Artist Statement:
“A master of analogue photography; his images capture fleeting moments in time, with the permanence of film, to last a lifetime and beyond.”
– HUF Magazine Interview.
About Paul Cooklin
Paul Cooklin, born in 1971, is a British fine art film photographer whose practice centres on analogue film as his medium. His work spans documentary, architectural, and travel photography, capturing the interplay of geometry, light and shadows. Whether capturing urban energy, architectural form, or remote landscapes, Cooklin creates images that invite viewers into narratives both universal and personal.
MIND
Beyond purely aesthetic concerns, Paul’s photography is informed by a personal journey. Having lived with clinical depression — a condition he now manages himself — he understands, first-hand, the transformative power of creating images: the silence, the ritual of the darkroom, the act of looking, framing and developing. Photography became for him a refuge and a way to channel inner turmoil into pictures. As a result, he supports MIND and is committed to advocating for mental?health awareness. This lived experience deepens his work, imparting a quiet emotional weight: his images often resonate with introspection, solitude, and the subtle beauty found in ordinary spaces.
From Pixels to Film
Before Paul Cooklin became known for his atmospheric analogue photography, he was immersed in a very different world: digital art. In the late 1990s, when the medium was still finding its place in the art world, Cooklin was experimenting with layers of texture, geometry and abstraction on a glowing computer screen. His works were bold, conceptual and often emotionally charged — a visual playground where form and light collided in unexpected ways.
His prolific output didn’t go unnoticed. Cooklin’s digital artworks were licensed through Brand X Pictures (later acquired by Getty Images) and published across five image collections. At the time, the internet was opening up new opportunities for artists, and his work appeared in digital showcases that connected him to an international audience. For Cooklin, those early years represented complete creative freedom: “a blank page of pixels” where anything was possible.
Everything changed when his father handed him a Bronica ETRS medium-format film camera. Cooklin loaded his first roll with excitement — and returned with a batch of under- and over-exposed frames. Still, something about those imperfect negatives drew him in. The texture, the depth, the tangible quality of film felt worlds apart from the screen-based imagery he had been creating. What had started as an experiment quickly became an obsession.
Cooklin describes film as liberating. Where digital art allowed infinite manipulation, analogue demanded intention, discipline and trust in the process. He embraced not just the act of photographing but also the craft of darkroom printing, falling in love with the tonal richness of silver gelatin prints. For him, film carried an honesty that digital couldn’t replicate: every frame a direct reflection of the photographer’s skill and vision.
Though he left the digital art world behind, its influence is still there in his photography. The layered abstraction of his early works lives on in the geometry and composition of his analogue images. His eye for form and contrast was sharpened during those years in front of a screen — skills he later translated seamlessly into film.
Today, Cooklin’s work has been featured in *TIME Magazine*, *Italian Vogue*, and exhibited internationally, including at Saatchi Art. But his story isn’t just about professional milestones. It’s about an artist who started in the digital frontier, then chose the slower, tactile path of film to pursue a deeper connection with his craft.
Cooklin’s journey from pixels to film is more than a career shift — it’s a testament to curiosity, reinvention and the search for authenticity in art. His digital years gave him freedom; his analogue practice gave him truth. Together, they shaped the distinctive visual voice he carries today.
– HUF Magazine Interview.
About Paul Cooklin
Paul Cooklin, born in 1971, is a British fine art film photographer whose practice centres on analogue film as his medium. His work spans documentary, architectural, and travel photography, capturing the interplay of geometry, light and shadows. Whether capturing urban energy, architectural form, or remote landscapes, Cooklin creates images that invite viewers into narratives both universal and personal.
MIND
Beyond purely aesthetic concerns, Paul’s photography is informed by a personal journey. Having lived with clinical depression — a condition he now manages himself — he understands, first-hand, the transformative power of creating images: the silence, the ritual of the darkroom, the act of looking, framing and developing. Photography became for him a refuge and a way to channel inner turmoil into pictures. As a result, he supports MIND and is committed to advocating for mental?health awareness. This lived experience deepens his work, imparting a quiet emotional weight: his images often resonate with introspection, solitude, and the subtle beauty found in ordinary spaces.
