by Mary Knippel

Woman swimming in Hawaii

Photography’s magical influence took hold of her when a face appeared on blank paper in a tiny darkroom. That moment over 30 years ago began a lifelong passion and profession for Michele Clement, Coastsider and award-winning photographer. She liked to draw and make things as a child, but didn’t know art could be a way to earn a living. “My dad was very old-school,” said Clement. “You went to school, got a job, or got married.”

Her expertise lies in connecting with the subjects she photographs: people, products, fashion, nature and more. She is a gifted storyteller who not only sets a scene but also conveys thought-provoking messages, capturing a moment in time with shadow and light. While her father dictated her curriculum in high school, she chose to attend Pasadena City College, a school with a great arts program. “I knew then I wanted to be an artist. … I took every single class they had in the arts,” Clement said. “But only one class in beginning photo. I’d never really had a camera in my hand. A friend lent me his Rollei.”

The resulting photo essay, portraits of several 6- to 8-year-old boys who were left alone at a private boarding school over the Christmas break, changed her life. “It struck me that I could draw and paint forever and never get that expression. And even if I did, how would you know that that moment was real? And by printing the negatives that I shot, I actually felt more deeply what these kids must have felt than I did when I was photographing them. So, I think I was hooked from that moment.”

After attending an Ansel Adams workshop in Carmel, she fell in love with the Bay Area and eventually moved to San Francisco. She supported herself as a freelance graphic designer while she honed her craft, working first in the darkroom, next as a photo assistant, and finally out on her own. Early advertising accounts included Macy’s Sunday magazine and Nature Company catalogues.

Iceland Church

Clement taught herself how to give clients dramatic affects in the days before PhotoShop. “It was a great experience,” Clement said, “because I knew somehow I could figure it out. My background was in fine arts. I was inspired by going to museums and looking at paintings to see how they used composition and color.”

Keeping up with technology, Clement acknowledges the appeal of digital cameras, which allow photographers to immediately see what they have done. “But I miss the tactile experience,” Clement said longingly, “of putting on the gloves and pulling the papers through the trays to find the image appear.”

A few years ago, the Icelandic Photographers Association invited Clement to speak and show her work. While in Iceland, Clement captured images of the rustic landscape and assembled them in a book she recently published: Elsewhere: Journey in a Strange Land. “The drama of black and white appeals to me,” Clement said, “but Iceland landscapes, to me, needed to be in color. I love the dark black of the lava rock and the teal blue of the sulfur water. I like to shoot something that’s really there and it feels like something other than it is — such as a painting, or collage.”

Gardening is another passion for her. “Waiting to see how things will materialize,” Clement said as we stood admiring her budding eggplants in her backyard. “When you are imagining what you think you are getting, it helps you push to do more.”

Japanese maples in Oregon.

Clement was recently featured at a Scott Nichols Gallery photography show, along with the works of Ansel Adams and other photography greats. She was named Black and White Spider Award 2007 Photographer of the Year, and is sought out as a mentor and teacher. Her teaching credits include the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco — and her work as an advisor for the Ansel Adams workshop where she began her career.

“Being an artist is an approach to life,” Clement said. “Being an artist is a lifelong endeavor.”