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, characterised by emotional depth, striking composition, and a nuanced interplay of light and shadow. Whether capturing urban energy, architectural form, or remote landscapes, Cooklin creates images that invite viewers into narratives both universal and personal.

Early in his career, Cooklin worked as a digital artist, producing abstract and conceptual images that layered digital photographs into complex compositions. Licensed through Brand X Pictures, later acquired by Getty Images, his digital works featured in five published collections and online showcases, establishing an international presence. This period informed his approach to geometry and form, qualities that remain evident in his analogue photography.

Cooklin’s transition to film began with a Bronica ETRS medium-format camera, sparking a fascination with the tactile qualities of analogue processes. Drawn to the discipline of negative and silver gelatin printing, he embraced the hands-on craft required to produce individual prints. His preference for film reflects an appreciation f...

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.

But 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 qual...

2023
Saatchi Art Exhibition - Cinematic B&W Photography

2019
Exhibition, 508 Kings Road, Chelsea, London

2018
Exhibition, 508 Kings Road, Chelsea, London

2017
May - Kings Road Gallery Exhibition
508 Kings Road Gallery, Chelsea, London (Resident Artist)

2015
November - Vortigern Margate Gallery

2014
February - Sea Pictures Gallery Exhibition, Clare, Suffolk

2013
May - 'All the World's a Stage' Gallery Exhibition - Apex Gallery, Bury St. Edmunds
April - 'Through the Lens' - The Gallery Highwaymans Exhibition - Risby, Suffolk


2012
May / August - Group Exhibition, Second Floor Studio Arts, London
April/May - Group Exhibition - Berkeley Gallery, London. Curated by ArtPlatform


2011
November - A collection of images at Gallery 1839, London


2010
June - Fine Art Exhibition - Gallery Violet - Limited Edition Photographic Prints