From Pixels to Film
Before Paul Cooklin became known for his atmospheric analogue photography, he was immersed in a very different world: digital art. In the late 1990s, when the medium was still finding its place in the art world, Cooklin was experimenting with layers of texture, geometry and abstraction on a glowing computer screen. His works were bold, conceptual and often emotionally charged — a visual playground where form and light collided in unexpected ways.
His prolific output didn’t go unnoticed. Cooklin’s digital artworks were licensed through Brand X Pictures (later acquired by Getty Images) and published across five image collections. At the time, the internet was opening up new opportunities for artists, and his work appeared in digital showcases that connected him to an international audience. For Cooklin, those early years represented complete creative freedom: “a blank page of pixels” where anything was possible.
Everything changed when his father handed him a Bronica ETRS medium-format film camera. Cooklin loaded his first roll with excitement — and returned with a batch of under- and over-exposed frames. Still, something about those imperfect negatives drew him in. The texture, the depth, the tangible quality of film felt worlds apart from the screen-based imagery he had been creating. What had started as an experiment quickly became an obsession.
Cooklin describes film as liberating. Where digital art allowed infinite manipulation, analogue demanded intention, discipline and trust in the process. He embraced not just the act of photographing but also the craft of darkroom printing, falling in love with the tonal richness of silver gelatin prints. For him, film carried an honesty that digital couldn’t replicate: every frame a direct reflection of the photographer’s skill and vision.
Though he left the digital art world behind, its influence is still there in his photography. The layered abstraction of his early works lives on in the geometry and composition of his analogue images. His eye for form and contrast was sharpened during those years in front of a screen — skills he later translated seamlessly into film.
Today, Cooklin’s work has been featured in *TIME Magazine*, *Italian Vogue*, and exhibited internationally, including at Saatchi Art. But his story isn’t just about professional milestones. It’s about an artist who started in the digital frontier, then chose the slower, tactile path of film to pursue a deeper connection with his craft.
Cooklin’s journey from pixels to film is more than a career shift — it’s a testament to curiosity, reinvention and the search for authenticity in art. His digital years gave him freedom; his analogue practice gave him truth. Together, they shaped the distinctive visual voice he carries today.
Awards & Distinctions:
Selected Exhibitions & Features
2025
Pamono
Chairish
2024
Diss Express Feature
Arcangel Images
The Pictorial List – Interview
2023
Saatchi Art Exhibition – Cinematic B&W Photography
2022
IONNYK Artist – “The only paperlike Digital Art Frame”
2019
Exhibition – 508 Kings Road, Chelsea, London
JAAMZIN Magazine Feature
2018
April – Exhibition, 508 Kings Road, Chelsea, London
2017
May – 'Black, White & Silver' Exhibition, 508 Kings Road, Chelsea, London
February – 508 Kings Road Gallery (Resident Artist)
2016
December – HUF Magazine Interview
2015
November – Vortigern Margate Collection
July – Exposure Awards, Seeme - Louvre, Paris and book inclusion
June – ArtPeople Feature
April – Life Force Magazine Feature 'Geometry: Light & Shadows'
January – Xamou Art Feature
January – Featured "10 British Contemporary Artists to Watch" by The Notable Male
2014
September – Photo Vogue Italy
July – 'British Talent' The Wall Breaker Feature
July – GreenVoice's International Photographic Campaign Selection
June – Invitation to the British Contemporary Art Association (BCAA) initial 11 lifetime members
April – Featured in 'Life as a Human' – Cuba on Film
