David’s signature style has more in common with Hollywood movies than conventional photography.
David’s mind-bending levitations have earned him notoriety around the world and clients like DJ Khaled, Nike and PlayStation.
We arranged to meet him at an abandoned factory to explore his creative process – and how he changed the game on traditional portrait photography.
“I think inspiration is derived from being able to create something without limitations.”
With more than 395 million photos uploaded to social media every day, you have to do something no one has ever seen before if you want to stand out. David’s unique levitation photos certainly fall into that category.
But it’s the way they are created that really put his name on the map.
At first glance, elements of David’s photos look as though they are computer generated, or at least manipulated. But everything is captured in-camera, with a single shutter click.
“It’s almost like a game for me. If I can create a picture in-camera without just using Photoshop to fabricate it then it feels like I’ve won the level.”
David’s ability to make these kind of mind-bending real-life effects is what sets him apart. And it’s what initially drew CONSIGNED to collaborate with him.
His #nophotoshop philosophy speaks to us, and showcasing it helps us to show our community what creativity really looks like behind the scenes.
So where does David get his ideas from?
“My main inspirations come from movie directors. Christopher Nolan is a good one because he doesn’t use a lot of CGI.”
One particular scene from The Dark Knight made David rethink the rules of
photography.
In that scene, Nolan flips a full-size 18-wheeler on its back, in downtown Chicago, without any CGI.
“I think that influenced my #nophotoshop thing. I thought, if he can do it in the movies then I can do it in film photography.”
And from there, David’s creative energy snowballed.
Four years, six months and 14 days later – David noted the exact day he took his first proper photo – and he’s flying all over the world, levitating objects and challenging perspectives.
But like any creative, David is always thinking about the next big idea.
“Moving into the future, I’d like to take it to the next level.
“The scrabble levitation is now world renowned. People are like ‘oh wow that’s crazy, we don’t know how he does it’. But I want to push it further. I want to make it insane.”
What advice does David have for other creatives in CONSIGNED’S community?
“If you’ve got the idea and the concept, you don’t really need anything more than a camera and an eyeball.
“As long as you have all the means and requirements to do what you want to do the work will happen.”
View the Consigned x David Wallace photos below
