Exposure | Simon Garfield

Bob Carlos Clarke, one of the most controversial photographers of his generation, had a reputation for brilliant, sexually-infused shots. He had entertained Princess Diana at his studio and was a mainstay of Chelsea parties for twenty years. He photographed major rock stars and models, and he was universally recognised as an unrivalled photographic printer. Students of photography packed his lectures and queued for hours for his autograph, and many experts believe him to be the among the greatest unsung artistic talents of his times.But Carlos Clarke was also his own worst enemy, a unruly genius beset by self-doubt and prone to bad decisions. When he killed himself in 2006, at the age of 55, many people saw it as an inevitable ending to an inspired but troubled career. Simon Garfield stumbled on this world of photography, rock music, moneyed society and erotica while working on another project, and soon it enveloped him. The more people he spoke to, the greater his curiosity grew. Who was this unpredictable man? Was he really the 'dark genius' those in the know saw him as? And, most importantly - what, or who, killed Bob Carlos Clarke?Passionate and compelling, Exposure is a story of love, art, sex and corrosive despair. Above all, it is a unique window into the soul of a man burdened with obsession.