Designer to Photographer: David Lund
Professional liquid photographer David Lund’s career has been a rollercoaster journey.
A Hasselblad demonstration at Falmouth Art College almost 10 years ago proved to be the turning point for David, who until then had enjoyed a successful career as a designer.
Driven by his existing passion for photography and curiosity for the brand, David was soon sold and just a few days later was the proud owner of a new Hasselblad and lens. The decision to dive into his new career head first was a major change and he admitted it had been a steep learning curve since then, having spent the first three years learning as much as he could.
“I love what I do, but you need to be prepared to work hard,” he said.
“Karl has been instrumental in my career and, to be honest, has kept me on the healthy side of not losing my mind at times.”
With Karl’s guidance, David dedicated the first six months of his new career to learning and understanding light.
“Lighting is vital,” he said. “It’s very much like golf – if you're holding the club wrong, you’re never going to hit that ball straight, no matter how hard you try.”
While the leap to photographer was no easy decision, David said his experience as a designer was a definite plus as he already understood the creative process.
“I studied graphic design for seven years and was the head designer at two companies before I set up my own small agency.
“As a designer, it means I understand brands, the rational behind a brief and what the art director is after. The mind of a designer is to look at the bigger picture.”
From humanitarian work to product photography, David’s career has been varied, to say the least, but he has undoubtedly found his niche with liquids. While he enjoys doing other work, he said he most enjoys the challenge of “defying the laws of physics” and devising creative ways to solve different problems.
His attention to detail has resulted in opportunities to work with a number of well known brands, including Grey Advertising Agency, INARIA and, most recently, British Steel.
David had 13 days to bring his vision to life and create an exciting, visually engaging film while working in high temperatures and dangerous areas. He said seeing molten steel “flowing like lava” and “the sheer scale of the engineering” was a memorable experience but the main thing was that the client loved the end result.
“They trusted me to create their promo film. It’s a big thing for a company that size to show that much trust.”
His work for INARIA, working with over £10 million pounds worth of diamonds for his first video commission (which you can watch here), was also noteworthy, but it was his work with Baileys Irish cream that was the most rewarding, he said.
“I had three days to invent a way to replicate what some chap had created in Photoshop. I had to defy the laws of physics to create the flow of the vortex to see coffee blend with Baileys in a way the client wanted.”
It hasn’t been an easy road for David and he admits there’s a lot he would do differently if he could, but his enthusiasm and passion are as strong as ever.
If you’d like to see David in action, he’ll be teaming up with Karl later this month for a live liquids shoot and interview on Visual Education. The pair will demonstrate exciting techniques, working with ‘Ferro liquids’ as well as whirlpools and kaleidoscopic coloured bubbles, before they sit down for a live talk show, where David will share valuable insight from a number of his major campaigns, offer advice and reflect on his career.
David Lund recently visited Karl Taylor's studio for two live photography shows. Check out the short video below for a taste of what we got up to.
Both these live shows are available to watch again. You can view the live liquids photography shoot and live photography talk show.
"Great show – highly educational and very inspirational!" - Bob Bradlee, VE Member
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