David Neel is a fifth generation traditional Kwakiutl artist and a professional photographer. He studied and apprenticed in the United States before returning to Vancouver, Canada to work as a multi-media artist and photographer, specializing in documenting contemporary Indigenous people. He has been working professionally for over 30 years; he is the author of two books on Native culture; and he has been widely published and has had solo exhibitions in major institutions, such as: The National Museum of the American Indian, New York; the UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver; and the National Portrait Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.