Clay Patrick McBride

Clay Patrick McBride is known for his bold portraiture, which celebrates his subjects through empowerment, humor, honesty, and grit. He can connect with his subjects in a way that is personal, intense, and collaborative in nature. His philosophy of image making fuses experimentation with classic training in painting and art history, resulting in an iconic visual language that creates a conversation between the old and new world. McBride began his visual training in the South of France in his late teens and early twenties before moving to New York City to study photography at the School of Visual Arts. McBride shifted his focus to photography after being inspired by the notorious CBGB music club and the revolutionary music and visuals emerging from that scene in the 1990s. His deep interest in connecting with and understanding the world around him drives McBride to continually explore new processes, techniques, and examine the interplay between process and the portrait, as well as time and space.

A recent fascination of McBride's has been collodion wet plate photography, where he brings his mobile darkroom setup to skate parks and photographs strangers. Always trying new approaches to the image, he explores chemigrams and other alternative processes, as well as film and music videos. One of his most recent film productions is The Incredible Exploding Boy, which explores the complex and often challenging relationship between fathers and sons, mental illness, and addiction through an autobiographical lens. Currently, he is a senior lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he mentors the next generation of visual artists. He splits his time between Rochester, NY, and NYC with his wife, Sarah Keane. 

www.claypatrickmcbride.com