Professional Photographer, Writer, US
Clay Cook began his creative career in the music industry, and after 10 years, his passion had leaned towards photography, cinematography and graphic design. Constantly collaborating with designers, national models, filmmakers and other photographers, Clay has built a reputable name as an award-winning internationally published photographer and filmmaker, specializing in editorial and advertising photography.
“I’ve always connected to people through language, art, film, music and creativity. I started performing music with 4 friends on stages and local clubs at the age of 16. By the age of 24, our act “(in the clear)” had grown to sell over 20,000 records and toured all across the nation. Over the course of that musical career, I not only honed the craft of recording and performing live, but also graphic design and video editing. By the time the band split in 2010, I had designed hundreds of flyers, edited many photos and cut up tons of video footage. People started to pay me to do the same for them and my creative career flourished. It wasn’t until December of 2010; I received my first DSLR camera as a gift. My love for photography blindsided me and began to snowball over everything in its path. I began shooting all in sight, from people and animals to beautiful landscapes; I wanted to capture it all. I’ve been blessed to know many creative people from all walks of life and have learned to mold and shape my vision of photography through their inspiration. As well as many late nights on YouTube. Now, with a sharpened eye and field experience, I’ve recognized my natural ability and true passion in advertising, commercial and fashion photography. Using the knowledge I’ve gained, I am not only able to capture the vision, but also manipulate it into art, bigger than life.”
Clay’s work is featured frequently on world-wide photography blogs including Fstoppers, B&H Photo & Video, PetaPixel, SLRLounge, ISO1200 and BorrowLenses among others. Clay has been published in USA Today, First For Women, ProSales Magazine, Modern Salon, American Salon Magazine, Louisville Magazine, The Voice of Louisville, STORY Magazine and Dark Beauty Magazine, among many others.