Customer Reviews (4) 
A Superb History of Clark and his Erotic Art.
Shooting Sex is not about photographing carnal mischief (though there is some of that), but is instead a revealing look into the life and times and mind of one of our generation's most fascinating photographers. At 13 x 11" it is a huge and polished production packed with electrifying imagery from throughout Clarke's career. It includes numerous personal shots from behind-the-scenes of his most notorious career. But as awesome as this is, it is Clarke's writing that is so thoroughly engaging. It is utterly revealing and written in his own personal, provocative, and candid manner. Far from being a dry expose on the life and times of a one who's shot a few celebrities in the nude, this is one of the most interesting forays into the psyche of a modern artist ever published. Shooting Sex is a more than a printed archive of a photographer's life work, it's an autobiographical, picture-saturated, first-hand artistic manifesto.
Bob Carlos Clarke dead at 55
Bob Carlos Clarke was struck by a train and died on March 25th, 2006.The accident took place at the White Hart Lane level-crossing near Barnes in South West London. Clarke is survived by his second wife Lindsey and their daughter Scarlett. Bob is buried at the Brompton Cemetery in London, where several of his most famous photographs from his book "The Dark Summer" were taken. In the Foreword: " In the city they form an oases of silence and seclusion, and their shadowy monuments are full of form and texture. Graveyards exude a strange combination of peace and tension. The mood is unpredictable: they may be threatening in sunlight or tranquil under thunderous sky. Immortalising a split second of beautiful, transitory youth holds a special irony in such a place."
Bob Carlose Clarke
24th June 1950 - 25th March 2006
J.Waddell
Canada
Funny, witty, frank, but also tender
As other reviewers have noted, this is so much more than a retrospective collection of the author's photographs. The gorgeous, mostly full-page photos are accompanied by a mixture of autobiographical, anecdotal and advisory writings, which themselves contain many memorable quotations and insights. His descriptions of his working and sexual relationships with his models are entertaining, and, while unapologetically male, never come across as macho or conceited. I was a student in London when Carlos Clarke was exhibiting his work in galleries there, so this book evoked many rich memories of the tragi-comic day-to-day contrasts of London life. Even his photojournalistic subjects reveal an erotic sensitivity: the candid images of lust-crazed English teenagers groping and snogging each other on a filthy floor must surely bring back bittersweet memories for many!
Clarke is a true artist! Find this book!
I learned who Bob Carlos Clarke was from a photo magazine last year, but the truth is, I had been aware of him for years. Always a fan of photography, (particularly if it was centered around beautiful women,) I had been a fan of Bob Carlos Clarke without knowing his name but now I had a book to look forward to that showcased the images I remembered him from. It was summer of 2002 when I read about Shooting Sex, an upcoming book of his work, but for months I was unable to find it anywhere. I can't remember whether I special ordered it through a bookstore I was working at or whether I ordered it from Amazon.com in the United Kingdom, but it was a long time before I finally had it in my possession. I am writing this to tell you all that it was well worth the wait at any price.
Shooting Sex, or "The Definitive guide to undressing beautiful strangers, (as it is subtitled), is a bible of an artist's legacy, both personal and professionally. It is page after page (177 gorgeous pages, to be exact), of essays and photographs, memories and musings. Shooting Sex is also one of the most beautiful books in my collection by a man who obviously deserves a great deal more acclaim and credit than he has received.
Shooting Sex has put Bob Carlos Clarke at the top of my list of favorite photographers. He has an eye for glamour and beauty that is refreshingly unique and he portrays it in a way that is not just another fashion image for the sake of being. His images are rich and honest, sexy and alive. Experiencing his work is like sharing the memories of a thousand ghosts. The images are often raw and voyeuristic, but always striking and fantastic. Bob Carlos Clarke's work is what good photography should be. It is pure fantasy. It is capturing dreams and color, movement and shape. When he photographs celebrities, he makes them the legends the public sees them as.
Some of the images are quite racy and risque, but never overtly pornographic or explicit. Bob Carlos Clarke has too much respect for his subjects and it is obvious from the openness give, that the respect is mutual. My favorite set of images begins on page 66 and is of a masked nude woman (Emma), in front of a mirror and in a bathroom setting. The light and tone in these images is unlike anything I have seen before and the book sat open to these pages on my desk for weeks after it arrived because I couldn't bear closing these pages.
As I write this, I am still reading through the wonderfully candid text. Unlike many photo collections, Bob Carlos Clarke includes a full written book to accompany these images, and his stories are as engrossing as the images. If you love photography, you must get this book while you can, at any cost. It doesn't seem to be available in the United States or through amazon.com, which is truly upsetting, but you can buy it through the artist's web site, (along with the gorgeous prints that I too hope to one day own.)
Shooting Sex is not what the title suggests, but rather a journey through the years of one of the most gifted photographers who has ever blessed us with his work. This is one of the finest coffee table books you will ever find, so go find one now! Terry Osterhout
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