David M Partner

David M Partner is a British portrait photographer. Born 1956 in Winchester, where he grew up; his parents were academics with a lifelong attachment to Italy, where he first encountered classicism and renaissance art.

Went to school in Winchester and then at Charterhouse. First discovered photography at Winchester School of Art, taking portraits and photo documentary images, influenced by the early Victorian masters Hill and Adamson, and in particular, Julia Margaret Cameron and the pre-Raphaelite painters, and by 20th century American photographers such as Paul Strand, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams and the surrealist Man Ray.

After art school he moved to Paris working as a photographers’ assistant, primarily with fashion and advertising photographers, learning to use mixed lighting techniques, as well as the business of photography. He worked on many major advertising campaigns including for Citroen, De Beers and Mumm Champagne as well as portraits of then mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac, Spanish artist Salvador Dalí and the Russian artist and designer Erte.

In the 1980s he moved to London where his first published photograph was in the Sunday Times Magazine, and then also in the Observer, Telegraph, Express and Mail on Sunday magazines. A feature on his work in the magazine Creative Review led to commissions from business magazines and Design Companies, where he worked on many of the top 100 plc's annual reports, developing a distinctive style of large format industrial photography.

In 2005, Partner initiated a series of 100-plus portrait photographs of all UK government ministers intended to highlight the normality of the lesser known personalities in government. The “Heads of Government” series, now held in several national collections, was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London during 2005/2006

In 2006/2007, in recognition of his expertise and interest in the institutions that have developed over generations he was honoured to receive the first ever photographic commission from the House of Commons entitled ‘Working for Parliament’. Following in the footsteps, he later discovered, of Victorian MP and photographer Benjamin Stone, this saw Partner photographing over 100 staff from all departments of the House of Commons at the Palace of Westminster. This was followed by an exhibition at Portcullis House, Westminster and a commemorative book.

Partner has also exhibited international work from Africa and the Middle East and has received commissions from the UK’s leading companies. In 2004, a commission for British car manufacturer Land Rover, resulted in the company’s then head of Global Marketing, John Edwards, describe his work as: “some of the best photographs of our product we have seen."

Partner is a Member Director of the Association of Photographers, and a Trustee of Rook Lane Arts

Private Life

In 1989, he married Catherine Wickham, an artist and designer, great great granddaughter of British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, and daughter of Glynne Wickham, the first Professor of Drama at a British University (Bristol). They have 3 children and live in Frome in Somerset.

References

Paris London Frome Rook Lane Arts Rook Lane Chapel Frome Sat 3 – 24 July 2010 http://www.rooklanearts.org.uk/details-10-07-paris-london-frome.html

Kumba Kumba Six Chapel Row Gallery Bath 15–21 February 2008 http://www.chapelrowgallery.co.uk/kumbakumba.html

Working for Parliament Portcullis House Palace of Westminster London September/October 2007 http://www.parliament.uk/about/art-in-parliament/search1/?q=Partner

Heads of Government National Portrait Gallery London 18 October 2005 - 5 March 2006 http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2005/heads-of-government.php

Heads of Government AOP Gallery London March 2005

Publications:

Image Magazine March 2005 Issue 354 Names and Faces by Chris Roberts

FT Magazine jan21/22 2006 Political Visions by John Lloyd http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6f4c5fac-8a22-11da-86d1-0000779e2340.html#axzz1SAcgyaCq

Black & White Photography Magazine Feb 06 Issue 56 Frame of Mind by Alisa McWhinnie

The House Magazine April 23, 2007 Parliamentary Photographer Special Report by Austin Mitchell MP

f2 Freelance Photographer Aug/Sept 2008 Vol 2 No3 Changing Track by David Land

External links

• http://www.davidpartner.co.uk
• http://www.headsofgovernment.co.uk
• http://www.saatchionline.com/profile/174815
• http://www.the-aop.org
• http://www.rooklanearts.org.uk
• http://www.chapelrowgallery.co.uk/kumbakumba.html
• http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/2005/heads-of-government.php
• http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6f4c5fac-8a22-11da-86d1-0000779e2340.html#axzz1SAcgyaCq
• http://www.rooklanearts.org.uk/details-10-07-paris-london-frome.html
• http://www.parliament.uk/about/art-in-parliament/search1/?q=Partner

Persondata
Name	Partner, David M
Alternative names
Short description	Photographer
Date of birth	1956
Place of birth	Winchester, England
Date of death
Place of death