LUKE DAVID 17/6/20 LUKE DAVID 17/6/20

Constructed Landscapes

Studying at Photography Studies College in Melbourne, I reached the halfway point of my Advanced Diploma in 2020 and found myself increasingly drawn to the art stream and the tension between natural and urban worlds. This folio explores the 18th-century Picturesque tradition through Victorian landscapes, using constructed frames and textured glass to reveal how our ideas of “beautiful” scenery are still carefully shaped today.

LUKE DAVID 4/12/19 LUKE DAVID 4/12/19

Front Cover of 2020 Geelong Calendar.

I've had some fantastic news! One of my images has been selected to go on the front cover of the City of Geelong 2020 Calendar!

LUKE DAVID 31/10/19 LUKE DAVID 31/10/19

China & Hong Kong Photo Tour September 2019

In September 2019 I joined a PSC study tour through Hong Kong and Southern China, led by photographer Michael Coyne, at a time when the city was gripped by unrest. Despite the uncertainty, the trip went ahead and deepened my love for Hong Kong’s extraordinary collision of old and new.

LUKE DAVID 14/7/19 LUKE DAVID 14/7/19

Tour of Fukushima

In June 2019 I joined an educational, government-supported tour into Fukushima’s exclusion zone to better understand the 2011 nuclear disaster and its ongoing recovery. Guided by a local resident, the experience balanced powerful history with strict respect for safety and privacy, revealing both the human cost of the evacuation and the careful, measured steps toward renewal.

LUKE DAVID 16/6/19 LUKE DAVID 16/6/19

The Planets

Inspired by Holst’s The Planets, I’ve created my own series of photographic “mood pictures” using Victorian landscapes and fragments of the original musical score. Shot in infra-red, the images strip colour back to magenta, red, black and white, transforming familiar scenes into other-worldly interpretations of the music’s emotional power.

LUKE DAVID 26/12/18 LUKE DAVID 26/12/18

Faces of Pride

In 2018 I created a portrait series as part of my photography studies that aimed to show what members of the LGBTIQ+ community are proud of, using their environments to reveal identities and passions beyond labels.

The project involved intensive planning and three-plus shoots per week over three months, and the in-depth conversations with each subject shaped how I placed them and selected backgrounds to convey their stories.

LUKE DAVID 29/4/18 LUKE DAVID 29/4/18

ANZAC Day 2018

This year I resumed photography study to learn new techniques and get critical feedback; a highlight was a 12‑shot photo essay I practiced on Anzac Day.

Rising at 3:45 a.m. to secure a prime spot, I captured the Dawn Service, the gunfire breakfast and parade, and a striking group of foreign veterans in varied uniforms that offered a fresh perspective on ANZAC Day.

LUKE DAVID 10/2/18 LUKE DAVID 10/2/18

#MelbHenge

Twice a year the setting sun lines up perfectly with the street grid of the City of Melbourne. This phenomena has become known as #melbhenge.

LUKE DAVID 4/12/17 LUKE DAVID 4/12/17

2018 Geelong Calendar

I was thrilled to have my sunrise shot from the You Yangs chosen as the September finalist in the City of Geelong Calendar Competition, attracting over 1,500 of the 2,000 public votes and being published in a calendar delivered to 110,000 local residents.