Congratulations to Claire Baxter who is the May 2025 Click Pro of the Month! Claire has graced us with her presence for a quick interview and to share some of her work. You can find her online on Instagram.
Welcome, Claire! Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you got into photography?
I’m an editorial, lifestyle, and documentary photographer based in Fort Worth, Texas, with a deep love for deserts, big skies, and wide-angle lenses. My work focuses on urban landscapes and small-town streets across Texas and New Mexico, capturing the quiet beauty of overlooked places.
I’m drawn to the strange, the imperfect, and the in-between — whether in my own life or on the road. My goal is to reveal beauty hiding in plain sight, the moments and spaces others might pass by without a second glance.
What are your biggest photographic challenges?
The ongoing challenge has been honing my voice as a photographer: what do I want to say, and does my work accurately reflect that? It’s something every creative struggles with, and the harder you chase it the more elusive it becomes.
So, I stopped chasing. In any creative field, your voice reveals itself over time – never the other way around – and it takes a large body of work to recognize the patterns and themes that emerge naturally. Style and voice are things that exist mainly in hindsight. If you photograph what interests you without obsessing over perfection or perception, your style will reveal itself via patterns in your body of work as a whole.
Even though I know this and it’s advice I’ve given to many (many) young creatives over the years, it’s still something that nags at me from time to time.
What is your very favorite photography trick or tool you’d be willing to share?
Lightroom Classic is easily my most-used tool.
If that’s too obvious, I’d say quick-release camera straps are a game changer. Currently I use the Peak Design Slide, but I also like BlackRapid when I’m carrying multiple bodies.
Describe your proudest photography moment.
It might’ve been the first time someone told me they recognized a photo as mine without needing to see my name next to it – haha! As photographers we spend so much time (probably too much) curating our “look.” It’s both a delight and a bit of a relief if I’m being honest to have your work seen by others as you intended it.
When photographing subjects, what are your top considerations or goals?
An important aspect of my work is that the location itself must act as the subject and storyteller.
I approach composition, color theory, and light/shadow the way a portrait photographer would, but instead of focusing on a human subject, my work relies on precision in geometry and symmetry to convey my vision. If the grid isn’t working or the symmetry feels off, I’ll abandon a shot or even an entire location or concept.
Describe your dream shoot.
Part of my style involves lots of somewhat aimless “driving around,” so I don’t really plan out specific shoots in this way. A lot of my documentary work highlights the American southwest, and I’d love to discover some new areas — one day I’ll find the time to drive up through all the small towns in the American heartland, or travel as much of Route 66 as I can fit into a season.
When and how do you like to edit?
My work is heavily edited with an end goal of a photo that doesn’t look like much was done to it. I do a lot of geometric adjustments and spend a lot of time in the Transform panel in Lightroom.
For overall look and feel, I gravitate towards images that evoke nostalgia for my days of shooting film — a crisp, natural aesthetic reminiscent of clean, low-grain 35mm film stocks like Ektar 100 with rich contrast, expressive colors, and a cinematic flair.
As far as when I edit, I’d love to start editing the second I pop the card out of my camera, but since I often shoot while on the road, I usually wait until I have a full card to go through. I do a first-round cull each evening, but the real edits happen when I can dedicate a full weekend to it.
Claire’s tools:
Nikon Z8
Nikon d850
Nikon Z6iii
Nikon F4
Mavic 3 Pro
Most-used lenses: 14-24 f/2.8, Tamron 35-150 f/2.0, 70-200 f/2.8
You can learn from Claire and three other Click Pro Elite’s in our instant access course, The Art of Film Photography.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
