David Bier considers himself a photographic storyteller. Each picture captures a moment and tells a wonderful story. Words that are used to describe David’s style are: natural, authentic, vivid, idyllic and beautiful. A father himself, David understands the highs and lows of bringing up a child and the importance of how images of his own son Isaac’s development are to his family. His calling is to help other parents celebrate their own child’s story in an authentic way.
How long have you been a photographer?
Since 2002, when I went traveling with my girfriend (now my wife) and bought a cheap film SLR to get half decent pics of the trip. That got me hooked and from that point it grew and grew…
What got you into photography?
I just wanted to get nice holiday pictures! But then I wanted to do more with an image than just record a scene, and when I got into portraiture I realised how important it was to capture my subjects’ personalities. By the time Isaac was born the camera was a natural way to record his progress and I’m so pleased that I’m able to do that for us and for him.
Which photographer do you look up to and why?
In terms of catching the moment, Henri Cartier-Bresson was the all time champ. It’s a bit of a cliche to name him, but his work’s still inspiring photographers nearly 35 years on. There aren’t any modern children’s photographers I look up to in the sense of wanting to copy their style – I’m too driven to find my own voice. But I admire anyone who’s making a living by doing something they love and telling their clients’ stories.
What do you prefer – film or digital?
Neither. I have tiny imps living in my cameras that draw the photographs incredibly quickly. They had to be imported from Malawi and only eat orange tic tacs. It’s a lot of work to look after them but the picture quality’s superb.
What should your customers expect during a session?
It really depends on what their kids want to do! My primary goal is to capture the child’s personality, in such a way that their mum says “that’s Sophie’s smile” or “oh look, Toby’s always doing that”. So the session is about me chatting to the kid, or mum and dad playing with them – whatever activity brings that unique spark out so that I can catch it. And when they’re done, the session’s over.
Do you have any tips for capturing the perfect picture?
Well, I do have a photo tips sheet for parents that I’ll be happy to provide to anyone that would like to see it. I think the best advice is to always have the camera in your bag or your pocket – if you don’t have it with you you can’t take any kind of photo.
For more information on David Bier please visit his website
