David Yarrow

David Yarrow (born 8 February 1966, Glasgow, Scotland) is a British fine-art photographer, financier, conservationist and author. He has travelled to some of the world’s most isolated locations to capture unique images of wildlife, indigenous communities and landscapes.^[1] He currently resides in London, England.

He is the son of Sir Eric Grant Yarrow, who was an active member of the Yarrow shipbuilding dynasty before serving as the chairman of Clydesdale Bank from 1985 to 1991.

Early life

David began his photographic career recording iconic sporting events and was named Young Scottish Photographer of the Year at the age of 20 whilst studying at Edinburgh University.^[2] In the same year (1986) he covered the World Cup in Mexico for The Times. His photo of Diego Maradona holding the trophy aloft was internationally syndicated.^[3]

Career

After graduating from Edinburgh University, Yarrow pursued a career in finance. He spent 8 years working as an institutional stockbroker in UK equities, both in London and New York City.^[4] In 1993 Yarrow was appointed Director of Equities at Natwest Securities where he worked until leaving to found his London-based hedge fund, Clareville Capital in 1995.^[5]

Yarrow’s passion and interest in photography remained constant throughout this period, which prompted Spear’s magazine to liken him to James Boswell in an article that explored Yarrow’s “double-life” as hedge fund manager and artist.^[4] More recently, Yarrow’s passion to address and elucidate key environmental and geopolitical issues has motivated his decision to photograph the natural world.^[6]

Photography

For Yarrow, time, commitment and patience are the foundation stones of taking great photographs. He has a clean, contextual and emotive style and strives to capture images that transcend mainstream offerings.^[7]

“We live in an era of content overload, and for images to engage, there needs to be not just strength and powerful documentation, but perhaps also a degree of unfamiliarity.” David lists the great war photographer, Robert Capa, as one of his major influences.^[6]

His approach to photographing wildlife is guided by Capa’s famous assertion that “if your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough”.^[8] When possible, Yarrow takes his photographs of dangerous wildlife using a well-positioned remote-controlled camera, acknowledging that a photographer can achieve perspective by capturing shots that look up at the animal from the ground.^[9]

“When conceptualising animal shots, think laterally and strive for an image that sits outside normal boundaries. This may be to achieve perspective by capturing shots that look up at the animal from the ground, but often to get the animal at eye level and pin sharp."^[9]

The innovative techniques that Yarrow employs to capture his shots have garnered a significant amount of media interest. One of Yarrow’s creative methods involves coating his camera casing in a variety of scents to entice dangerous animals towards his camera lens. These treatments have been used after extensive research into identifying the most attractive and enticing smell for the animal in question.^[9]

Camera

David has been using Nikon camera bodies and lenses for almost 30 years and currently favours the brand’s D4s model.^[9]

Prints and Exhibitions

Yarrow and life-long friend, Elizabeth Offord cofounded David Yarrow Photography Ltd in November 2013.^[10] Yarrow’s work has since been exhibited in iconic UK-based locations including London’s Saatchi Gallery, the Phillip’s Gallery and, more recently at Christie’s global headquarters (8 King Street).^[11] The collection has gained international exposure with shows in New York and Hong Kong.

In July 2014, David Yarrow Photography announced its partnership with Rotella Gallery, a leading U.S. fine-art photography gallery with showrooms in New York and Las Vegas. Rotella will exhibit a selection of Yarrow’s limited edition prints in early October 2014.

Books

Encounter (2013)

Encounter is Yarrow’s second fine art photography book, published in November 2013. The work is a compilation of 87 monochrome photographs of wildlife and indigenous communities, combined with Yarrow’s own contextual narrative. The collective is a result of three years of Yarrow’s finely researched trips to parts of the world that have largely escaped public overexposure.^[12]

“There is no room for the banal in 2013 and there has been constancy in my determination to go the extra mile, assuming that mile is both practical and reasonably safe.” ^[13]

10% of sales from Encounter are contributed to Tusk Trust.^[14]

Nowhere (2007)

Nowhere is a 172-page selection of colour photographs, which serves to express Yarrow’s unique view of some of the world’s most isolated locations.

“We have all been to Nowhere. It is as much a state of mind as it is a destination and therefore conveys different images to all of us.”

The work was heralded by The Telegraph as a photographic celebration of some of the world's most desolate, spectacular landscapes.^[15]

All proceeds from the sale of the book supported the work of CLIC Sargent, Mencap and the Evelina Children’s Hospital Appeal. The initial limited print run sold out and it was subsequently reprinted in 2011 and published by Clearview.^[16]

Tusk Trust

David Yarrow is the affiliated photographer for the African Conservation Charity Tusk Trust, a British organisation founded in 1990. David Yarrow contributes 10% of all print and book sales to Tusk Trust. Since November 2013, David Yarrow Photography has contributed over $100,000 to help support Tusk’s programmes and projects on the ground.^[14]

Tusk Trust currently supports 53 field projects in 18 African countries that protect wildlife and help to alleviate poverty. As the ever-expanding human population and its demand for more land brings increasing conflict with wildlife, Tusk’s aim is to forge an inextricable link between the preservation of Africa’s natural heritage and the future of its land, culture and people.

HRH the Duke of Cambridge became the charity’s Royal Patron in 2005 and has been a proactive supporter of Tusk’s work ever since. David Yarrow has and continues to collaborate with Tusk on a wide-range of projects.

Personal life

Yarrow married Jane Martin, a public relations director in 2000. The couple are now divorced but remain good friends. They have two children.^[17]

In March 2014, Yarrow began dating English actress and model Elizabeth Hurley.^[18]

Bibliography

• David Yarrow, Nowhere (David Yarrow, 2007).
• David Yarrow, Encounter (Clearview, 2013).

References

External links

• David Yarrow Photography – Website
• Tusk Trust Charity - Website