About
I am an internationally multipublished and multidisciplinary photographer from south Wales in the UK, with active interests in portraiture, landscapes, minimalism, nature, architecture, street and documentary photography. I also shoot weddings, events and occasions professionally. In addition to my workhorse digital mirrorless I also shoot film with a 50 year old analogue SLR camera, and consider both to be equally as important tools serving a broad range of technical and aesthetic criteria.
Wherever possible I prefer to take a slow, methodical and technical approach to photography to ensure that I walk away believing I have maximized output. The buzz I get from the shooting experience itself is as important to me as the results, and having a broad range of interests and variably shooting digital and analogue is pertinent to keeping things fresh, enjoyable and rewarding for myself.
Besides my main galleries I also have a number of ongoing projects which serve as photoessays for growing more focussed, specific bodies of work. My portrait work is the result of collaborating with a number of incredible fashion and beauty models from around the south Wales area, and I love the collaborative process.
I'm typically not a meticulous future planner, but since 2025 I have been mainly project-driven to give myself clear direction and focus to creating cohesive, meaningful bodies of work.
Thank you for visiting :)
David Ellinsworth
Some random facts about me:
Born: Inverness, Scotland, 1981
Education: BSc (Hons) Physiology (Newcastle) and PhD Vascular Biology (Cardiff)
Academic Publications: 6
Photography Publications: 30+ (since 2023)
Photographer Since: 2017
Favourite Photographers: Vivian Maier, Steve McCurry
Favourite film stock: Kodak Portra 160
Favourite Music: Classic Rock, Progressive and Symphonic Metal, 80s, Electronic
Favourite Band: Nightwish
Gear
Nikon Z6
This is my main digital (mirrorless) camera. With its 24.5MP full frame BSI sensor it offers incredible high ISO performance and phenomenal output. I've owned this camera for 5 years and although the more recent Nikon Z cameras offer more features and better autofocus I've never really felt let down by it.
Minolta SRT101
My main fully manual 35mm film SLR, which has been in my family for almost 40 years after my father originally bought it from a second hand camera shop in Edinburgh in the late 80s as a gift for my sister for art college. This camera is built like a tank, and I have developed several portfolios of images using it. I absolutely adore this beautiful machine.
Yashica Electro 35 GS
A late 1960s aperture priority, manual focus rangefinder camera with a fixed 45mm f/1.7 Color Yashinon lens. I'd wanted this camera for a long time, purely for the way it looks, and although I'd have preferred an interchangeable lens rangefinder I mostly use a 50mm lens on my Minolta anyway, and so I expect I will use this camera quite a lot. It also has effective full manual control owing to its manual ISO dial.
Nikon F60
This is an electronic 35mm film SLR that I bought in order to have convenient autofocus capabilities with film, as well as entry into an analogue ecosystem that includes some very good zoom lenses (older ones are very hit or miss). I don't yet have a realistically compatible lens for this camera (it requires D series AF lenses, not G series - that was an oversight on my part when purchasing - but I bought this camera very cheap) but I do have a plan for that.
FTZ Adaptor
I use mostly Nikon F mount lenses with my Z6, for which this CPU-coupled adaptor is permissive.
Tamron AF 17-35mm f/2.8-4.0 Di OSD
This is my wide angle zoom lens; a budget alternative to the popular 15-30mm fixed f/2.8 of the time. This lens massively punches above its weight. It is sharp from wide open to f/16 throughout its range, is effectively apochromatic and fairly flare resistant. The real party piece of this lens, however, is its dimensional rendering, which is remarkable for a zoom lens.
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G
One of the cheapest primes you'll find for the Nikon ecosystem, and it hugely outperforms its apparent build quality, which feels very cheap. It is extremely lightweight though, and I've never felt let down by it. Talk of sharpness with these lenses is boring in my eyes, because 50mm lenses have been sharp for over 60 years. Its bokeh wide open is lovely; very dreamy. The D series is better, and I'd recommend that if your camera has mechanical screwdrive AF capabilities.
Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8
This is my only Z mount lens, and is my principal portrait prime. The 85mm focal length is perfect for outdoor portraits, allowing for a greater (than 50mm) working distance for both full body (space permitting) and close-up/beauty shots. Lovely rendering and bokeh.
Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 ED IF VR G
This is the lens that puts a smile on my face most often. Being a 2006 design, it is old, especially for a zoom lens. It was originally an entry level superzoom for Nikon full frame DSLRs, but don't let that fool you. This lens is still spoken about with affection in the Nikon community to this day, and for good reason. A couple of years ago, after already owning it for 4 years, I decided to use only this lens for a portrait shoot; to give it an opportunity to prove me wrong that it wouldn't live up to the likes of a more popular and "professional" 70-200mm fixed f/2.8. The images I got that day shocked and surpised me, and this lens continues to surprise me to this day. Images are very sharp and contrasty from wide open up to f/11 through most its range (stopping down a stop past 200mm helps give a boost to landscape images - I don't bother doing this with portraits because the slight softening actually helps). Dozens of portraits taken with this lens now sit proudly in my portfolio, and they don't look out of place next to those taken with primes. Admittedly, is a realtively slow lens, but depth of field can be shrunk simply by backing up and zooming in more to allow focal length to take care of the rest. I've taken many close-up and beauty portraits within the range (200-300mm) where wide open sharpness drops ever so slightly, and they're beautiful. Models are thankful for the slight softening on their skin, and eyes can easily be sharpened up again thanks to the incredible output and plasticity of the raw files.
Minolta MD Rokkor 50mm f/1.4
This is the main lens I use on my Minolta SLR, and I also occasionally use it on my Nikon Z6 via an adaptor (see below). I've taken so many film images using this lens, and actually favour it over wider focals (also see below). I only open the aperture fully on digital, where images are soft and very glowy in sunlight. For film I generally use it at f/2-5.6 where the images are beautiful, sharp and contrasty. This lens has real punch. On digitial I usually only use it for dreamy, super shallow depth of field stuff - usually flower in spring and summer.
Minolta MD Telerokkor 135mm f/2.8
A similarly great performer as the 50mm, but more ideal for close-up portraits and occasionally for landscape use. Adapted to digital and shot wide open portraits are beautiful and dreamy.
Meyer-Optik Gorlitz Lydith 30mm f/3.5 (M42 mount)
I use this lens as a wide prime on my Minolta SLR (via an adaptor), and occasionally adapted to digital. Wide open this lens has quite swirly, Helios-like bokeh, but stopped down to f/5.6-11 images are sharp, contrasty and, more importantly, hugely dimensional. Images within this range pop off the photo like a hologram. A very underrated lens.
Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8 (M42 mount)
A very simple 4-element optical design with a realtively slow maximum aperture to allow high performance from wide open. For its time this is a very close-focussing lens (35mm, compared to the typcial 45cm+ of most other 50mm lenses). Bokeh wide open is gorgeous, and it is capable of soap bubble bokeh with background speculars. If I ever need macro capabilities this lens with a 36mm extension tube gives me very near-1:1 magnification. Tessar designs are generally always very sharp indeed, and this lens is no exception.
Yashica Yashinon 50mm f/2 (M42 mount)
Another great performer with lovely swirly bokeh wide open, and its strong field curvature gives great dimensionality in a kind of Hollywood Distagon-type manner. The only issue with this lens is strong polygonal bokeh highlights even when half a stop down from wide open.
Gobe ND1000
10-stop neutral density filter
Marumi DHG Supercircular Polarizer
CPL filter mainly, but not exclusively, for landscape imagery.
Zomei ND2-400
Variable neutral density filter for more subtle light block, and for use with fast primes at wide apertures.
K&F Concept 1/4 Black Mist
Cinebloom effect filter which softens and blooms bright highlights.
K&F Concept Adaptors
Two such adaptors for use of Minolta SR and early Pentax/Praktica M42 threadmount lenses on my Nikon Z6
Tripods
K&F Concept and Manfrotto (both carbon fibre)
