Carly Clarke

Carly Clarke (b. 1985) is a British documentary and portrait photographer working primarily with medium format film. After completing her BA in photography at Middlesex University, London she was awarded the Luck-Hille Postgraduate Photography scholarship for her Master’s degree in Photography, also at Middlesex. Her work mainly focuses on social issues that may otherwise go unnoticed. Storytelling through the voices of the people she photographs is key to her work. She has personally researched, organised and sought funding for all of her overseas projects, which include - Remember Me: Vancouver’s DTES, Godhūlikāla: India’s Forgotten Elders and Jamadagni’s Temple: The Real Full Moon Festival.

When she was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2012, she created a self-portrait project, Reality Trauma, documenting her journey through treatment and recovery. She subsequently created a second project, In the Blood, seven years later when her younger brother Joe was diagnosed with the same type of cancer. Reality Trauma has been widely commended and has been featured worldwide on BBC News Online, BBC TV local news, photography podcasts, and a radio show. She won the Royal Photographic Society's Vic Odden award in 2022, as well as several honourable mentions for her projects through the International Photography Awards (IPA) and has been shortlisted for the Portrait of Britain in 2018.

Her work has been published by the BBC, Royal Photographic Society, British Journal of Photography, Portrait of Britain, the charity Lymphoma Action, International Photography Awards (IPA), Jornal Contacto, POV Magazine (Canada), Lensculture, Portrait Salon and has been shown at the National Portrait Gallery in London.