Just a short post to pay homage to the late Bob Carlos Clarke on the 10th anniversary of his death.
On Saturday 25th March 2006 Bob Carlos Clarke walked out of ‘The Priory’ rehab centre, went to the White Hart Lane railway crossing in Barnes, London, climbed over the barrier and at 11.33am threw himself in front of the Windsor to Waterloo train. The world of photography lost one of its legends.
It’s incredibly sad that, as is often the case with great artists, his talent is perhaps more revered in death than when he was alive.
Shooting Sex
I first became familiar with Bob Carlos Clarke’s work through his book ‘Shooting Sex: The Definitive Guide to Undressing Beautiful Strangers’. I’ve read this book time and time again and am always overawed with the photography along with the honesty and humour of the writing. If you haven’t read it you’ll currently find copies on Amazon or Ebay. It really is a superb book that anyone with any interest in glamour photography would enjoy.
In a 2003 interview with Pentax User, Carlos Clarke talked about the book. “With Shooting Sex I went through one publisher after another until it became a humiliating farce, and, after a couple of years, I began to realise that I was going to have to go it alone. Shooting Sex is the first book that recognises that the mindset is more crucial than the aperture/speed setting. A good idea poorly executed is far preferable to a bad idea well done.”
‘Shooting Sex’ was published in a limited edition of 3000 copies for the UK market and 2500 for Europe and USA.
Love Dolls Never Die
I’m also privileged to own a copy of ‘Love Dolls Never Die’. Printed especially for the London opening of Carlos Clarke’s ‘Love Dolls Never Die’ exhibition in November 2004. The collection of photographs include images of models as remote controlled toys, robots, wind-up figures and sex dolls. Bound in pink vinyl with a faux-crocodile finish, the edition was limited to just 300 copies. They occasionally sell on Ebay for hundreds of pounds, but I don’t think I would ever sell mine.
Click on each image to see it bigger. Thanks for reading.
‘Love Dolls Never Die’ and ‘Shooting Sex’
