David grew up in the North of England on one of Europe’s largest council estates. As an eleven-year-old, he found his dad’s old homemade photographic enlarger in the attic and built a makeshift darkroom soon after. The seeds were sown for a career in photography that would see him travel far and wide and relocate to London and New York.

He works on long-term (he says sometimes too long) self-initiated projects. Themes exploring those who are marginalised and contemporary social issues are common in his work. A fascination to try and understand what makes the United States so unique has seen him photograph in all 50 states with a special interest around elections and the physical boundaries of the country.

The longitudinal nature of the projects allows for a deeper appreciation of the issues and people in front of his lens. “I still get a little nervous deep down when engaging in the process of making someone’s portrait. It’s an enormous amount of trust that is being given to you, and the responsibility to represent that person with the utmost honesty is something I don’t take lightly.”

The passion for storytelling and research-based projects led to the desire to also work in the medium of documentary film. Work began in 2012 on the feature film The Meadows (to be completed early 2024) with other documentary projects in development. These same values that are fundamental in his photographic process carry through his filmmaking, always searching for a genuine connection with his subjects.

He has had solo exhibitions in both the UK and the US, and his work has appeared in national institutions ranging from the National Portrait Gallery in London to the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC.