[Interview] Aerial Photographer Tommy Clarke and The Frame Give Viewers a Spectacular Bird’s Eye View of the World

Achieving a balanced home décor means adorning your walls with just the right pieces. But what if, instead of having to decide on just one artwork to pull together a room, you could choose from a variety?

Samsung’s lifestyle TV, The Frame, is known for its ability to recreate images that look remarkably alike to physical prints and paintings, with quantum dots in the panels making colours more vibrant and sharpening contrast[1]. The Frame has been offering curated selections since 2017, with the Art Store providing access to an expansive range of artworks from a host of eras and contributions from world-renowned galleries and museums[2].

Under its monthly theme of ‘Wild and Free’, the Art Store is featuring world-renowned photographer Tommy Clarke, whose aerial photography transports viewers to scenic, dreamlike destinations. Samsung Newsroom sat down with Clarke to learn about his creative journey and his work.

▲ Bamboo Parasols (2019)

The View From Up Here

Ever since he first picked up a camera, Clarke knew that photography would allow him to capture his artistic vision in a way no other medium could. “I found I could most easily capture what I wanted to with a camera,” he says. “Plus, I’m able to have my camera with me at all times!”

And Clarke’s preference for aerial photography has led him all over the globe, from Miami Beach to Iceland, as he searches out interesting scenes to capture. “From there it becomes about whether I can get a helicopter or plane over the area,” he relates. “When the stars align, I pack a camera and go.”

Rather than an orchestrated scene, Clarke prefers to capture candidly, flying high enough so that people aren’t looking up at him, but low enough so that he can capture those important details.

▲ Tommy Clarke

Capturing Incredible Colours Around the Globe

For Clarke, colour is a vital element when it comes to getting the perfect shot. “The colours may be the most important part of my photos. It’s what first catches the eye and it’s why my photos hang on walls around the world,” he says. “Capturing incredible colours – be they from sand bars in Australia, or colourful beach towels in Saint Tropez – is what gives my photos their beauty.”

And technology plays a huge role in ensuring those colours are accurately reflected. On The Frame, which produces 100% colour volume[3] thanks to quantum dot technology, colours have a lifelike quality that truly communicates the artist’s intent. “I am used to world class printers and museum quality paper, so when I first saw my images on The Frame, I was blown away,” he notes. “The colours pop in the same way they do in a physical print.”

▲ Playa Shoreline (2015)

Redefining Norms

With technology like The Frame’s QLED display now available to him, Clarke says his craft is shifting. “I’d be willing to put on a fully digital exhibition now. Technology like The Frame gives me full faith that my images will be displayed exactly as I want them to be,” he says. “Given the choice of doing an exhibition with five screens on the wall showing images on rotation, or printing and framing forty images, I’d go for The Frame every time.”

What’s more, with The Frame users have access to an ever-growing library of art unlike any other. In Clarke’s opinion, “The best part about The Frame is that you don’t have to choose just one picture to hang on the wall. Often, people at my gallery are torn when deciding which picture to buy. But The Frame resolves this by allowing them to rotate the images they’re displaying.”

8 of Clarke’s pieces are available today on the Art Store and The Frame.

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[1] Quantum Dot technology delivers our finest picture ever. With Colour Volume 100%, Quantum Dot takes light and turns it into breathtaking colour that stays true at any level of brightness. * 100% colour volume according to DCI-P3 Colour Space tested by Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker (VDE Germany) ID.40045577 December 2017.

[2] The art pieces are available as a single purchase for $26.99 or a monthly subscription for $7.99 or yearly subscription for $79.90 to the Art Store. Art pieces in the Art Store are subject to change without prior notice.

[3] 100% colour volume according to DCI-P3 Colour Space tested by Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker (VDE Germany) ID.40045577 December 2017.