If you are like me, every now and again you stumble across another photographer whose work is so good that you realise, the majority of us are not much more than snappers. Currently based in Newcastle, David Malcolmson is one such photographer. Born in Scotland in 1941 but with a serious interest in photography since his teens, it’s amazing that David’s work has hardly been seen by anyone until recently.

Ladies of La Signoria

Ladies of Signoria

You can see more of David’s work in his portfolio at Redbubble.com

“If I hadn’t decided to start showing my photography on the internet my work would still be in the darkest obscurity.” explains David. He goes on to say, “until a few years ago, I had never made any attempts to have my work exhibited or published. All that changed after I started showing my images on various internet sites. I have been overwhelmed by the interest shown in these old images.”

Wide Boy

Wide Boy

Old these images may be but in a world where dependence on technology and the availability of cheap consumer digital cameras has produced a mountain of thoughtless and sterile images, David’s work stands out like a rose amongst thorns. Favouring black and white over colour, David says that this medium suits his style of street photography better and after seeing his work, I have to agree that colour would be a distraction. That doesn’t mean that David is opposed to modern technology, far from it, in fact if it wasn’t for the internet, David may never have shown his work to anyone outside his immediate friends and family. Although he says that most of his images are taken with a Leica, Pentax or Mamiya C3, he is experimenting with a Canon G6

If one had to put his work into any category at all it would be something akin to the work of Martin Parr whose work chronicles society where most of us would recognise ourselves in situations captured on film and Henri Cartier Bresson who is reputed to have been the master of candid photography and the ‘decisive moment’. David has somehow managed to take the best of both of these styles and amalgamate them into a style that is purely David Malcolmson.

At Sixes and Sevens

At Sixes and Sevens

 

It’s no surprise then that David has already attracted interest from publishers worldwide and he is currently planning a retrospective exhibition to be held in Newcastle in November 2008.

See more of David’s work here.