Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to David Urbanke. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

David, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I loved the arts from a very young age. I’m an only child, and spent a lot of my youth drawing. I was fortunate to have supportive parents who encouraged me to be creative and enrolled me in art classes as well. I dreamed of becoming an illustrator, specifically comics, and was passionate about it through middle school. Once high school started, I picked up photography, and instantly fell in love. I began by photographing innate objects and nature – then moving into portraiture and photographing my friends. As I started uploading my work online, one of the modeling agencies in New York took note, and asked me to come in for a meeting. I was fifteen at the time and and went into their offices with my Mom. The agents were incredibly encouraging and walked us through portfolios, explaining that photography had potential to be a real career and more than a hobby. From there, I began photographing their new talent/models on weekends and after school, and started building my portfolio. It was a blast because there was no pressure on creating under any restrictions – we would wander the streets of NYC and take photos.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is David Urbanke and I’m a photographer based in New York. I focus on portraiture and fashion photography, but try not to to limit myself to only the above, as I never know what new or exciting project might fall into my lap. I’ve been a photographer for about fourteen years (where did the time go!) and began shooting around the age of fifteen years old.

I didn’t always have the easiest experiences with peers in my youth, which led to me leaving school when I was sixteen. Fortunately I was very passionate about photography and was lucky to have a dream to pursue. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how these things have affected my approach to photography. I always lead with a gentle approach and do everything I can to make sure the person/people I’m photographing feel comfortable. I’m often told that I have a very calming energy on set, and I think it’s because I realize how vulnerable it is to be in front of a camera. I want my lens to be a safe space.

My work revolves a lot around color theory and I love playing with warmth. I like my images to feel like an escape from the chaos of daily life and a breath of fresh air – I want them to bring you peace and to be something that you can get lost in.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

While I think we all have a mixed relationship with social media, there are so many upsides to it that can be wonderful. I often wonder if I would have a career or be able to survive as a creative freelancer without it. I began really utilizing social media as the pandemic was coming to an end and it was time to get back to creating. I realized that I didn’t have new work to share, and had to get crafty with ways to promote myself. First, I joined X (Twitter at the time), and began following a lot of my peers and favorite artists. A friend of mine recommended posting work from my archive daily for 30 days – to gain momentum. I also joined Linkedin, which I had always been under the impression was for a corporate environment and not creatives, and took the same approach on here. I was surprised at how quickly my audience grew on both platforms. I play a lot with color in my work – and was receiving messages on LinkedIn about how it was refreshing to see vibrant, bright images in the midst of the pandemic, layoffs, etc.

The tool I utilize the most is Instagram – which is a portfolio of my work in a sense. While I focus on posting my photography, what I found really resonated with people is sharing my personal journey. Sharing behind the scenes of my process and giving a glimpse into who I am as a person seems to resonate with a lot of people. It can be intimidating to open up on social media, and there have been moments where I was mixed on what I was comfortable sharing, but I’ve been fortunate to receive mostly love and support.

It may sound a bit corny, but my recommendation is to be yourself and let people in. Social media can be intimidating, but build an audience based on who you are behind the screen.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Self doubt and confidence have been tricky to navigate over the years. There is a lot of rejection as a creative, and just because you receive one (or one hundred) no’s, does not mean what you’re creating or putting out into the world is of any less value. I’m a big believer in creating the work that speaks to you – and it will attract the right audiences and clients.

I used to delete or take down photographs if they did not perform well on social media, and it was really hard to learn not to do this. I guarantee if it is something you feel strongly about, the work is always worth sharing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://davidurbanke.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidurbanke/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-urbanke-98823a86/
• Twitter: https://x.com/davidurbanke