February – Sea Pictures Gallery Exhibition, Clare, Suffolk
2013
September – ND Magazine
August – Featured on Zealous
August – 'Not On The High Street'
July – Gola Feature – 'Born in Britain'
July – Special Recognition – 15th Annual Landscape Juried Online International Art Exhibition
June – DAAT Photographic Competition – Professional Category: 1st Place
May – 'All the World's a Stage' Gallery Exhibition – Apex Gallery, Bury St. Edmunds
April – 'Through the Lens' – The Gallery Highwaymans Exhibition – Risby, Suffolk
February – PHOTOGRAPHY / Curators selection
January – Photo Professional Magazine Feature
2012
November – Featured Collection 'Sheringham Beach' – Citylab
September – Featured Collection 'North Devon' – Citylab
July – LondonArt Feature
July – Featured Professional Photographer at Ilford Photographic
June – Cuba Collections – Citylab
June – EMERGE Gallery
June – Q&A with PrintedArt.com
May/August – Group Exhibition, Second Floor Studio Arts, London
April/May – Group Exhibition – Berkeley Gallery, London. Curated by ArtPlatform
February – ANALOGY: Arax 60 by Citylab
2011
November – A collection of images at Gallery 1839, London
October – Interview with Photoshelter – Featured Photographer
October – 'Cuba - on film' Solo Book Publication – Curated by CityPulse
August – 'Inspiration Speaks' – Book Feature – Produced by ArtPlatform
March – The International Analogue Photographic Society – Featured Image
March – Farmboy Fine Arts – Featured Artist
March – Book Front Cover – 'Den 4 Parallellen' By Kjetil Johnsen – (Composite Digital Art)
March – Book Front Cover – 'Derby Day' by D.J. Taylor – (Composite)
January – National Geographic Online Portfolio
2010
October – Collaboration with ArtPlatform Charity – Artist Spotlight
September – The 'Collections' – Featured Photographer at PurePhoto
June – Fine Art Exhibition – Gallery Violet – Limited Edition Photographic Prints
May – Featured Photographer by Professional Film Processing Lab, Peak Imaging
May – FILE Magazine – ‘A Collection of Unexpected Photography’ – Venice
April – Book Front Cover – 'Angels & Demons' by Dan Brown – (Composite)
April – Book Front Cover – 'A Reliable Wife' by Robert Goolrick – (Composite)
April – POR CHILE – Book & Print Fundraiser by CITYPULSE
February – Latina Magazine – Assignment, Cuba
February – CITYPULSE Project
2009
October – Indigo Art – Front Page Feature
November – TIME Magazine – Featured Image
July/August – IEEE Computer Graphics – Front Cover (Digital Art)
July – FILE – ‘A Collection of Unexpected Photography’ – Calm
February – BBC’s QI with Stephen Fry – Featured Image (Digital Art)
2008
May – Snap Magazine – Editorial Interview – Collection: Flora
July – Saatchi Gallery – Invitation to exhibit online (Digital Art & Photography)
2007
May – City Life Magazine – Featured Image (Digital Art)
April – Picture Business – Feature with Frames4Corners (Digital Art)
2025
Pamono
Chairish
2024
Diss Express Feature
Arcangel Images
The Pictorial List – Interview
2023
Saatchi Art Exhibition – Cinematic B&W Photography
2022
IONNYK Artist – “The only paperlike Digital Art Frame”
2019
Exhibition – 508 Kings Road, Chelsea, London
JAAMZIN Magazine Feature
2018
April – Exhibition, 508 Kings Road, Chelsea, London
2017
May – 'Black, White & Silver' Exhibition, 508 Kings Road, Chelsea, London
February – 508 Kings Road Gallery (Resident Artist)
2016
December – HUF Magazine Interview
2015
November – Vortigern Margate Collection
July – Exposure Awards, Seeme - Louvre, Paris and book inclusion
June – ArtPeople Feature
April – Life Force Magazine Feature 'Geometry: Light & Shadows'
January – Xamou Art Feature
January – Featured "10 British Contemporary Artists to Watch" by The Notable Male
2014
September – Photo Vogue Italy
July – 'British Talent' The Wall Breaker Feature
July – GreenVoice's International Photographic Campaign Selection
June – Invitation to the British Contemporary Art Association (BCAA) initial 11 lifetime members
