I was born in Abington, Pennsylvania at the mid-point of the 20th century and had a somewhat peripatetic childhood, attending a different school, sometimes more than one, every year until the eighth grade. These numerous "changes of venue" made me adaptable to new situations and people.

My family moved to Santa Barbara, California when I was 11. After completing high school, I recieved a B.A. degree in printmaking from the University of California, Santa Barbara. I attended the San Francisco Art Institute graduate degree program and lived with my wife on a converted school bus, before returning to Santa Barbara to live on a boat.

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I had taken many photographs since inheriting my grandfather's Leica in high school, but I didn't make photography a profession until much later. In the mid 1990s I was doing graphic art and illustrations, when the need for photos for a local balllet company prompted me to give it a try, and it clicked! That led to more jobs with other local arts groups and now I have a long list of clients keeping me busy year-round.

I am self-taught and have developed my techniques by taking photos in new and challenging situations on a constant basis.

I am also a professional videographer and editor. I have worked with Elliott Gould, edited a tribute to Cyd Charisse in MGM musicals, made a movie of Robert Sund's "ALice" ballet, filmed the Juilliard String Quartet for the Library of Congress, filmed Hell's Kitchen Dance with Mikhail Baryshnikov, made a documentary about the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration. I've created numerous animations for live performances. I've also filmed and made demos for many of the performing arts groups I photograph, as well as other clients.
"David has an eye for the emotional peak in the performance. One reason he is so good at capturing that spiritual moment is because he intuits the feeling and movement of the music." – producer Peggi Jones, Sings Like Hell