After earning a BFA from Pratt Institute, Dave began his career in corporate design, advertising, and art direction at several ad agencies, Warner Bros Music, and HBO. Concurrently, he photographed fragile ecosystems and endangered species in tropical rainforests for the Rainforest Alliance with sponsorship from HBO, Nikon, Kodak, and Fujifilm.

​

In 1994, he moved to Seattle and transitioned into conceptual photo illustration and photographic art, and began leading photographic workshops privately and at Santa Fe Workshops, Maine Media Workshops, Vancouver Photo Workshops, Anderson Ranch, and The Lepp Institute. He now mentors artists and leads online and on-location workshops, including Seattle Streets, The Olympic Coast, The Palouse, The Oregon Coast, Midcoast Maine, Cuba, India, Vietnam, and other growing destinations.

​

Dave speaks annually at industry conferences and events, including sponsored events for Fujifilm. Dave's images and writing have appeared in publications that include Nikon World, Outside, National Geographic Traveler, Islands, Outdoor Photographer, Digital PhotoPro, Orion, FujiLove, and podcasts Hit the Streets and Beginning Photography.

​

Since 2014, he has been the lead instructor for the University of Washington Photography Certificate Program, sharing his expertise with over 250 emerging photographers.

Dave is also a Fujifilm X/GFX CREATOR brand ambassador for Fujifilm North America.