Biography

David Burnett is a photojournalist with more than 5 decades of work covering the news, the people, and visual tempo of our age. He is co-founder of Contact Press Images, the New York based photojournalism agency, now entering its 40th year. In a recent issue of American Photo magazine Burnett was named one of the “100 Most Important People in Photography.” (That made his mom very happy.) 

The May/June 2010 issue of American PHOTO did a 10 page story on David, and his unique talent for staying ahead of the times.    

In July, 2011, David worked with Photographers for Hope to create a workshop for homeless news vendors in Glasgow, Scotland. Their work a really wonderful show of what photography can do, when there is motivation.  In late 2015 Photographers For Hope came to Newburgh NY shooting for a week and doing a 100 print show at the Ann St. Gallery.  A book of those images ( “Newburgh Rising” will be  published in early 2017).

He is also collaborating with the group “Facing Change - Documenting America” which is trying to recreate a modern version of the FSA, and take a serious look at the issues facing the country during these turbulent economic times. You can see the group’s work at  www.facingchange.org  He recently taught workshops at the GulfPhotoPlus.com festival in Dubai - a long way on an airplane to get there but really great fun.

Reporters Without Borders has just published  “100 Photos for Freedom of the Press” featuring a whole career’s worth of David’s work

Favorite pictures