April – Featured in 'Life as a Human' – Cuba on Film
February – Sea Pictures Gallery Exhibition, Clare, Suffolk
2013
September – ND Magazine
August – Featured on Zealous
August – 'Not On The High Street'
July – Gola Feature – 'Born in Britain'
July – Special Recognition – 15th Annual Landscape Juried Online International Art Exhibition
June – DAAT Photographic Competition – Professional Category: 1st Place
May – 'All the World's a Stage' Gallery Exhibition – Apex Gallery, Bury St. Edmunds
April – 'Through the Lens' – The Gallery Highwaymans Exhibition – Risby, Suffolk
February – PHOTOGRAPHY / Curators selection
January – Photo Professional Magazine Feature
2012
November – Featured Collection 'Sheringham Beach' – Citylab
September – Featured Collection 'North Devon' – Citylab
July – LondonArt Feature
July – Featured Professional Photographer at Ilford Photographic
June – Cuba Collections – Citylab
June – EMERGE Gallery
June – Q&A with PrintedArt.com
May/August – Group Exhibition, Second Floor Studio Arts, London
April/May – Group Exhibition – Berkeley Gallery, London. Curated by ArtPlatform
February – ANALOGY: Arax 60 by Citylab
2011
November – A collection of images at Gallery 1839, London
October – Interview with Photoshelter – Featured Photographer
October – 'Cuba - on film' Solo Book Publication – Curated by CityPulse
August – 'Inspiration Speaks' – Book Feature – Produced by ArtPlatform
March – The International Analogue Photographic Society – Featured Image
March – Farmboy Fine Arts – Featured Artist
March – Book Front Cover – 'Den 4 Parallellen' By Kjetil Johnsen – (Composite Digital Art)
March – Book Front Cover – 'Derby Day' by D.J. Taylor – (Composite)
January – National Geographic Online Portfolio
2010
October – Collaboration with ArtPlatform Charity – Artist Spotlight
September – The 'Collections' – Featured Photographer at PurePhoto
June – Fine Art Exhibition – Gallery Violet – Limited Edition Photographic Prints
May – Featured Photographer by Professional Film Processing Lab, Peak Imaging
May – FILE Magazine – ‘A Collection of Unexpected Photography’ – Venice
April – Book Front Cover – 'Angels & Demons' by Dan Brown – (Composite)
April – Book Front Cover – 'A Reliable Wife' by Robert Goolrick – (Composite)
April – POR CHILE – Book & Print Fundraiser by CITYPULSE
February – Latina Magazine – Assignment, Cuba
February – CITYPULSE Project
2009
October – Indigo Art – Front Page Feature
November – TIME Magazine – Featured Image
July/August – IEEE Computer Graphics – Front Cover (Digital Art)
July – FILE – ‘A Collection of Unexpected Photography’ – Calm
February – BBC’s QI with Stephen Fry – Featured Image (Digital Art)
2008
May – Snap Magazine – Editorial Interview – Collection: Flora
July – Saatchi Gallery – Invitation to exhibit online (Digital Art & Photography)
2007
May – City Life Magazine – Featured Image (Digital Art)
April – Picture Business – Feature with Frames4Corners (Digital Art)
Exhibitions:
Sea Pictures Gallery Exhibition, Clare, Suffolk
'All the World's a Stage' Gallery Exhibition - Apex Gallery, Bury St. Edmunds
'Through the Lens' - The Gallery Highwaymans Exhibition - Risby, Suffolk
Group Exhibition, Second Floor Studio Arts, London
Group Exhibition - Berkeley Gallery, London. Curated by ArtPlatform
Fine Art Exhibition - Gallery Violet - Limited Edition Photographic Prints
'All the World's a Stage' Gallery Exhibition - Apex Gallery, Bury St. Edmunds
'Through the Lens' - The Gallery Highwaymans Exhibition - Risby, Suffolk
Group Exhibition, Second Floor Studio Arts, London
Group Exhibition - Berkeley Gallery, London. Curated by ArtPlatform
Fine Art Exhibition - Gallery Violet - Limited Edition Photographic Prints
Artistic Influences:
Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Capa, Sebastião Salgado, Bill Brandt, Elliott Erwitt,
Artist Tags:
black and white, silver gelatin, film, monochrome, fine art, limited edition
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