Originally trained and practising as a civil liberties lawyer, Clarke made the switch to photography in 2003.
Between 2004 and 2007 he worked in partnership with the County Durham Drug and Alcohol Action Team photographing a community of abusers of drugs and alcohol in the north east of England.
[1] The work was published in September 2007 and was shown at the Durham Arts Festival in June 2008.
His most recent work is South Bank a series of portraits of residents of the area between Middlesbrough and Redcar and continues the themes explored in his earlier work.
The work was displayed at the Python Gallery in Middlesbrough in May and June 2009.