The oceanic lens of Clare James environment / Community
Photographer, surfer, and new mother Clare James invites us into her world, where morning coffee meets Cornish waves, underwater encounters spark lifelong pursuits, and imperfection is where the magic lives. Clare, based in Penzance, uses her lens to capture the rhythm of nature and the creatures that inhabit the deep, surf and surroundings of the sea.
1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where you’re based, and what an ideal day at home looks like for you?
Thanks so much for taking the time to interview me, I am based in Penzance in the far West of Cornwall, UK. An ideal day is coffee in the morning followed by a surf at one of the local beaches and then a little bit of work, emails, editing or a shoot. This April I gave birth to our daughter Anna. I am determined not to give up the things I love both surfing, photography and film work, so life looks much the same with an additional load of newborn cuddles and chaos!!
2. How did you first get into photography? Was there a moment or image that sparked it all?
From a young age I had always enjoyed taking photos, the moment that led to where I am now was 16 years ago, I moved to Falmouth in order to study Geography. Whilst studying I learnt to surf and Scuba Dive.
“During one of my diving courses I was given an underwater camera and have never looked back, I continued shooting underwater whilst teaching diving out in Mexico and on returning to the UK started to spend more time shooting surfing.“
3. What’s your favourite photo you’ve ever taken?
That’s a tricky one, so many images over the years but a couple of my particular favorites is an image I took of a Blacktip Shark whilst living and working out in South Africa as a photography course director and dive guide. Surf photography wise I have a few favorite images of spectacular waves from around Cornwall.
4. The ocean shows up often in your work, what does it mean to you personally and creatively?
The ocean has been part of my life since I can remember, I spent the summers bodyboarding and windsurfing as a child and it has always been my escape from the world. I truly relax and empty my mind when submerged be it swimming, surfing, diving. Alongside which it inspires me creatively the way the light works captivates me both photographically and poetically. The most recent poem I have written titled Submerge aims to convey this and also touches on the subject of waiting to get back in the sea after giving birth and how I miss it.
5. Do you remember the first time the ocean inspired you? How has your relationship with it evolved over the years?
The ocean has always touched me deeply, some of my earliest memories are of bodyboarding and bodysurfing in the shorebreaks of North Devon with Dad and my sisters. We visited family in the woolacombe area every single school holiday. I used to cry every time we got in the car and had to go home to our house in Surrey.
“I vowed that one day I would live by the sea and never have to leave, consequently my relationship with the ocean has got stronger and stronger and now I get to share this special place with my daughter.“
6. Does surfing influence your way of seeing, feeling, and framing the world?
Yes, it definitely does. If I am stressed or overwhelmed I just have to jump in the ocean catch a few waves and I will come back to land with a clear head and more often than not a solution to the problem, which is always a wonderful feeling.
7. Which is your favourite wave and board?
My favorite board is my Darchy shapes twin fin, over the last 16 years of surfing I have surfed an array of boards. Spent lots of time shortboarding with a quad set up which never felt quite right. I do have a longboard that I use on small summer days but definitely wouldn’t call myself a longboarder. As soon as I tried this 6ft 6 twin fin I knew I had found the board for me, fast, manovarable, handles take offs in steep hollow waves also goes well in less ideal conditions, easy to paddle and duck dive. It all just clicked and I haven’t surfed anything else in the last 4 years. Wave wise there are a few local breaks I love and also many good spots we often visit in Ireland and Scotland.
8. What is your local surf community like?
The Cornish surf community is a vibrant and warm local community. I have seen it change drastically over the last 16 years, when I first started surfing a relatively small percentage of the population partook in the sport. I would visit school friends where I grew up and most people didn’t even know that you could surf regularly in the UK, since then the water has got busier and the number of women in the water has increased which is wonderful to see.
“However, the integrity of the sport has been a little swamped by the influx of people, its popularity and use as a marketing tool for many brands has changed the vibe and made it more mainstream which has both its positives and negatives.“
9. When photographing people in nature, what are you searching for emotion, movement, stillness? How do you know when you’ve found it?
My job often requires capturing people in nature, whether it is shooting surfers in-water or swimmers, events or models in the outdoor environment for brand shoots. The way people interact and move both in the ocean and in the natural world fascinates me and captures the emotion these spaces inspire within each individual. I often use people in my landscape photos in order to create a perspective.
10. Has working so closely with the natural world changed the way you move through it?
I have always preferred the natural world to towns and cities, as a child I would disappear for hours on my own into the woods and fields near our house and sit quietly to see what wildlife would appear. I feel that my job is an extension of this love and has deepened this as the years go by and now I try to use my imagery to help protect and raise awareness of issues facing the environment both land and ocean.
11. What kind of projects or ideas are you dreaming about at the moment? Anything you’d love to explore next?
Over the last month I have had lots of time to think whilst feeding my hungry little one. I have a few ideas forming that I would like to pursue, some of which I will be able to over the next couple of months when I get some spare time, hopefully, watch this space
12. Strange Seas is all about beauty that’s a little offbeat, a little raw. What does “strange” or “imperfect” beauty mean to you as an artist?
I have never been a fan of perfect beauty or straight lines. My work is inspired by nature, the ocean, light and capturing the dynamicity of these changes keeps me on my toes.
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Clare’s Website
