Happy New Year 2012

Latest news from Phil Clarke-Hill Photography

This year is off to a flying start, as the Belo Monte project shot in 2011 in association with
Amazon Watch, is to be featured as FOTO8 story of the week in January. 2011 was a busy one for me, with lots of aspects coming together marking a seminal and successful year, regardless of the recession.

Below: Indigenous Arara girl looking out to the Xingu River – the heart of the region due to be flooded by the impending construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric project.

From February to May, I returned to Bolivia and Brazil to contiune working with subjects of environmental, social and cultural importance. During my time there I shot 3 commissions for Dennis Publishing’s Bizarre magazine: Devil’s Carnival de Oruro, El Tio God of the Underworld, and Lucha Libre, Bolivian style. Devil’s Carnival de Oruro was published in August, the others go out in 2012. In addition, I was working with the Congress of La Paz, visiting remote Pilcomayo region of Potosi district, and covering the La Paz landslide for my agency Specialist Stock / Barcroft Media. In between times I further expanded my travel archive, visiting the Salar Uyuni, The World’s most dangerous road in the Yungas, La Paz, and Asunscion: Paraguay.

Below: Salar Uyuni after the rain

In the summer months I began a major body of work: ‘Food Matters,’ – a documentation of the UK food industry in the 21st Century – where it is and where it’s going. I visited and blogged about innovative and interesting projects, such as Verticrop (below), Riverford Organic Farm and Putting Down Roots.

In Nov – Dec I shot a feature about food waste, in association with Food Cycle and Fareshare, which is now ready for publication, I will be sending it out in the coming weeks.

In 2012 I’ll be expanding Food matters to cover more common and everyday aspects of food production: visiting larger factories, distribution centres and farming operations.

New clients for 2011 included Haymarket, the United Nations OHRLLS, MSN.com, Arts Council Creative Partnerships / Creative Junction, VJEM Events and Claires, plus image sales across the World. In September I started the MA in Photojournalism at Westminster University under the excellent tuition of Max Houghton, Polly Braden, Ben Edwards and David Campany.

This  April I will be returning to my International area of focus – Brazil, to revisit the Belo Monte project and shoot features about Sugarcane, Soya production, Love Motels and a few more tricks up my sleeve.

…..New website launching in February…..