During this time he has not only explored the many facets of photography, but has also been the mayor of Nevada City, owned a successful silkscreen and graphic design business, and has been a strong supporter of the arts in his community. McKay has taught photography privately since 1976. He has also been teaching black and white film and pinhole photography at Sierra College since 2000.

Since 1974, McKay has had many shows and exhibits, won many awards, and has had his work published in local newspapers, magazines, brochures and books. His work is in private collections in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Sacramento, and Poland (Maine). He has also published an award-winning book:
Yuba Seasons: Images from the Wild and Scenic South Yuba River.

About me and my equipment

My adventures with photography started at the age of fifteen with a Yashica Twin Lens 2 ¼ camera given to me by my father. That one gift was the beginning of a never-ending quest to explore and experience every aspect of the photographic realm, from black-and-white to color, hand colored to manipulated Polaroids, and pinhole to digital.

I am a photographer of the environment. Whether it is a cityscape or landscape, I immerse myself in my surroundings and capture them in creative ways through my lens. You can't force creativity. You have to allow it, by being a part of where you are, not as a detached observer. I become something different when I pick up a camera and look through that magical window! Photography has been the 'carrot-on-the-stick' that has motivated me to learn things I wouldn't have otherwise, to explore places I had never been, to communicate with people I didn't know, and to be a great observer.

David McKay's award winning book,Yuba Seasons: Images of the Wild & Scenic South Yuba River, includes sweeping panoramas of the South Fork of the Yuba River as well as stunning images depicting the play of light on water and rocks. A place of unsurpassed beauty captured during all the seasons, winter, spring, summer and fall. McKay has been photographing the Yuba River and it's surroundings for over 40 years.

What others are saying about McKay's book:

“Best photography I’ve ever seen of that sweet little river.“
-Gary Snyder
Pulitzer Prize Poet

“The photographs so elegantly convey the vivid color, energy and mood this natural treasure of a river embodies. Your lens has captured powerful moments in the rivers time and place, and you have rendered them with the finesse of the master painters. A wonderful achievement!”
-Terry Riley
Composer

“What Ansel Adams did for Yosemite, David McKay does for the Yuba River.“
-Julia Carol
Art Collector

“David McKay's Yuba Seasons, … has some of the best nature photography we’ve seen in a long time. He has captured something really mind-blowing about the interaction of water and light and stone. The landscapes are great, but the river shots are beautiful, mysterious, fast and deep. You can feel them as much as you see them. Really fine.”
-Byron Coley & Thurston Moore
Bull Tongue, Arthur Magazine