Nikon ambassador David Yarrow

Thursday 28 March 2019, 21:12 by Michelle Peeters | 6,970 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Since November 2018, David Yarrow has been one of Nikon's Europe Ambassadors. The Nikon Europe Ambassador programme works with some of the world's best image makers to showcase their unique style, technical approach and outstanding portfolios to the world.

Jaws (False Bay, South Africa). Photo: David Yarrow
David Yarrow was born in 1966 in Glasgow, Scotland. He started taking photographs at a young age and, at the age of 20, worked as a photographer for The Times in the field during the World Cup final in Mexico City.

That day, David took the famous photograph of Diego Maradona with the World Cup and, as a result, was subsequently asked to photograph the Olympic Games and numerous other sporting events.

Photography has always remained a method of redemption and escapism for me. A chance to explore remote corners of the world and capture extreme environments and the rare wildlife that lives there.

Years later, David found his true comfort zone in documenting the natural world, photographing everything from elephants in the wild to great white sharks. His expressive and compelling photography of life on Earth has earned him a growing following among art collectors.

Members Only (Simien Mountains, Ethiopia). Photo: David Yarrow
As part of his role as a Nikon Europe ambassador, David recently started a special project to explore Kenyan wildlife and people. His career-defining images examine the relationship between humanity and the natural world. In 2018, David firmly established himself as one of the world's best-selling fine art photographers.

Below is a great video about David Yarrow's Special Project: 'Amboseli & Dandora':

Nikon equipment

David has been using Nikon equipment for 33 years and feels that it has only got better and better, especially when working in extreme, difficult conditions. He sees the ambassadorship as a unique opportunity to work with Nikon on a European scale.

He uses the D850 camera body because of its high resolution, high frame rate capabilities and unrivalled autofocus performance. As his photographs end up as very large prints, he has had to choose high resolution over shooting speed in the past. With the D850, he no longer has to compromise, as it offers the best of both worlds.

Mankind (Yirol, South Sudan). Photo: David Yarrow
When he is not using the D850, the D5 is the camera he always wants to have to hand during a project involving photography in extreme conditions. The camera is particularly good for high-speed shooting, when you want to take many photographs in the blink of an eye.

The high sensitivity also gives you the freedom to switch effortlessly from bright sunlight to night-time, something that is particularly important in his work, where he often does not know which remote corner of the world he will be in at any given moment.

David uses the AF-S NIKKOR 35 mm f / 1.4G lens very often. He rarely uses a long lens, he does not even own a zoom lens!

This 35 mm wide-angle lens is perfect for his way of photographing, where he needs high-quality optics to discover and capture the soul of the subjects he photographs. The silent autofocus operation is also crucial when he is within metres of a lion or a wolf!

He also uses the AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G and the AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED as a portrait lens for wildlife.

The Factory (Lewa, Kenya). Photo: David Yarrow

Talk during Professional Imaging

During the Professional Imaging trade show, I attended a talk by David Yarrow and was even more impressed by his passionate photographs, which, as you can clearly see, were taken from very close range.

They also feature dangerous animal species, meaning he has had to take enormous risks and rely on robust equipment. A very inspiring person, and what appealed to me most was that he donates a large part of his quite substantial income to nature conservation.

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