Clive Horsman West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

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I am a fine art photographer with a love for photography since getting my first camera as a teenager. Initially working as a landscape architect for 40 years till 2015 I decided to change direction to pursue my passion for b+w fine-art landscape photography using both 35mm and medium formats. I believe the strength of black and white is that it allows the very soul of the image to be expressed

Photography has been an important part of my life for over 40 years during which time I developed a passion for black+white photography. Being trained and worked as a landscape architect until retirement in 2015, and having always lived in the countryside, I have had a natural affiliation for the landscape and the natural environment. It was perhaps inevitable that the two would combine and as such black and white landscapes have become my hallmark. However, living in Shanghai for four and a half years until 2015 introduced me to the hustle and bustle of city life which provided a totally new and fascinating subject in contrast to the serenity of the countryside and this expanded my interest in recording the surrounding social scenes and which became an equally important subject for my photography.

I started with b+w as a teenager because it was cheaper than colour! But when I was introduced to the dark room and the magic of creating a print I instantly became hooked and realised then that having full control of the image from camera to print became important to the creative process. While my printing is done digitally now, the darkroom concept remains at the heart of my image processing. I learnt the subtleties of b+w photography – how to visualise the scene in black, grey and white, how to see the image in terms of light, shadows and textures and how, in my view, the use of b+w allows the very soul of the image to be expressed which is the essence I strive to show in my work. While using digital photography in my colour documentary work, I revert to using film in both 35mm and medium formats for b+w imagery which, I feel, provides a more intimate and personal approach.

Inspiration has come through a number of photographers over the years and, not surprisingly, all are exponents of b+w photography! From the very beginning I was impressed by the power of Don McCullin’s images, and even more so by his recent works, and in somewhat contrast, the landscape work of Atget. More recently the works of Santigao Soldago as well as Nick Brandt, with his immensely powerful Africa and environmantal series, and that of Michael Kenna have been particularly influential.

"Seeing is not enough; you have to feel what you photograph". (Andre Kertesz)