Award winning photographer and Photoshop re-toucher David Daigle has expressed his unique creative vision for more than twenty years. After studying with world-renowned photographer Jerome Libeling, and graduating from the prestigious Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, David moved to Southern California to work in the entertainment industry.
His eclectic and distinguished list of clients include individuals Keanu Reeves, John Clayton, and Edwin McCain; and companies HBO, Disney, Atlantic Records, and Grey. His work has been featured in celebrated national and international publications such as Elle Décor, TV Guide, Dwell, and Los Angeles magazine. David has also been a television producer and creative director of movie trailers for the major film studios. His distinctive portraiture and still life pieces can be found in art galleries and private collections across the world. He resides in Los Angeles, California.
Artist Statement:
David Daigle is a neo-classical formalist whose work derives its meaning from the context of composition rather than from the artifice of content. His photographs are concerned primarily with the fundamental characteristics of form: line and shape, light and shade, yet he is an artist who absolutely venerates the object. By presenting things in a literal fashion, his work transcends their literal meaning. He reaches the plateau of allegory precisely because of his insistence upon the purity of objectification.
One does not view a Daigle photograph, one engages with it. He challenges not by employing shock laden images, but rather, by showcasing the mundane. Mr. Daigle forces us too confront the ordinary and as we do, we find in it, or rather through it, the extraordinary. By focusing his lens on things forgotten, be it an old umbrella, a discarded mop, a broken down typewriter, a chewed up tennis ball, tattered lipstick vials, curlers, doormats, and beehives, we are compelled to remember. Objects devoid of meaning burst forth with relevance. Objects whose meaning was lost long ago are revitalized.
Mr. Daigle is acutely aware that revelation is never found in the light of day but rather hides in the shadows. That is why his photographs are, quite literally, dark. He uses light minimalistically because what is hidden can only be unveiled to those who bother to seek. And those that do are deeply rewarded. His images are often beautiful, sometimes grotesque, difficult and yet penetrating, and always highly personal while remaining completely impartial. They are provocative because they resonate so deeply. He exploits the synchronicity of the human subconscious by transforming the familiar into the unfamiliar. Tea bags become erotic, melons become demonic, refrigerators become angelic. Flaws illuminate perfection, perfection exhibits flaws. There is humor, there is sorrow, there is history, and most importantly, there is disclosure.
Mr. Daigle has always looked at the world differently than most. The restless desire to capture and share his unique vision compelled him to pick up a camera when he was in his teens. Awards have been bestowed upon him since he shot his very first roll of film and have continued through the years. He has won The Boston Globe Scholastic Competition, The Kodak Medallion of Excellence in Photography, and The Los Angeles Advertising Photographers Association Award, among many others. He attended the prestigious Hampshire College and was mentored by Mr. Jerome Liebling. Although Mr. Daigle currently resides in the highly commercialized city of Los Angeles, he steadfastly holds onto his ideals by exploring his medium non-commercially. His photographs are free of digital manipulation, retouching, and Photoshop applications. He is truly dedicated to bettering his craft and furthering his art.