Shifter: Dispatches, David Butow

Welcome back to the "Conversation Series" with this week's guest photojournalist David Butow. David and I met several decades ago and I've followed his career ever since. Photojournalism is a semi-misunderstood field but still serves as one of the most critical functions of photography, at least in my opinion. Working as a photojournalist involves training, a vetting process, and a serious responsibility. I've always viewed David as one of the "good guys" in this industry. His skill and commitment behind the camera are revealed by both his coverage and his awards. David worked in locations like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Iraq, Peru, and others. He covered stories on post 9/11 New York, the Palestine/Israeli Intifada, the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the China earthquake in 2008, the funeral of Nelson Mandela, the Hong Kong protests of 2019, and spent the last five years covering politics in Washington. His list of awards includes World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International, Photo District News, National Press Photographers Association, White House News Photographers' Association, Communication Arts, and more. David and I discuss his photographic origin story, his early training, his rise through the newspaper and magazine worlds, his work with US News and World Report Magazine, personal vs professional projects, the arrival and impact of the Internet and social media, and his incredible experience covering the events of January 6th, 2021. We also discuss his book "Brink," which details the entire arc of American politics from late 2015 to early 2021. As important as what we discussed is what we did not get to discuss due to time restraints. This is good news for all of you because it means there will be a second episode of my conversation with David. My goal with these talks is to introduce you to working photographers. Their life, their story, their training, their experience, and their understanding of what it means to dedicate your life to photography. In a world of influence, these are the folks that are actually rising at dawn to bake the bread. Photo: Roman Cho https://www.davidbutow.com/

Om Podcasten

Daniel Milnor is currently “Creative Evangelist” for Blurb, Inc. the world’s premiere print-on-demand publisher. He splits his time between the smog-choked arteries of Southern California and the spiritual landscape of New Mexico. Milnor is a former newspaper, magazine and commercial photographer who now works primarily on long-term projects. His work has taken him from the rural corners of the United States to Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. He has taught at Art Center College of Design, Academy of Art University, The Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, The Julia Dean Workshops and the Photo Experience Workshops. An early adopter of select technologies such as print-on-demand books and magazines, Milnor has created and published over one hundred unique titles, including the recently released “Manifesto Magazine,” which showcases the world’s best documentary photography. Milnor’s writing and photography has been featured in Camera Arts Magazine, Black and White Magazine, Life Magazine, Zone Zero, Flash Flood, Finite Photo, Resolve, Hasselblad Gallery as well as many others. Additionally, Milnor is the author the blog Smogranch which allows him to speak his mind, post his mother’s poetry and bring together like-minded people around the globe. He is currently working on a series of classic photo-essays which revolve around Blurb users who are living artistic, creative lives. His work is in the collections of The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The George Eastman House and The Santa Barbara Museum of Art.