Since he moved to the area in 1990, Dr. David Clardy has been helping heal hearts as a cardiologist at Sanford Health.
Today, he’s also an accomplished photographer who has traveled the world capturing everything from Cambodian temples to street portraits in Peru.
His creative side is being showcased in an exhibition displaying above the baggage claim area at Fargo’s Hector International Airport. The exhibit pairs a landscape and a portrait from three countries: Cambodia, Ethiopia and Peru.
Clardy is the most recent participating artist in the airport’s ArtWORKS program, which is dedicated to bringing local art to public spaces through collaborations with area businesses.
We sat down with Clardy to learn how his lifelong career in medicine translated into a creative outlet behind a camera, and how photography informs his practice and life.
Q: Let’s start with your path to cardiology.
A: I went to Washington University in St. Louis, then completed three years of internal medicine training at Michael Reese Medical Center in Chicago, which was affiliated with the University of Chicago. I moved to Fargo in 1990 and have been with Sanford since 1992.
Q: So your photography journey started with imaging in medicine?
A: With cardiology my interest is primarily clinical cardiology and imaging. That kind of ties it into photography because it’s another form of imaging.
I started getting serious in 1999 when I took an evening black-and-white film course at MSUM. You had to develop your own photos in the darkroom, and I’d spend weekends there, then head into long cardiology shifts. Eventually, the demands of work made it hard to keep up.
Q: You took a long break from photography and then got pretty serious. Tell us more.
A: I picked it up again in 2016 when everything had gone digital. I attended workshops with “National Geographic” photographers in San Francisco and later traveled to Vietnam with the same group. That community was really powerful and I found the experience very educational.
We’d shoot all afternoon, then narrow down to five photos for evening critique sessions. No matter how many images you took, you had to choose your best five. That was hard. But learning to receive and give feedback helped me grow. You need a thick skin sometimes, but it makes you better.
Q: Has photography changed how you practice medicine?
A: Absolutely. Cardiology is a left-brain field, meaning it’s logical and analytical. Photography taps the right brain of creativity and emotion. That balance helps me see patients more fully as not just a condition or diagnosis.
It’s also helped me communicate better. When you’re photographing someone, especially in street or portrait settings, you have to make them comfortable. That taught me a lot about connecting with people.
Q: What’s your favorite subject or setting to photograph?
A: Landscapes, but I’ve grown to enjoy photographing people, especially in travel settings. Street photography requires a different skill set. You can’t ask a mountain or a lion for permission but with people, at least you can build trust. That interaction has become one of the most rewarding parts of the process.
Q: Can you share a moment from your travels that stands out?
A: So many. One powerful moment was in Vietnam in 2017. We visited a center for children affected by Agent Orange. One young girl, about age 5, was curious about us so she wrote our names and took pictures with our cameras. It was unforgettable.
Another time in Cambodia, we met a man who had lost a limb to a landmine. He was a father and a coach for a paralympic-style basketball team. Seeing how he supported his family and community left a lasting impression.
Q: What advice would you give to professionals in high-pressure fields who want to pursue creative passions?
A: In health care, we talk a lot about diet, sleep and exercise, but creativity is just as vital. Pursue it. Creativity enhances your mental well-being. Art and photography reduce stress and improve outlook. That’s why hospitals display so much art, because it helps patients and staff alike feel more human, more at ease.
Q: What’s your favorite subject or setting to photograph?
A: Landscapes, but I’ve grown to enjoy photographing people, especially in travel settings. Street photography requires a different skill set. You can’t ask a mountain or a lion for permission but with people, at least you can build trust. That interaction has become one of the most rewarding parts of the process.
Q: Can you share a moment from your travels that stands out?
A: So many. One powerful moment was in Vietnam in 2017. We visited a center for children affected by Agent Orange. One young girl, about age 5, was curious about us so she wrote our names and took pictures with our cameras. It was unforgettable.
Another time in Cambodia, we met a man who had lost a limb to a landmine. He was a father and a coach for a paralympic-style basketball team. Seeing how he supported his family and community left a lasting impression.
Q: What advice would you give to professionals in high-pressure fields who want to pursue creative passions?
A: In health care, we talk a lot about diet, sleep and exercise, but creativity is just as vital. Pursue it. Creativity enhances your mental well-being. Art and photography reduce stress and improve outlook. That’s why hospitals display so much art, because it helps patients and staff alike feel more human, more at ease.
