Cinematographer  ·  Visual Artist  ·  San Francisco

Robin
Clark

Light as language. Image as inquiry.

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About

Robin Clark's practice moves fluidly between cinema and visual art — two disciplines that, for him, have never been separate. Both are fundamentally acts of seeing: arranging light, directing attention, making meaning from what is shown and what is withheld.

He studied with Hollywood writer/director Abraham Polonsky and received a BA in Film Direction from San Francisco State University. His work has been screened at the Cannes Film Festival, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Sundance Film Festival.

His visual art practice — focused in recent years on currency as subject and material — has been exhibited from LACMA to the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C. He is returning now to active work as a cinematographer, bringing to that work the full weight of a life spent in close attention to the image.

Based
United States
Education
BA Film Direction
San Francisco State University
Mentorship
Abraham Polonsky
Writer / Director, Hollywood
Visual Art
robinclark.com
Selected Work
1991  ·  Feature Film

Vegas in Space

A landmark of independent and queer cinema, Vegas in Space premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival and went on to screen at Sundance, Cannes, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Shot on 16mm over several years, the film remains a singular achievement of visual audacity and camp invention.

The film has become the subject of renewed critical attention, including extensive treatment in Craig Seligman's book Who Does That Bitch Think She Is?, and features prominently in the forthcoming documentary Dear Doris, directed by Scott Braucht and Academy Award nominee Janique Robilliard — scheduled for release in 2026.

16mm Feature Sundance Cannes AMPAS
Phillip R. Ford, Robin Clark, Miss X, Miss Bob Davis — Sundance Film Festival, 1992
L to R — Phillip R. Ford  ·  Robin Clark  ·  Miss X  ·  Miss Bob Davis
Sundance Film Festival, 1992

Showreel in preparation — available upon request

Curriculum Vitae
Education
SFSU
BA, Film Direction San Francisco State University
Study
Abraham Polonsky Writer / Director — Hollywood
Film — Screenings & Festivals
—
Cannes Film Festival
—
Sundance Film Festival
—
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
—
San Francisco International Film Festival
Selected Film Work
1991
Vegas in Space Cinematographer — Feature, 16mm
2026
Dear Doris (forthcoming) Documentary — Dir. Scott Braucht & Janique Robilliard
Visual Art — Selected Exhibitions
—
LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art
—
Federal Reserve Board Washington, D.C.
2018
La Colombe d'or Art Gallery Houston, Texas
Equipment

A working kit built around image quality, optical character, and adaptability across formats — from 6K digital acquisition to 8×10 large format film. Available for hire.

Camera — Digital
  • Red Komodo 6K
    RF mount · 6K · 17:9 native
  • Red Komodo Full Spectrum Monochrome
    RF mount · IR-sensitive · full spectrum modified
  • DJI Osmo Pocket 3
    Compact gimbal camera
  • Insta360
    360° acquisition
Camera — Large Format
  • Deardorff 8×10
    With 4×5 reducing back & Lomo Polaroid proofing back
  • Taylor Hobson Cooke Series IIA 267mm f3.5
    Classic portrait anastigmat
  • Wollensack Verito 457mm f4
    Pictorialist soft focus
  • Schneider Symmar 180mm f5.6
  • Graphex 88mm f6.8 Wide Angle
Lenses — Anamorphic
  • Sirui Venus 1.6× Anamorphic Set
    35 · 50 · 75 · 100 · 135mm — T2.9 · RF mount · 82mm
  • BeastGrip 1.55× Anamorphic
    iPhone / DOF adapter
  • SPH 1.25× Anamorphic Adapter
    Additional squeeze
Lenses — Spherical Primes
  • Nikkor 50mm f1.4 & 55mm f1.2
  • Nikkor 85mm f1.4
  • Helios 44 Silver 13-blade 58mm
    Swirl bokeh · M39
  • Helios 44-2 58mm · M42
  • Planar 80mm · Hasselblad V
  • Sonnar 150mm f4 · Hasselblad V
  • Soligor 21mm f3.8 · Soligor 135mm f2.8
  • Nikon 55mm Micro f3.5
  • Opteka 420–800mm · T-mount
Monitoring & Measurement
  • SmallHD 7Cine with Red Control
    On-camera monitor + Komodo control
  • Zacuto Kameleon EVF
  • Sekonic L858-D Speedmaster
    Incident / spot light meter
  • Sekonic C-800-U Spectrometer
    Color / CRI / TLCI measurement
Filters
  • Wooden Camera 3-Stage Ultimate Matte Box
    4×5.65 + 4×4 stages
  • 4×5.65 Cine ND — 0.3 through 2.1
    Incl. Schneider Rhodium Full Spectrum ND
  • 4×5.65 Diffusion — Black Supermist 1/8 · Tiffen Black Pro-Mist 1–3 · Panchro Mitchell Ultravision "C"
  • Wratten 4×4 B&W contrast set
  • NiSi 4×5.65 Polarizer
  • Diopters: #1 · #2 · #4 · 10× (82mm & 62mm)
Audio
  • Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun
  • Tentacle Sync Track E × 3
    With lavalier mics
  • Tentacle Sync E Timecode Generator
Lighting
  • Kelvin Play 10W LED
    With diffusion kit
  • Zhiyun 40W LED
Support & Rigging
  • Bright Tangerine LeftField 3 Baseplate
  • Bright Tangerine Kasbah Shoulder Mount
    With twin handles
  • SmallRig 15mm Carbon Fiber Rods
  • Tilta Vacuum Car Mount
  • Folding table tripods with ball heads × 2
  • Slate · Color checker · Gray scale cards

Full specifications and availability upon inquiry  ·  robin@hehadahat.com

Let's make
something.

Available for cinematography, collaboration, and conversation.

robin@hehadahat.com