landscape of my hometown area. At anytime when I suspect that fog is in the forecast I will be out looking to make images that the quiet moments of a rural landscape. Fog brings lower contrast to the light as well as subtle layers that add dimension and form. This is one of my favorite locations to explore this kind of atmospheric condition. Here at the Poffenberger Farm, at Antietam National Battlefield, the grasses have grown tall around the old barn and along the gravel lane to the main house.

I am fascinated by bridges. Some of this comes from the notion of how they are engineered, how they actually connect to solid ground, and the idea that these spans connect land masses separated by water, or simply space that could not be connected otherwise. Some may find them an intrusion in the landscape but they present a certain kind of contrast that I find photographically interesting.

I have made a number of trips to St Louis, over the last four years, and this may rank as one of the best sunrises I have seen in that time. During this trip the weather did not cooperate for the first few days but on my last morning in the city the sky, and reflections, finally came together. This image was shot from the far end of the South Pond which provides one of the best reflection points for viewing the Arch. The Arch grounds, and the museum have been under a major renovation for the last four years, and the grand opening will be on July 3, 2018.

I have a good friend, and excellent photographer, who recently said that he thought I preferred black and white image making over color. I was not sure this was true and in fact a review of my various social media feeds showed that I was probably split down the middle on the use of color versus black and white. I think that what he was referring too was that I tend to push certain types of images into black and white while others go to color. I shoot landscapes predominantly in color whereas my street, architecture, and even my portrait work strays over into black and white. I do not have a formula for all this and the decision often comes down to the type of light I was shooting in and whether the color tones in the shot would convert well to a dramatic black and white conversion.

Seeing light, and understanding its effect in regards to the capture of an image, is something I have endeavored to work on for many years. When I moved from film to digital I struggled to understand how to manage light especially since I had somewhat reached a level of understanding on how to shoot with Fuji Velvia and Provia, and what filters I needed to moderate the process. So a new journey in discovery began. My landscape work has always been a "considered level of fussiness", much like in my film days, and when I attempted to translate this into street and portrait work I found it just not work as well. Or at least I was not satisfied with the treatment and the way I might convey a story.

Hi everyone. Well, there has been a bit of buzz surrounding the new release of Fuji's pro-level mirrorless camera - the X-H1. Personally I vacillated as to whether I would add this camera to my current kit, which includes the Fuji GFX 50s and a Fuji X-E3. Much of my work revolves around medium format landscape photography with some occasional diving into street and portrait. Though I have carried a Fuji X-T2 and an X-Pro 2 in the past, I sold them in order to make the leap to the GFX. I found over time that I actually missed my X-T2, in terms of being a quasi back-up body along with my GFX. Additionally, when I am shooting on the street I do like to have a second body so I can use two different prime lenses.

My experience in Iceland surfaces frequently in my memory. It is like a constant shadow that tags along on a sunny day. I try not to get to high or low about trips, or to set any expectations for that matter, simply to set aside any possibility of disappointment or preconceptions. I like to plan, but then set that aside in my subconscious, so I can just be open to the experience. The fact is this trip totally blew away my preconceptions as we traversed the island from waterfalls to glacial lagoons, with each bend in the road revealing another stunning location. Rain or shine did not matter. In every cloak it wore Iceland was beautiful.

Jölkusárlón Ice Beach is one of the special locations in Iceland, and was on my "must" see, must photograph list when I traveled to Iceland in June of 2017. Located along the Southeast coast, the Jölkusárlón Ice Lagoon drains off of the main glacier and flows through a narrow channel into the ocean. Ice calving off of glaciers in Vatnajökull National Park enters the lagoon, and slowly over time, moves through the calm waters of the lagoon and then into the small channel that leads out to the ocean.

As a follow up to my last two posts here is a two-frame horizontal panorama shot on location just outside of Crested Butte, Colorado. Though I like the color variations, there is just something perfect about a black and white. I framed this as a panorama to give more depth and vastness to the mountains and the cloud-filled sky.

Hi everyone. Here is another image I made on a recent trip to Colorado. I was out in Crested Butte to photograph Dean Dillon's Mountain High Music Festival and in between the concerts I managed to squeeze in some landscape work. I was pretty lucky to catch this scene with some amazing clouds rolling over the mountains with the soft glow from the setting sun.

Can you imagine having this scene to greet you every time you walked out onto your balcony? I know I could certainly get used to this. I was in Crested Butte to help out with the Mountain High Music Festival and this was the view from the artists gathering suite on the fifth floor of the hotel. I had to wait for a few days for the right conditions and my patience paid off with this stunning display.

Hi everyone. It has been a busy last few months since I returned from Iceland. I have had quite a bit going on at work and there was the more important matter of my daughters wedding in October. So I will cut myself some slack for being away from the blog, shooting and posting new images, and just dealing generally with photography.

Jölkusárlón Ice Beach is one of the special locations that was on my "must" see list when I traveled to Iceland this past June. Located along the Southeast coast, the ice beach is located adjacent to the Jölkusárlón Ice Lagoon. Ice calving off of glaciers in Vatnajökull National Park enters the lagoon, and slowly over time, moves out into the ocean. The waves batter the ice and bring chunks up onto the black sand beach. In the image below, large chunks of ice in various hues of blue-green, drift ever so slowly towards the ocean.

Goðafoss literally translates in Icelandic to "waterfall of the gods" and is located in the Northeastern part of Iceland. The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 meters, and along a horseshoe shaped curve over a width of 30 meters. The waterfall can be accessed from both sides and there are several trails to the rivers edge, however these are fairly steep and one should exercise caution while navigating to the bottom.

Hi everyone. On a recent trip to Iceland, I was able to spend a few days in Reykjavik, and used the opportunity to photograph the Harpa. The Harpa is Iceland's performing arts center and is located by the old harbor between Reykjavík city center and the North Atlantic. The design was influenced by Iceland‘s exceptional and dramatic nature. The building was designed by Henning Architects and the glass facade was designed by renowned visual artist Olafur Eliasson.

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.