David Alan Harvey, raised in Virginia, discovered photography in 1956 when, at the age of 11, he purchased a used Leica with savings from his newspaper route and began photographing his family and neighborhood. At 20 years old, he lived with and documented the lives of a black family in Norfolk, Virginia; the resulting book, Tell It Like It Is, was published in 1966, and re-published in 2015.
David went on to photograph over forty essays for National Geographic. He has covered stories around the world, including projects on French teenagers, the Berlin Wall, Maya culture, Vietnam, Native Americans, Mexico, Naples, Nairobi, and many more.
His photographs spark the human psyche. His books Cuba (1999) and Divided Soul (2003) are based on his extensive work on the Spanish cultural migration into the Americas, and his book Living Proof (2007) explores the hip-hop culture. His award-winning book Based on a True Story (2012), published by BurnBooks and in collaboration with his son, Bryan Harvey, broke new ground in photo book narrative form and design. His most recent book, published in 2015, explores the lives of Haenyeo, women divers from Jeju Island in South Korea.
His work has been exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Nikon Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, among other venues. David was named Magazine Photographer of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association in 1978. He joined Magnum as a nominee in 1993 and became a full member in 1997.
As a popular mentor for young photographers, David founded the award-winning Burn magazine, featuring iconic and emerging photographers in print and online. Workshops and seminars are an important part of his life.This is David’s eighth year teaching for The Workshops and his website is www.david alanharvey.com.