David Palermo is a photographer known for capturing both distinguished residences and considered portraiture throughout Montecito, Santa Barbara, Summerland, Carpinteria, and the surrounding coastal enclaves. For nearly two decades, his work has been trusted by architects, interior designers, builders, and discerning homeowners to create imagery that reflects not only form and craftsmanship, but the life and character within a space.
His approach is guided by observation, restraint, and a deep attentiveness to light. Whether photographing a home or a person, Palermo is drawn to moments when structure, atmosphere, and presence align naturally. Each project is approached with a refined eye and a dedication to detail — highlighting architectural form, interior character, and the relationship between a subject and its environment.
“I’ve always been more interested in presence than performance — in waiting for the moment when something real quietly emerges.”
Palermo began photographing people in his late teens and early twenties, creating test images for fashion agencies. What stayed with him was not the industry itself, but the moment when someone saw a photograph of themselves and genuinely loved what they saw. He learned early on that an image can shape how a person feels — a responsibility that continues to guide his work.
That early focus on expression became the foundation of his portrait practice. He studies faces and gestures quietly, allowing time and ease to replace self-consciousness. Portrait sittings are conversational and unforced, shaped by observation rather than direction.
“When I photograph someone, I’m watching for the moment when self-consciousness fades. That’s when the portrait begins.”
Over the years, Palermo’s understanding of light has been shaped by the photographers and painters whose restraint and clarity continue to inform his work — including Paolo Roversi, Irving Penn, Peter Lindbergh, Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent, and Lawrence Alma-Tadema. What unites these influences is a devotion to simplicity, and to light that sculpts rather than distracts.
Whether creating architectural imagery, portraiture, or fine art works, his intention remains consistent: to produce images that feel honest, considered, and quietly enduring. His work allows photographs to exist in more than one form — from pigment prints to platinum and palladium, from photographic surfaces to linen — always guided by material truth and longevity.
His hope is that the people he photographs feel safe, seen, and well represented, and that the spaces he documents feel accurately understood. The resulting images are meant not as decoration, but as works that belong — returning value and meaning over time.
email: david@davidpalermo.com
cell: 01.805.886.0146