Copy of Bio

Clark Little surfing Waimea Shorebreak in the 1990's
photo: Tom Servais

Award-winning photographer Clark Little was born in Napa, California in 1968. Two years later, a move to the North Shore of Oahu (Hawaii) dramatically changed his future. In the 1980’s and 1990’s he made his name as a pioneer of surfing at the Waimea Bay shorebreak. Clark had a unique talent for taking off on hopeless closeout shorebreak waves and surviving in one piece.

In 2007, Clark discovered his ability and passion to capture the extraordinary beauty of the shorebreak when his wife wanted a picture of the ocean to decorate the bedroom wall. With the confidence of an experienced surfer, Clark went out and bought a waterproof camera setup, jumped in the ocean, and started snapping away, recording the beauty and power of Hawaiian waves. "Clark’s view" is a unique and often dangerous perspective of waves from the inside out, captured in photos for all to enjoy from the safety of dry land.

In a short time, Clark has gained worldwide recognition for his North Shore shorebreak wave photography with exhibitions in Japan, Canada, Brazil, Spain and throughout the US along with appearances on television shows including CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, Today, Inside Edition, the Discovery Channel, ABC World News Now, France 2, NHK and Asahi TV programs in Japan.

Clark’s work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum, Alden B. Dow Museum, Science Museum of Virginia, Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona (Spain), Parco Logos Gallery (Tokyo, Japan), Gallery X (Tokyo, Japan), Heritage Maritime Canada (Montreal, Canada), The Four Seasons and The Ritz-Carlton Resorts, and published in National Geographic, The New York Times, LIFE, Nikon World, Paris Match, Outdoor Japan, Sierra, Geo, Nature’s Best Photography, Rangefinder, The Surfer’s Journal among others. Commercial clients include Apple, Nike, Nikon, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Toyota, Anheuser Busch, Starbucks Coffee, Whole Foods Markets, Panerai Watches, Hilton Hotels, Lockheed Martin, Verizon, and others.

Clark Little awarded the Oceans Photography Award at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC (May 2011)

In November 2009, Clark published his 182-page debut art book, The Shorebreak Art of Clark Little. In January 2011, Clark opened the Clark Little Gallery Haleiwa in his hometown of Haleiwa, Hawaii just down the road from many of the North Shore beaches featured in his photography. In February 2014, Clark published his second book Shorebreak, a 160-page coffee table book featuring wave and ocean photography from the North Shore of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Big Island, California, Japan and French Polynesia. In 2014, Clark also published a book in Japan "Waves of North Shore" (Parco Publishing). Most recently in 2016, the film SHOREBREAK: The Clark Little Story was released.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Awards include the prestigious Ocean Photography Award from Nature’s Best Photography presented at the Smithsonian Museum in May, 2011. Two award winning images were on exhibit for 6 months at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC from April - September 2011 and again in 2015.

• 2016 (June) - SHOREBREAK - Audience Award, Maui Film Festival
• 2015/2016 - Nikon Ambassador
• 2015 - Gold Ink Awards, Pewter Medal (runner-up) in the Calendar division for the 2016 Turtle Calendar.
• 2011 (May) - Oceans Photography Award - Nature’s Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards presented at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC.
• 2011 (May) - Highly Honored Photographer: Endangered Species Award - Nature’s Best Photography: Windland Smith Rice International Awards presented at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC.
• 2011 The Great Outdoors PDN: Beaches, Island and Underwater Category - Winner
• 2011 Maggie Award (Western Publishing Association): Best Series of Editorial Photographs - View from the Vortex (Sierra Magazine)
• 2010 Pele Award for Photography (American Advertising Federation Hawaii): Breaking Point (Kahala Magazine)
• 2009 Photograph of the Year, People's Choice Award : Geo Magazine

Media

Licensing & Corporate Clients

Exhibitions (Solo & Group)

Installations