Master Photographer David Edmonson of Dallas, TX enjoying his Queensberry QBook of his fine art photography shown with Distressed Faux Leather in Black.
Fine Art Photography From A Master Photographer
Over the next 365 days x 3 years = ART1095 project enables you to witness the creation of a modern masterpiece. While David Edmonson is not the first photographer to create homage pieces to past Master Artists, he is the most recent and arguably most relevant.
Background
David Edmonson is known as a “Master Photographer to Master Photographers” and with good reason.
Photography has long been a part of our family’s legacy. It started as my father and grandfather working as professional photographers in our hometown of Dallas, TX. Today it’s the two of us.
My dad honed his skills and built his roots over the past 40+ years of commercial photography shooting magazines, books, CD covers, and annual reports. In the days of film, one of the crafts he perfected is in camera-artistry.
Before the days of digital and Photoshop, anything you wanted to create in a photograph was done through building sets, lighting the scene and a single frame of film.
I believe that we are called to love on others & have influence in each other’s lives. My excuse is that I have a camera. We should know that we are all important and valued. Each for me has dignity, strength, and a unique voice. The most precious item in the world is not possessions – it’s each other.
Genesis
Many a person can point to a particular moment that was pivotal in shifting the direction of their life. You might call it a “watershed moment.” For my father, his most recent watershed moment began in the spring of 2012.
Soon after returning from my sister’s wedding in England David suffered an accident related stroke followed shortly by the death of one of my sisters.
Part of the recovery and healing process formed around revisiting the master painters he first studied in college.
David’s Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers (SWPP) Fellowship Panel Artist Statement provides, even more, insight into his thought process.
Over the past 15 years, we’ve also become known wedding photographers locally and internationally.
Because of our success shooting weddings, I suggested to my father that we should repurpose a substantial portion of our marketing dollars typically spent on bridal magazines.
I wanted him to have the freedom to expand his photographic horizons in whatever ways pleased him.
Thus began a 3-year exhaustive journey and exploration first beginning with the work of the Dutch Golden Age painters like Vermeer & Rembrandt, Italian masters such as Caravaggio and Impressionists like Degas and Monet.
Most recently, David’s work in the style of American Realists like Edward Hopper is blurring the lines between what a Painter created and what looks like something they would have done.
To receive this award from a noble organization is truly gratifying and exciting. I consider the AIPP to be on the cutting edge of fostering and rewarding creativity. As an international looking from the outside in, I consider the talent level of photographers in Australia to be unparalleled. Print competition at its core is competing only with yourself with the intended purpose of personal growth. Having it recognized by the esteemed judges of the AIPP is very rewarding for me!
Buzz
David’s unique ability to imagine, create and execute complex concepts with such precision quickly became noticed by the photography community. Already recognized as a Master Photographer by multiple international photography associations, in 2015 he was named the Overseas Photographer of the Year by the Australian Institute of Professional Photographers (AIPP).
2016 began with the SWPP awarding him the Overall Winner in the 20×16 competition among other designations. As a frequent speaker and educator at home and abroad, naturally aspiring and seasoned photographers alike reached out to learn from him. Thus Art1095 formed to provide an opportunity to witness to the creation of a modern masterpiece.
In August, the Edmonson’s revealed not only How they go about creating David’s single capture narratives but Where they come from and Why they are the stories we feel are worth telling as keynote speakers for the 2016 Nikon AIPP Event in Melbourne. While there, David received the honor of the 2016 Overseas Photographer of the Year. This win marked the third year in a row that an Edmonson won the award.
David Edmonson
The indelible impact David Edmonson leaves with clients, students and peers around the world is remarkable. No doubt, his signature style is unmistakable. But it’s his “Iron-Sharpens-Iron” philosophy that has fueled his art and professional success. A relentless pursuit of excellence through competition. Selfless mentorship. A hands-on benevolence with his passionate charities.
Simply put, the “Edmonson Way” means that giving is a both a privilege and a path to self-improvement; for himself and those he encounters.
Photography Distinctions
- WPPI Lifetime Achievement Recipient
- Triple Master of WPPI
- Master Photographer – M.Photog. PPA
- Photographic Craftsman – Cr.Photog. PPA
- Fellow -F-SWPP UK
Connect With David Edmonson
He is also a PPA Diamond Photographer of the Year, a three-time winner of both the Kodak Gallery Awards and Fuji Masterpiece Awards, winner of the Canon Par Excellence Award, winner of the WPPI Grand Award, and the International Print Competition (IPC) Wedding Grand Prize Award.
David is a member of the Cameracraftsman of America, one of the oldest, most prestigious groups in the world dedicated to advancing the profession of photography as an art form as well as the American Society of Photographers.
As a sought-after speaker and educator locally, nationally and abroad, teaching workshops to the up and coming aspiring photographer, he shares his talent and know-how to help others hone their craft. He also serves as a print judge at various international print competitions and is a Past-President of the Dallas Professional Photographers Association.
It’s often said that Art Imitates Life. If you’ve ever seen the work of David Edmonson, this is clearly true:
Profound with dimensionality, ingrained with emotion and compelling in their beauty.
…This is the Edmonson Way.
Luke Edmonson
I’m a happy advocate for my father and his Art1095 project. Even though I grew up in a family of photographers, I never wanted to be one. It wasn’t until college that I realized I wouldn’t be a well-rounded person without exploring the world of Art, and so began my adventures in photography.
Following my father and grandfather’s examples, I’m also a professional photographer, educator, speaker and print competition judge. As a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, in 2014, I won the International Photographer of the Year in the AIPP APPA competition. This singular award is presented to the overseas competitor with the highest scoring collection of prints.
I am also a member of the Cameracraftsman of America as well as the American Society of Photographers (ASP). Recently, it was a privilege to serve as one of the three co-founders to shape WPPI’s Online Certification Program for Wedding & Portrait Photographers, the first ever of its kind. It was also my privilege to serve as the President of the Dallas Professional Photographers Association from 2014 to 2016 helping guide our local industry to advance both craft and community.
Photography Distinctions
- Double Master of WPPI
- WPPI-Certified – WPPI-C
- Master Photographer – M.Photog. PPA
- Photographic Craftsman – Cr.Photog. PPA
- Certified Professional Photographer – CPP PPA
- Fellow -F-SWPP UK