David Blacker is an ethnographic and documentary photographer based in Colombo, specialising in the people, places, and culture of his native Sri Lanka. With a background in advertising, he recognises the importance of comprehending the human perspective. Blacker’s experience as an art director, creative director, award-winning novelist, and published illustrator has given him an acute understanding of story-telling that long preceded his picking up of a camera.
Driven by his interest in people, Blacker transitioned from advertising into research, where his diverse skills converged. He discovered that understanding often came through the lens of his camera. Fascinated by ethnographic research, he aspires to contribute his photography skills, linguistic flair and innate aesthetic sense to this field, recognising the power of understanding as a key to the future.
Beginning his photographic career as a travel photographer, Blacker was a regular contributor to Serendib, the online magazine of Sri Lankan Airlines, and Explore Sri Lanka, the country’s premier travel publication. He has also shot on assignment for the New York Times and Die Zeit. He now spends his time creating visual stories for a variety of corporate clients, travel and hospitality brands and NGOs.
When not shooting on assignment, Blacker can be found walking through his home city where, as part of a collective of local street photographers called the Streets of Colombo, he is dedicated to capturing the changing lives and culture of the people of Colombo.