If you are driving around Melbourne and the car in front of you completes an abrupt U-turn, pulls over and a two-metre tall, heavily tattooed man gets out and reaches for something in the boot; don’t be alarmed – It’s probably just Mitch Clark reaching for his D600.
The Demon forward has proved to be a sharp shooter in front of the goals since crossing to Melbourne from Brisbane, averaging almost three goals a game. And despite being sidelined with a foot injury, Clark has not stopped kicking goals, but for the moment it’s his camera taking the shots, not his right foot.
Clark values the balance provided by having something to occupy his mind away from football, and swinging a golf club was just that. But since his foot injury he has developed a passion for photography.
“Obviously walking around the golf course with a sore foot isn’t a great idea, so I thought I’d step out of my comfort zone a bit and give something else a go.”
“I’ve probably taken it a bit more seriously over the last two months, before that I’d just been taking photos of my daughter and our dogs.”
Clark is grossly underselling the quality of his work when he says he has taken “a couple of okay shots”. He posts his best work to social media platform Instagram and he has already gathered quite a following (almost 5000 at last count) and regular praise from the notoriously critical online Instagram community.
Despite the tattoos and his undeniable eye for a good photo, the self-taught Clark denies he has any natural artistic ability and or any idea what he is doing.
“I can’t really draw or anything like that, I just look at other people’s photos and take inspiration from that.”
Clark’s new city is his inspiration, with the majority of his portfolio comprised of shots that encompass Melbourne’s eclectic, inner-city beauty. In the last month Clark and another IGer (People who use Instagram), known as @thekimbots, gave birth to #bestofburncity; a tag dedicated to showcasing the best of Melbourne.
#bestofburncity has more than 2000 photos attached to it and such was the response the duo created a @bestofburncity account to promote the most creative shots and IGers.
“The photography community through Instagram is pretty big and you don’t actually realise until you get entrenched in it. People love looking at other people’s photos who share the same interest. You feed off each other…It’s pretty cool.”
“I think there would be a few boys who think they would take a good photo, but maybe Nathan Jones. He is inked-up and has the bald head as well.”
Through the lens of his iPhone or Nikon D600 Clark has been able to explore areas of Melbourne most Melburnians wouldn’t have ever, he often finds himself pulling over on the way to training to capture a fresh landscape.
“I suppose I am always in the mindset of looking to take a photo of something. If you do that, there is always something that will make a good photo,” he says.
“Union Lane or Hosier Lane in the city are two great spots, with all the graffiti. I also like ocean stuff, but it’s hard to find in Melbourne. I have been mostly taking general shots but I want to move into photographing people now.”
Which teammate would he like to photograph the most?
“I think there would be a few boys who think they would take a good photo, but maybe Nathan Jones. He is inked-up and has the bald head as well.”
Clark says his teammates have been supportive in their own way. “The boys razz me a little bit for the amount of hash tags I use, but they don’t know what they are doing. They just take selfies.” They must rate his work; some have even commissioned Clark to produce some canvas prints of his photography.
Beyond the walls of the Melbourne Football Club he has been approached by some fashion labels wanting to use his pictures and the response from fans has been very encouraging. What is now, “just a bit of fun”, could be a serious option for life after footy.
“I have found that it shows I am not just all about footy, footballers do need to have that balance…It shows them a different side to me and it keeps them interested because I’m not out on the park at the moment.”
The city of Melbourne has been a good fit for Clark, on and off the field. Despite Melbourne’s lack of success Clark says being in the AFL heartland has “reignited his passion for footy”.
“I love Melbourne. It’s been a good change for myself. Its great city to live in, it has a great feel about it, it’s really cool. I love the coffee culture and the cafes and when you go out to a bar, not that I do that often, it has a really cool feel about it.”
Beyond the best of Melbourne, his daughter Sienna and three dogs; British Bulldog Opie – named after the Sons of Anarchy character, and Boston Terriors – Chloe and Harvey, are who Clark enjoys photographing the most.
Interestingly Harvey got his name from Harvey Specter of the US TV series Suits, and the late Peter Harvey, “we love 60 Minutes in the Clark house”. Strange combination…but it works. It’s a bit like art and football….well for @mitchclark anyway.