Clay Lipsky

From www.claylipsky.com
Clay Lipsky is a fine art photographer & Emmy Award winning graphic designer based in Los Angeles. He has applied his unique visual style across a variety of mediums, from print and multimedia to TV and film. Despite his varied interests, photography has always been a part of Clay’s life. Recently, he has experienced a new-found interest with the medium and is now passionately focused on pursuing photography as fine art, free from clients and limitless in creative possibilities. Clay is self-taught and strives to create images that can stand the test of time. His photos have been exhibited in various group shows, including those at the Annenberg Space for Photography, MOPLA, Pink Art Fair Seoul, Wall Space, Rayko and Impossible Project Spaces in NYC & Warsaw, Poland. Clay has been published internationally in print and online, most notably with Esquire Russia, Wired Italia, Fraction, Square, Lenscratch, Diffusion, i-ref, Daily News (UK), Yahoo! Lifestyle (Germany), La Republica (Italy), Libération (France), Shots & um[laut] Magazines.

From www.lenscratch.com
Clay Lipsky's project, In Dark Light, is intriguing on a number of levels. First, the work was created, for the most part, on a trip to Iceland and as we know, creating conceptual fine art images while in a foreign place, with no opportunity for previsualization, is not an easy task. But somehow, Clay instinctively found a narrative and way of working within a concentrated period of time. The other interesting aspect is what the work is about. Making imagery about depression, about loss and solitude has to have subtle nuances that are at once personal and universal, and Clay captured this subject with emotion and simplicity. Clay works as fine art photographer and graphic in Los Angeles. His photos have been exhibited in group shows across the country, including the Annenberg Space for Photography, MOPLA, Pink Art Fair Seoul, PhotoPlace and Impossible Project NYC. He has been featured internationally in print and online in publications such as Fraction, Square, Diffusion, F-Stop, PH and Shots Magazines. Recently, he was a featured "Ten" through Jennifer Schwartz Gallery, and North Light Press will be publishing an edition of his Cuba photos through their 11+1 series. He is also an avid self-publisher with several titles that exhibit as part of the Indie Photobook Library.

About the series In Dark Light
This series of self portraits examines my loss of identity and enduring personal journey through depression. It is a solitary path that encompasses loss of home and parent, the pursuit of beauty, work and perseverance under no religious or visceral compass. Imagined as a vast, shadowed plane it is a private purgatory mired in fog with colors muted and senses numbed. The varied landscape acts as metaphor for life's many obstacles. Beyond the horizon lies hope for brighter days and so the lone soul carries on, albeit cast in dark light.


All about Clay Lipsky:

AAP: Where did you study photography?
In school I studied graphic design and illustration. I am self taught when it comes to photography.

AAP: How long have you been a photographer?
From a very young age I have enjoyed taking photos, but I never pursued it seriously. Within the last five years I have rediscovered the medium and enjoying exploring its many paths while also making up for lost time.

AAP: What or who inspires you?
I can find inspiration anywhere. Living in Los Angeles provides endless opportunities for creative exploration, from the city to the desert and along the coast.

AAP: How could you describe your style?
My career as an art director/designer heavily influences my photography. Much like in graphic design, I enjoy exploring different looks. Overall color and composition are very important to me and will vary greatly depending on what best suits the concept and subject matter. In general I like to find ways to tell stories through images that are cinematic and stylish, like one frame movies.

AAP: What kind of gear do you use? Camera, lens, digital, film?
I use anything and everything that can make an image. Photography is a medium born out of technology. I have a variety of gear because each has their strengths and weaknesses. Digital, film and Polaroids all offer different looks and feel, I like having options when there is a creative decision to make.

AAP: Do you spend a lot of time editing your images?
I do enjoy developing digital negatives, but often move very quickly through that process. I do not photoshop my work, unless the concept calls for it. I was raised in the film era so I try my best to remain a purist and get everything I need in camera the first time. It's just easier that way and I also enjoy the triumph of photography when you capture that magic moment in the perfect light.

AAP: What advice would you give a young photographer?
Keep shooting.

AAP: An idea, a sentence, a project you would like to share?
Photography is becoming more and more vilified in public spaces. It is not unheard of to be harassed or detained for simply taking photographs and documenting the world around us. Often this paranoia is fed under the pretense and illusion of public safety. Information is power and photography is not a crime. "Those who sacrifice liberty for the sake of security deserve neither" - Benjamin Franklin

AAP: Anything else you would like to share?
Photography has motivated me to get out and explore the world. It has empowered me to undertake adventures I would have never imagined, have cross cultural connections, make new friends, discover new ways of seeing and learn more about myself in the process. I am happy to have re-discovered it, even a little late in life.