David Cossini

Australian Documentary & Portrait Photographer

David Cossini is an award-winning Australian documentary and portrait photographer known for his immersive “Gonzo” style. He often embeds himself in subcultures for years, creating raw, intimate portraits that bring a human perspective to marginalised communities and individuals on society’s fringes.

In 2023, he won the Head On Portrait Award for Ugandan Ssebabi, a portrait of entertainer Godfrey Baguma, which also earned the Art Handler’s Award at the National Photographic Portrait Prize. His earlier honours include the Percival Photographic Portrait Prize (2022) and the Gomma Photography Grant “New Flavour” Award (2021).

His work is defined by personal, gritty storytelling. Grande Bruto documents his father’s struggles with mental health and addiction, while I’m here to see grown men in underwear explores Sydney’s underground wrestling scene. In my dreams I’m dirty, broke, beautiful and free captures the energy of the Camden punk scene.

Cossini continues to exhibit widely, including at the 2025 Head On Photo Festival. His work combines long-term documentary practice with evocative portraiture, offering an unflinching view of often overlooked lives.

www.davidcossini.com
@david.cossini
A man falls backwards into a crowd while a priest watches on at a religious festival in Spain.
Elderly gentleman lifts his female dance partner onto his shoulders while ballroom dancing.
Two gentlemen and one lady participate in Australia’s last wet t-shirt competition.
Enthusiastic crowd members place money in the underwear of a Bangkok go go dancer.
An elderly man and lady throwing their hands in the air and dancing as Elvis impersonator Ricky Graceland serenades them at the Parkes Elvis Festival.
Laughing man sits with two huge dirty feet over his shoulders.
A professional bronc rider at a rodeo in Australia sits astride a Bucking horse as it leaves the gates.
Spanish matador Javier Cortés is thrown in the air by the bull in Las Ventas Bullring in Madrid, Spain.
Zombie Punk, Anderson Garcia Rodrigues, fighting with his partner Joshua in Camden Town, London.
An Obese disabled man dressed as Elvis sits on a chair while his companion on crutches falls on the ground in front of him at the Parkes Elvis Festival.
African wife standing over her white husband who lays on the floor in their humorous wedding photos.
A boda bod driver drives on the road in Uganda carrying a coffin on the back of his motorbike.
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