David Axelbank's photostream  

(written in classy third person style...)

David Axelbank was born in Shrewsbury, UK in 1972. He was raised in the Soviet Union, Israel, England, New York, and Connecticut. He attended the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase earning a Bachelor of Fine Art with a concentration in Photography and Printmaking, in 1994. He spent untold hours printing B&W, color, platinum/palladium, and learning obscure printing methods such as collotype.

In May 1993, he began interning at Magnum Photos New York, first as assistant to the Bureau Chief Tom Keller, then as a historical researcher for Susan Meiselas's Kurdistan book.

His career in photography began in May 1994 when he was thrown in the deep end working for Magnum Photos New York as one half of the Editorial Department, with David Strettell (now well known as the owner of Dashwood Books). This period saw his involvement in major news stories of the time: Bosnia, Haiti and the Rwandan genocide. The work of James Nachtwey, Gilles Peress, and Sebastião Salgado being edited and distributed by New York's editorial department.

Needing a break from Magnum, he headed to the West Coast, settling in San Francisco where he lived for 5 years. During this time he began photographing his own projects, notably a lengthy look at the rave scene. During this time he worked in institutional financial legal compliance. Additionally, he worked as a photo editor at Saba Press Photos (now Redux Pictures).

After moving to London in 2000, another stint at Magnum Photos beckoned. As the Production Manager of the London office he was instrumental (along with his counterparts in Paris and New York) in modernizing and refining the production methods of the agency. A hugely successful Magnum/HP printing and technical collaboration also ensued.

In 2005, his work was selected for the Schweppes Photographic Portrait Award, and was exhibited at the National Gallery in London.

9 years of Magnum left an indelible mark on David, with great stories and experiences of working alongside photographers he greatly admired (Philip Jones Griffiths, Ian Berry, Peter Marlow), but he knew is was time to leave Magnum in November 2006 to pursue photography full-time. He now works editorially for publications as varied as Grazia, Guardian Magazine, Tank, TimeOut London and XLR8R.

In 2009 his Flora (or Night Flowers) series was shortlisted for the Descubrimientos PHE Madrid (Discovery Award) at PhotoEspaña; included in the Creative Review Photography Annual; and published in The Drawbridge.

His most recent work is a series he has quietly been working on since 2006, titled The Lozenge Series. An exploration of landscape through the unique lozenge perspective, it has been gaining attention and praise from all corners.

www.lozenge-series.co.uk

His main site was created by Stylo Design (a pair of brilliant designers, who deservedly get a great deal of praise from David.)

www.davidaxelbank.com

www.stylodesign.co.uk/

His work is represented by Gallery Stock and Getty Images Reportage Collection

He is a Visiting Lecturer in Photography at the University of Hertfordshire; course instructor at Photofusion in Brixton; and a former Visiting Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.

He is married to the gorgeous, highly intelligent Sophie Wright.

- London November 2010