The Big Picture

Six decades behind the lens

By Kathleen Holder

An olive tree planted on the campus's Wolfskill Ranch in 1862; taken by Debbie Aldridge

Talk about an overview. During their lengthy careers at UC Davis, photographers Jack Kelly Clark and Debbie Aldridge gained perspectives that few others could match.

Clark ’67 is known worldwide for his close-up shots of insects. He has amassed an encyclopedic collection of photos of bugs both friend and foe to farmers and gardeners. As a UC Davis-based photographer for the UC-wide Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, he also photographed a wide array of animals, plants, people and landscapes; he crisscrossed California in a small plane piloted by UC Davis soils specialist Bill Wildman to take aerial shots of the state’s farmland and reservoirs in both infrared and full color. Clark’s work is widely featured in agricultural reference books and pest- management guides.

Aldridge, as a campus photographer, has gone inside nearly every UC Davis building—and on the rooftops of the tallest ones. She’s climbed the catwalks of the Mondavi Center, stepped inside the police department’s holding cell, visited countless research labs and followed UC Davis scholars and students around Northern California. In addition to faculty, staff and students, her photo subjects included former President Clinton, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and numerous Mondavi Center performing artists. Her photos appeared regularly in campus publications, including UC Davis Magazine.

This summer, both photographers retired—Clark after a career of nearly 38 years, and Aldridge after 26 years on the job—but don’t expect the lens caps to stay on their cameras for long.

Clark plans to return to Agriculture and Natural Resources after a break to shoot photos part time. Aldridge moved to Oklahoma to join her husband, Mark, who trains sports-pilot evaluators for the Federal Aviation Administration. She carries a camera most everywhere she goes, taking landscape photos as a hobby, and may look for another photography job near her new home.

To view some of their work, click on their names below:

Jack Kelly Clark--About a Bug's Life

Debbie Aldridge--Capturing Campus Life