News of the death of Bob Carlos Clarke, one of the brightest contemporary photographers in the UK, has emerged this week

It has slowly emerged this week that the highly respected photographer, Bob Carlos Clarke, died last Saturday. Originally from Ireland and born in 1950, Bob Carlos Clarke has been based in the UK since 1964, starting his photographic career as an art student at the West Sussex College of Art. Over the years he has developed a high reputation as a photographer of great versatility and artistic talent. This eventually drew the attention of the famous, including, Princess Diana.

On the one hand, people who met him recall him as patient and accommodating person. This rather contrasts with his photography, which can be controversial in its graphic and voyeuristic nature. Danny Chau, DPNow friend and technical consultant, has recently been printing a lot of Carlos Clarke's work for exhibitions and revealed that his eye for detail and perfection was incredibly demanding and yet Danny says it was a pleasure to work for him. A DPNow discussion forum regular, Tony Middleton, reflected: "That's sad, he was such a nice guy. I went on a couple of his workshops, he was so patient with his explanations and held nothing back."

Despite his high-calibre reputation, news of the sudden and unexpected death of Bob Carlos Clarke last Saturday, has only filtered out in a low key manner, with most not hearing of the news until yesterday (Monday). There is a short statement on the official Bob Carlos Clarke website.

Discuss this story on the DPNow Forum