DAVID DREBIN

David Drebin Biography- It only takes a moment in the company of David Drebin to understand what motivates him to take incredible pictures. Across the dinner table, his eyes are constantly scanning the room, he tries to look inside the minds of the other diners in the room, attempting to figure out the relationships and emotional dynamics between the sitters. He is a combination of voyeur and psychologist, his pictures offer us a window into the emotions and experiences that every person feels at some point. Often the viewer can relate to the situation being presented, a memory is brought back to the fore of their mind, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes sexy.



His breathtaking cinematic expertise (something he mastered during his time at Parson's School of Design in New York) draws strong references to the work of both Gregory Crewdson and Phillip-Lorca diCorcia, two other technically skilled and acclaimed artists. Indeed, the cinematic aspect of his work is essential to what he is trying to achieve. Cinema is often seen as the last refuge of true romance. What often happens in movies is perceived to be unrealistic and unlikely to occur in the mundane lives of the viewer, but the cinema relentlessly pursues the ideals and the dreams that the scripts encapsulate. Drebin's work is the same in this respect, a commentary on the world of today, technology and information driven, dehumanized by the advent of email and cellphones, a world apart from the 1950s and 1960s world or Coca Cola, Drive in Movies and Marilyn Monroe. Drebin wants us to believe, to feel, to be rehumanized and romanced about what can happen tomorrow, to forget the regimented and everyday existence of today.



For the viewer it can be a frustrating experience, for each picture is both informative and provoking at the same time. On the one hand we are given a window into an emotionally charged scene between lovers, but it is only ever a freeze frame in time. We never get to see the outcome, we are only given a fleeting glance. In this respect Drebin is a storyteller, with the exception that the viewer gets to decide how the story ends, perhaps tragedy, perhaps happy ever after, its all in the mind of the viewer. It is no coincidence that his first book released in 2007 was titled "Love and Other Stories".



His panoramic cityscapes are the ultimate embodiment of what the artist is trying to achieve. The glowing cityscape by night offers us a view of not one but thousands of stories, every light in every window opening the viewers mind to what may be going on, each and every one and movie script that will never be told. It is no coincidence that the pieces are in panoramic format, an homage to the widescreen movie theaters in which motion picture story telling is played out. The viewer is invited to write their own story as to what is happening in any given location. Love story, death, disaster or tragedy, it is all before the viewer, it is up to them to decide where and when the story takes place.



Drebin says it best himself, "Some type of emotional response when looking at my photographs would be ideal...for me the most gripping photographs are either funny and sexy, sexy and sad or sexy and funny without being sad"


I decided to become a photographer over 10 years ago strictly because I wanted to understand my own imagination and what I really thought about other human beings.I guess one could call it Fashion photography even though I have yet to put myself in any category.I love Fashion but I am more fascinated by the people who wear the fashion than the actual fashion hence the photograph of the person who happens to wear the fashion without intending to be a fashion photograph but merely a photograph...self involved but not self conscious necessarily.



I like pictures that are often dupilicitous and have hidden meanings that are ultimately gripping and stay in mind far beyond the moment of looking at the picture for the first time.I like the pictures that the picture I am looking at makes me think about in my own imagination. l I like pictures that often say one thing but mean another...maybe that is what is now referred to as "narrative" photography.



I am a big fan of Richard Avedon because of his process of taking pictures probably more than any individual image he ever took.He always seemed to want to bring something out of the person more than just take a pretty picture.I like his seemingly constant attempt to reveal some sort of truth.I am after the same thing. i also love the pictures of Guy Bourdin even though I have no idea what his process was for doing what he did.
I just liked the glamourous element within his work.



All photographs are available as limited edition fine art photography prints, signed and numbered by David Drebin. Some photographs are available to view and are exhibited in the Los Angeles gallery, all photographs are available framed or unframed.
I don't really have a favourite image that I have taken so far but I guess the girl flashing cars over the highway is one because it is a person living and loving it it seems to me. I also love the girl in the red dress...where is she going?? Where is she coming from??

New York City

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