Inspired by Horror films
Grew up in the Midlands
Came down to Devon and Cornwall for holiday trips
There was a house that one of his family members owned, that he found inspirational for its look
In his 20’s he was taken ill, with a mini stroke which affected his studies and life in general
Carried out a masters in Plymouth University in 2013
His work took a slight turn and he began photographing on the Moors “The Moor is a series of sixty-one colour and black and white photographs taken between January 2014 and May 2015 on Dartmoor and Bodmin moor. In its physical form the work is resolved as a book.”- https://photoworks.org.uk/showcase-robert-darch/#close-no
“From these varied sources, both real and imagined, he constructs narratives that help contextualise a personal response to place.”
His work mixes between portraits and landscapes
His finished the project ‘The moors’ in 2015 and it was then that it was shown at the Martin Parr foundation in December 2018
Later images displayed aspects such as things that were hidden and unveiled
He came across a house, where an old man lived and began taking pictures for his project
He has begun a new project where he was taking pictures of his close friends that displayed the moments that he missed in his 20’s when he was unwell
‘Happy Accidents’
He found out that he had a family connection to the town of Winkleigh and there had been many generations of male relatives who were also called Robert Darch, and began coming across gravestones with this name on, later understanding that one was his great, great grandfather
He also learned that he had come from a family of millers and was interested to look at the life of farming and what it entailed – this began another project
He is constantly finding inspiration from things, including signs, one was ‘It’s better to burn out than fade away’, with the away bit having faded from not enough paint being used- done to emphasise the point
His work is displayed in gallery spaces as well as the books that he has had published previously
He is always working on new projects
Has done work with individuals carrying out ‘Ten Tours’ which was an opportunity for him to document this journey
Marketing-
Actively engaged on social media, including Instagram and Twitter
All his social media lines always remain professional, and don’t involve things such as selfies or personal images other than the work that he creates through his photography. This is also the case with the people that he decides to follow back, especially on Instagram
Competitions-
Entering competitions takes commitment
You may win some, but you are most likely to lose more of them
Don’t rely on competitions to get your work out there, use other methods as well
Words of advice-
There is not a huge amount of money in photography
Always have a passion for what you are doing