About David McKay
“Your lens has captured powerful moments in the rivers time and place, and you have rendered them with the finesse of the master painters. A wonderful achievement!”
-Terry Riley, Composer
David has been a professional photographer for 40 years
During this time he has not only explored the many facets of photography, but has also been the mayor of Nevada City, owned a successful silkscreen and graphic design business, and has been a strong supporter of the arts in his community. McKay has taught photography privately since 1976. He has also been teaching black and white film and pinhole photography at Sierra College since 2000.
Since 1974, McKay has had many shows and exhibits, won many awards, and has had his work published in local newspapers, magazines, brochures and books. His work is in private collections in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Sacramento, and Poland (Maine). He has also published an award-winning book ‘Yuba Seasons: Images from the Wild and Scenic South Yuba River’.
About Me and My Equipment
My adventures with photography started at the age of fifteen with a Yashica Twin Lens 2 ¼ camera given to me by my father. That one gift was the beginning of a never-ending quest to explore and experience every aspect of the photographic realm, from black-and-white to color, hand colored to manipulated Polaroids, and pinhole to digital.
I am a photographer of the environment. Whether it is a cityscape or landscape, I immerse myself in my surroundings and capture them in creative ways through my lens.
You can't force creativity. You have to allow it, by being a part of where you are, not as a detached observer.
I become something different when I pick up a camera and look through that magical window! Photography has been the 'carrot-on-the-stick' that has motivated me to learn things I wouldn't have otherwise, to explore places I had never been, to communicate with people I didn't know, and to be a great observer.