He’s new to Cochrane and he’s new to photography, but Stirling Clark is not wasting any time making good use of the town’s unique rolling landscape.
Clark, the eye behind the lens at Stirling Clark Photography, arrived in Cochrane in November. His photography business arrived a few months later, officially launching in February.
“Photography has always been an interest of mine, but I jumped in about seven years ago and bought my first DSLR,” said Clark, a woodworker by trade. “It’s been a learning adventure ever since.
“It’s only been in the past couple of years that my images have become something I wanted to share.”
A self-described landscape and wildlife photographer, Clark’s portfolio boasts a collection of images from Alberta’s backcountry, from lumbering bears to majestic eagles. Raised in Jasper he said he’s always been drawn to the wilderness and the animals that live there.
“It’s always a thrill to get out there,” he added. “And the bigger the mammals — wolves, bears, cougars — the bigger the thrill.”
He may not live in Jasper any more, but he said Cochrane presents its own unique twist on landscape and wildlife with “things that you just don’t find in the mountains.” Right now, he said he gets out shooting about every other day.
To separate his work from other landscape and wildlife photography, Clark said he uses high-dynamic-range imaging (HDR). By capturing an image in a range of light, he said he’s able to pull details from shadowy and highlighted areas.
“It’s opened up a whole new field of creativity for me,” said Clark. “Photographers have been taking photos of the same places for hundreds of years. (HDR) lets me get something different.”
While he said he’s happy with how this side project is developing, Clark admitted he like more people to be able to access his work. Right now, his images are predominately seen via his website stirlingclark.ca, or the Stirling Clark Photography Facebook page.
