Phil Clarke Hill is a documentary photographer and filmmaker, specializing in urban culture, travel reportage, activism and music.
He makes stories that are lively, authentic, full of colour, and positive – where people are taking things into their own hands; making good in a difficult situation.
Originally from West Yorkshire, England, he currently calls London home. Latin America is his adopted Continent; in particular Brazil where he was a freelance correspondent across the region from 2014-16. Work still regularly takes him all over the place, with England as a base. He has a wide network of collaborators around the World, who can be called on when a team is necessary, and for local on-the-ground knowledge.
He’s been working professionally since 2011 on a mixture of personal projects and assignments for high profile international clients. He has been awarded in the LUCIEs twice, was shortlisted for the Amnesty Student award and Environmental Photographer of the year, and received a One World Media Grant for work in Brazil.
Accustomed to demanding situations, he’s a dependable and determined visual journalist – equally at home filming a music documentary in a favela, on a magazine assignment with a remote indigenous community, or reporting on a tech startup in east London. A true hybrid shooter for the digital era with all his own equipment; he can provide video, audio, photography or a combination of all of it.
Projects
- Favela FreestyleRio de Janeiro is known for many things; beaches, tropical sunshine, crime, Carnival and Samba – though probably not, hip-hop. The popularity of rap in Brazil is nothing new, in the 80’s and 90’s it was huge, particularly in Sao Paulo; though in the past, Rio never quite got it, preferring it’s own home-made musical styles; traditionally Samba, and in more recent years; Funk Carioca. But now, as the city prepares for the Olympics that are just around the corner, there’s something bubbling up, co
- Free to Party2014 marked twenty years since the Criminal Justice Bill aimed to destroy the UK Free Party Rave scene with its definition of ‘repetitive beats’ and other anti fun legislation. However, Britain’s most important and long-standing subculture is still going, with plenty of crews keeping the vibe alive. Free to Party shows how this important part of the UK’s cultural fabric carries on, regardless of it being illegal. Free to Party is a self published book project and multimedia piece launched in 2014. I started going to free parties at the tender age of 16, and immediately knew it was going to be an important part of my life. We’re those who run the show on our own terms, we make it happen, independent of mainstream society. For a long time I was averse to photographing it, or too busy lugging speakers and running cables, but after years of attending and organising countless free parties, I decided to document this important corner of my world. What I am aiming to do is to get across the feelings associated with putting on and going to a free party, by representing a 24 hour period: Moments like the adrenaline rush from getting into a derelict building, the complexity then success of setting up a sound system in the darkness, the elation of DJing in front of hundreds of people, and the freedom felt from dancing in the open air, as the sun rises in a remote part of the countryside. I know and love these feelings, and that’s why I’m showing them to the world. Because there’s more to it than partying, It’s a way of life; a choice to move away from the confines of conventional society, and live to a different beat.
- Ka'apor of MaranhaoMaranhao is the state on the eastern flank of the Brazilian Amazon, a region that was densely forested but more recently has borne the brunt of rapid deforestation. According to the Imazon research institute, the Brazilian lumber industry is valued at around $1.6 billion per year, and of this a whopping 76% is harvested illegally.* The Amazon is not only the largest tropical forest in the world but it is also the main source of wood for this substantial illegal industry. The region’s Ka’apor indigenous community has been up against an ongoing battle with illegal loggers for many years. In Brazil, recognized indigenous groups have land demarcated by FUNAI – the National Indian Foundation – and it is illegal for those not from the community to farm, hunt or harvest natural resources from this land. However, as these areas are often remote and large, it is difficult to enforce such measures and therefore such activities are unfortunately commonplace. Disenchanted by an apparent lack of activity from IBAMA (Brazil’s environmental protection authority) and as a reaction to this problem, the community has been forced to take matters into its own hands, taking evasive action against the loggers; seizing illegally harvested timber, destroying equipment and physically expelling them are some of the tactics they have undertaken. This however, has come with a price. This short video documentary tells the story of their struggle.
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Work history
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PhotographerPhil Clarke Hill
London, United KingdomFreelance
Documentary, travel and music photography. Working for clients such as National Geographic Traveller, the Guardian, BBC, ASOS, CNN, AJ+, the Washington Post, Dazed, Vice, Huck, the Arts Council etc.
Skills
- Advertising
- Events
- Film
- Commercial Photography
- Photojournalism
- Digital Content
- Multi-platform Content
- Corporate Content
- Camera Operation
- Documentary
- Editorial
- Digital Video
- Photoshop
- Lightroom
Education
Photojournalism and Documentary PhotographyUniversity of Westminster
- 309 Regent St, Marylebone, London W1B 2HW, UK
MA Photojournalism with Distinction.
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BA PhotographyUniversity College Falmouth
- Falmouth, United Kingdom