BIOGRAPHY

David Shama is a Swiss photographer living in New York City. He is most known for his art and fashion work. David began taking photographs in 2005 and quickly gained recognition with his documentary style and narrative cinematic portraiture.

In 2008 Shama moved to Paris where his career started as a fashion photographer. He worked for a few magazines and brands, until he showed his work in London where his style was immediately recognized. Magazines like Dazed, L’Officiel, Grazia and Tank took him on and brands like Nike, Ford and Universal Records commissioned work from him as his career progressed and became more international.

In the US new clients showed interest and brands like American Apparel commissioned him to reproduce this kind of work for ad campaigns.

David Shama’s work alternates between spontaneous snapshots and carefully planned situations that have nonetheless the appearance and freshness of a realistic situation. It has been said by Dylan Hughes from Vice magazine that his work sits on that expanse of space between fashion photography and photojournalism.

He is inspired by both photography and cinema.

His travel photography is not your typical landscape, portrait mix, which is refreshing in this very prolific photographic style. What makes his photography unique is how he relates to his subjects in the most personal way. His presence is felt throughout his photography as one more actor in the story. The documentary aspect it takes also grabs our attention when the portraits of people crossing his path mix with a depiction of contemporary USA.

“Do Not Feed Alligators”, October 2018, Damiani is his last publication.