With the majestic Sierra Nevada to the north, the captivating high-desert to the east, and the vast pacific coastline to the west, a photographer and passionate explorer of our natural world could not find a better place to call home than southern California. For over 30 years I have divided my professional time between exploring the Great American West and endeavoring to provide the San Diego community with high-quality, affordable photography, as well as persevering to make a personal contribution to enriching the artistic culture of southern California.

The passion to make my artistic mark on the world began at the age of only 9, when my parents gave me a Kodak Box Brownie camera for a class trip to the San Diego Zoo. It was a dreadfully embarrassing thing! All the other kids had the latest high-teck Kodak Instamatics - I had something that was probably Ansel Adams' first camera! It had a tattered blue ribbon for a neckstrap, and I would keep it hidden under my sweater-vest until I couldn't resist taking it out for a shot. But the embarassment soon dissipated when I received my first roll of prints: the magic of the photograph - the captivated image - was born.

It was under the teaching of Lucien Bonnefieux at San Dieguito High School that I began taking photography to a more serious level. Mr. Bonnefieux was unlike any other teacher I had ever experienced. He was tough, demanding, and had little tolerance for slackers. All the elements I needed to be pushed. Mr. Bonnefieux was an incredible portrait photographer, and so much of what I learned under him - behind the lens and in the darkroom - is still an important part of my photographic technique today.

Perhaps the most important contributing element to my life as a photographer was being exposed to such awe-inspiring places as Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Park. I thank my mother and father for these experiences. Their nurturing and adventurous spirits gave me what I needed to believe in myself - both as an artist and a person.

In my early 20's my photographic work came to an abrupt halt when my home was broken into and a thief rid me of every bit of camera gear I owned. Most people would see these things as material possessions that could easily be replaced, but for me this was quite traumatic. Besides this being the 'poor years', when I could not replace what I owned - I had lost what had become a very integral part of my life. It was several years before I could replace what I had lost. I like to think the person who did this did so out of desperation to feed their family.

After a photographic hiatus of several years and a series of life changing events I happened to come across some photographs by Jim Zuckerman that captivated me with a feeling I had not felt in so long. The photograph was very simple...a tiny sapling of a tree poking through a blanket of velvety white snow. Perhaps there was something symbolic with the photograph that spoke to me, or maybe just simply a really cool image - but I suddenly realized how much I had missed this aspect of my life. It movd me enough to send me straight to a camera store, where I max'd out a credit card with the latest and greatest gear.

With my passion to make photographs reborn to an even deeper intensity than ever, I had also rediscovered nature and the fabulous landscapes this world offers. It seemed I could not possibly quench my passion to explore the mountains and deserts. One of the best steps I have ever made was studying with the New York Institute of Photography - an indepth home study photography course that I recommend to anyone that wishes to take their photography to a higher level of quality, and most certainly with any aspirations of working as a professional photographer.

A young photographer once asked me when I thought it was when someone finally 'arrives' as an accomplished photographer. It's a fascinating question that at the time I could not really give what I thought would be a satisfying answer. The average art enthusiast may say that an artist is accomplished when they earn a certain amount of money - another may say when their work gets the attention of sophisticated collectors and art critics. I believe the moment of my 'arrival' as an accomplished artist was a personal milestone that I was not even aware I had set for myself until I achieved it. My story about Miss Lillian is the story of this moment. In 2000 I received an email from an elderly lady, named Lillian, who had come across my photography website. She wrote:

Dear Mr. Clark,

I wanted to to tell you how much I enjoy looking over your pictures on your web page. The photos of Yosemite are especially my favorite. You see, I'm 82 years old and now get around in a wheel chair, but in my early years me and my husband visited Yosemite almost every summer. We hiked to many of the places you have taken pictures of and I can't tell you what it does to see them again so alive in your photographs. It's like living it all over again! My husband passed away a few years ago and most likely I will not get to go to such places again. Thank you for your beautiful pictures...they take me back to a wonderful time in my life.

Lillian

I believe the one thing all artists have in common with their artistic objective is to ellicit some kind of emotion in their viewers. My belief of when an artists 'arrives' is when they achieve this. When I am hiking and my body is wanting to quit from fatigue, I always remember this little message from Miss Lillian. There is no greater accomplishment I could possibly achieve than what my photographs made Miss Lillian feel. That is what art is all about.

Chip