He has dedicated himself to his art which, he says “isn’t only framing the image in the camera, but getting myself to the wildest places where I do my best work.” Carr’s wilderness skills have allowed him entrance into the solitude of some of the world’s most remote and least populated regions.
A native Californian living in the northern Sierra Nevada near Taylorsville, California, Carr began photographing in 1977 after seeking advice and inspiration from his mentor and neighbor, master landscape photographer Philip Hyde. After graduating from Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, with a degree in commercial photography, Carr began his freelance career in photography documenting landscapes from Arctic Alaska to the Amazon Basin in Brazil, from the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia to the hardwood forests of New England.
Best known for his five exhibit format books showcasing his work, Carr’s portfolio comprises thousands of editorial, corporate, and advertising credits and the award-winning documentary, Three Women, Three Hundred Miles. A member of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), Carr has worked extensively with international, national, and local conservation organizations whose vision, diligence, and unswerving commitment have protected some of the last wild, living places. His highly acclaimed book, Wild by Law, was the result of his collaboration with Earth Justice – a visual documentation of the impact environmental law has made on our nation’s institutions and conservation policies.
Exhibitions including Clifton’s prints have been displayed at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, the Nikon House, the California Academy of Science, the San Diego Natural History Museum, and Mountain Light Gallery. Recent awards include the Detroit Creative Director’s Silver Caddy Award for outstanding landscape photography in advertising, International Color Awards, and the Theodore Roosevelt Association Founders Medal for outstanding expeditionary achievement. Carr’s fine art prints have been purchased for display by environmental, corporate, and private collections worldwide.
Photography is not so much the art of photographing, but rather the art of seeing. Finding inspiration and creativity in the solitude of remote locations, I use camera and film as the final step in this seeing process, embedding lines, shapes, colors and textures into the rectangle. If my seeing has been successful, the subject becomes secondary to this process. My intention is to create an artistic, poetic image, and like music without lyrics, it doesn’t tell a story so much as it creates a feeling within us. My challenge is to compose a photograph that is both artistically unique and has a profound effect on the viewer. – Carr Clifton
Outdoor Photographer profile of Carr Clifton