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David
Yarrow
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, David took up photography at an early age and as a 20-year-old found himself working as a photographer for The London Times on the pitch at the World Cup Final in Mexico City, one of numerous sporting events David covered as a press photographer. However, after University David went into banking and went on to launch a hedge fund - an industry he spent many years in. In 2014, he sold the fund to return to what had really been his passion all along.
He is now considered one of the best-selling photographers in the world.
David refuses to be conveniently categorised within a genre of photography and his career, which started with the famous photograph of Diego Maradona in Mexico City in 1986, has taken him on a relentless journey around the world.
“I'm not quite sure what my career would have looked like if I never took this photograph.”
His subject matters have included sports stars, wildlife, supermodels and frontier towns. Since Covid, he has spent much of his time working on a personal anthology of the Wild West of America and tried to tell new stories that entertain rather than teach. He identifies as a storyteller as much as he does a photographic specialist.
“I just photograph whatever interests me
David Yarrow
David is now represented and supported by over 40 galleries across the world.
Over the last four years, sales of David’s work are in excess of $125m - including over $15m for philanthropic causes.
The Natural World
A favourite film should be one you can watch time and time again, and the hours clocked watching Spielberg’s ‘Jaws’ were instructive to David’s trip to South Africa in 2011, where he captured a great white hunting in the early hours of the morning. It was a trip with low odds but a huge result, and its wide publication cemented the importance of this image for David’s early years as a photographer.
“I knew once I took this that there was no going back
David Yarrow
David went on to spend much of his early career capturing the natural world in a refreshingly immersive style. These portraits of some of the world's most endangered animals, often taken in remote places, make up a great proportion of his early portfolio. They aim to not only convey a sense of place, but also a sense of character.
“Perhaps one day we will find life elsewhere, but I doubt it will be half as special as what we have on the planet that we are lucky enough to call home.
David Yarrow
Storytelling
Whilst David still enjoys documenting the natural world, in recent years, his focus has shifted towards using his camera to tell stories. In December 2015, David was shooting in Ghost Town, Montana, when he and his team walked into a bar and asked if they could film a wolf walking down the centre of the bar. The owner said “Sure, we have wolves in here all the time”.
“This picture resonated more with people than any of my wildlife photos, it was an eye-opening reaction
The Wolf on Main Street instantly resonated with audiences around the world, perhaps more than the wildlife shots of the previous years. This genre of filming opened avenues for exploring distinct ways of sharing stories inspired by places, people and the storytellers David admires most. The Wild West, the American Highway, and the legendary films of David’s heroes such as Martin Scorsese and Daniel Day Lewis are just a few of the sources of inspiration that make up his recent work.
Collaborations
Through David’s storytelling series, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the worlds’ most notable individuals, including Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, and Erling Haaland. Philanthropy is often at the centre of these projects, and over the last five years, over $15m has been raised.
Sporting Icons
David is a big sports fan, he grew up watching his beloved Scotland lose at every conceivable sport - but remains optimistic. The sport industry is growing faster than ever, and David recognises the influence of sportspeople in their positions as role-models and figures of inspiration for billions across the world. As part of his ‘Sporting Icons’ series, David is seeking to humanise these individuals and photograph them in unique settings. Charity is often at the heart of these projects, which have so far featured the likes of Erling Haaland, John McEnroe, Mikaela Shiffrin and Gary Player.
Campaigns
David’s global TAG Heuer campaign shot in 2015 #Don’tCrackUnderPressure featured British Model Cara Delevigne as the face of the brand’s line in women’s watches.
In his role as Nikon European Ambassador, David was asked by Nikon to spearhead the campaigns that launched their D850 Camera in 2017 and the D6 campaign in 2020.
His latest campaign featured the most decorated skier of all time, Mikaela Shiffrin, on the cover of Snow Magazine’s Winter 2023 edition. The ten page feature was a world exclusive and detailed the shoot in Norway casting Mikaela as the leader of alpine exploration.
Publications
David’s last three books have been published by Rizzoli, New York, with forewords written by the Duke of Cambridge, Tom Brady and Cindy Crawford. The royalty fees for these books have all been donated to David’s charity partners.
Technical
The equipment that David takes with him on location will naturally vary according to the subject matter of the assignment and the lighting conditions/climate of the environment in which he is photographing.
“I would admit to being sceptical about Nikon’s move into a mirrorless system; but I was wrong. The company made a very brave decision to bring their SLR programme to a close – one that I have embraced and benefited from for 40 years whilst covering every conceivable event. But it is a decision that will now be fondly remembered for a generation. Strategically they have made the right call – the Z9 is one hell of a camera.
David Yarrow
Equipment bag
Nikon Z9
NIKKOR AF-S 24mm f/1.4G
NIKKOR AF-S 28mm f/1.4E
NIKKOR AF-S 35mm f/1.4G
NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.2 S
NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S
NIKKOR AF-S 105mm f/1.4E
NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena
NIKKOR AF-S 200mm f/2G
NIKKOR AF-S 300mm f/2.8G
NIKKOR AF-S 500m f/5.6E
NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S
PocketWizard Plus III Remotes
Partners
Latest news & media
Sep 23, 2023The Times: Erling Haaland dresses up as Viking for photoshoot
Award-winning photographer takes stunning photographs of the Manchester City striker in the Oslo Fjord in Norway
Read more
Jun 27, 2020The Tim Ferriss Show
David had the honour of being invited to speak with Tim for an episode of his award-winning podcast. In this conversation, Tim and David talk about his photography, whilst touching on how David's double life as a hedge fund manager informed his art career.