Danilo David

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

I am a Brazilian Commercial photographer living in New Zealand since the 2000’s. Since I was 11-12 years old I knew that living in Brazil was not an option, so when the chance to leave the country appeared, I took it..

I have been taking photos since I was 16 years old, after a 6-month photography course in a Photography Philanthropic School in my city.

Straight after the 1999 World Hot Air Ballooning Competition in Austria, we had to drive from the beautiful town called Bad Waltersdorf where the competition was held, all the way to Gross Linden (Großen-Linden) in Germany to drop some parts of the balloon we borrowed for the competition. We woke up at 5 am to go to the airport in Frankfurt to jump on the plane back to Brazil and I stepped on a $0.2c coin from New Zealand and I thought “This is it!”

I informed my parents about my new adventure, sold my car and other belongings to a friend of mine as a package. Used up all the paraffin I had stocked up to make candles and sold all the candles I could produce. Sold all the last surfboard bags and sleeves I used to make and bought my ticket to New Zealand. Yeeey! I then packed up a few clothes in one 55lt backpack, my Canon EOS630 film camera, Canon 24-105mm, my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu kimono, a surfboard, some climbing gear and travelled to New Zealand in the hope of making it my new home!

What has been your favourite memory as a father so far?

I think my favourite memory is more like a Déjà vu or a time machine. Every day I find myself just staring at my son’s face and a whole movie plays in my head all the way to the day he was born and I realise how lucky I am to have the chance to be a father. 

What is a special memory you have with your dad or grandfather that has helped shape who you are today?

I don’t think I can pick only one special memory of my dad because he was an exceptional father. 

He worked a lot but he was always playing with us whenever he could and other kids used to love him too. Very kind and generous man (like my mother also), always trying to help underprivileged people.

He had a great sense of humour despite being usually quiet, and always calm. 

Him and I use to play almost everyday table tennis, pool table, soccer. He was a great player even though he could barely see from his left eye. He used to read A LOT too.

One day, when I was 8 years old I complained to my father (like a little brat) that he didn’t give me a bike like the bike a particular friend got from his father. He went to his office and got all the bills he paid monthly and made me add it all up. Then he showed me his paycheck and made me subtract and said, “You tell me if I can afford two of those bikes” (one for me and one for my brother).

Which lessons have you learned from your father that you will pass down to your boy?

There are a few things that he said to me that I try to apply every day in my life:

“Respect everyone no matter their social or economic status, job, gender and age. Everyone is important in society.”

“Make sure you do the best you can so no one can say anything bad about you when you leave this world! Integrity”. 

Do you have any gems of wisdom that you can share with new or expectant fathers? 

Our job as fathers/parents isn’t to make our kids love us, but to respect us, for what we do and who we are as a person. Be a good role model. Be fair but firm with your kids, they will thank you later when they realise you were just trying to prepare them for life as best way you could.