David Helsham brings a seasoned designer’s eye to photography, having operated a successful graphic design agency in The Rocks, Sydney for more than 20 years catering to the needs of blue-chip corporate clients. He has a lifelong interest in fine arts and in the late 1990’s he embraced photography with a passion matched only by an obsession with ocean swimming.
It is his powers of observation, combined with an artist’s knack for composition, that distinguishes his photography in this digital age. His talents have reached a wide audience through published work for corporate clients, art calenders, through successful forays into the competition scene (Finalist, 2007 National Portraiture Prize; category winner, National Trust/ Daily Telegraph photographic competition) and through his iconic status in the Ocean Swimming community where he is simply known as ‘The Glistener’. Under this moniker he has developed a reputation for capturing dramatic and insightful images of Australian beach life He is a man of few words, a keen eye and a master of the lens.
Bongin Bongin Bay and its surroundings in northern Sydney Australia provide the raw material for this magical series of diptychs. Photographer David Helsham often juxtaposes found objects he discovered on the beach – from discarded toys, to shoes, to skulls – with views of the bay in all weathers and seasons.
