David Burnett was drawn to photography since high school. He wanted to share his pictures with others. "It always meant something to me to have the pictures SEEN, and not just sit in a drawer out of sight." His desire to publish his images as well as his love of travel and reporting lead to his fullfilling career as a photojournalist.

His goal was to be a photographer for LIFE magazine, which he was for two years before the magazine stopped publication. "I still have in my heart the desire to work for the major magazines, and hope that my pictures might find a good space there, not just some little 1/8th page picture." His photographs often find themselves prominently displayed on the pages of magor magazines, but even with his goals reached Burnett keep looking forward for something more. "I don't think you ever really ARRIVE. There are always more things to do."

One way Burnett continues to challenge himself as a photographer is by trying new equipment. Currently he is enjoying re-discovering the ideas of working with large format cameras, Speed Graphic, in particular. With his diverse range of expertice in many camera types, how does he decide what cameras to take with him for each job? "I don't really decide until I pack my bags. You can't carry everything, so you must make that choice, and then hope that eventually you were right!" Burnett says.
His favorite pieces of equipment at the moment are the Speed Graphic and Graflex cameras, and the plastic toy camera, the Holga, as well as Canon 5D.

Burnett truly loves his choice to be a professional photographer. "It's a hellvua lot of fun if you make enough to eat." He says that photography has taught him to look at the world as though through his viewfinder. "I look, I see, and I hope I notice even when I am not shooting." He does this by photographing everyday. He recommends this for aspiring photographers to become better.

"Don't wait to be sent to Iraq or Yemen. Shoot what is around you."