Dave Anderson

Dave Anderson’s professional career in photography came later in life after years in the film industry in New York City.

“I collected photography for many years,” he says, “and one day I received a flyer announcing a rare workshop given by one of the artists I collected. I decided I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

Within weeks of picking up a camera, Dave was hooked. A few months later, he quit his job and became devoted to his photography.

Leaving New York City, Dave drove to Beaumont, Texas, to study with noted photographer Keith Carter.

During this trek, Dave stopped in a small town, and was greeted by a man asking where he was headed. When Dave answered Beaumont, the man told him of nearby Vidor, and its historic association with the Ku Klux Klan.

Intrigued by the history and social implications of the town, and by the fact that everyone told him not to go, Dave visited Vidor, and it became the focus of his first photography book Rough Beauty.

Soon to be in its second English printing, Rough Beauty has revealed Dave’s ability to capture the human spirit in its natural setting.

The project has been exhibited internationally and has been applauded by the New Yorker and New York Times.

“I almost didn’t show the images from Vidor because I thought no one would want to see them,” says Dave.

Now living in Little Rock with his wife Ashley and their son Noah, Dave is currently working on photographing areas of New Orleans, doing assignments for Time, Newsweek and Texas Monthly as well as honing his portraiture talents in his studio.

“I worked with Chris Smith of Alison Architects to design the studio. We were inspired by the mid-century architecture of my home as well as the studio of the late Heber Springs photographer Mike Disfarmer. Disfarmer’s spare backdrop and use of soft Northern light really spoke to me.” Dave purchased old wood from a Michigan barn—his home state—and covered one wall of the studio.

“I enjoy shooting portraits in the studio, but I also love capturing people in their natural environments.”

Check out Dave’s work on his Web site dbanderson.com.