David Burnett is one of the most important photojoumalists of our time. He has travelled in 80 countriesw over more than four decades. His awards include “World Press Photo of the Year” (1980) and “First Prize Sports Story” (2005); the Robert Capa Gold Medal (1985) and the’Olivier Rebbot Award (2010) for the “Best Reportage Overseas” from the Overseas Press Club; “Magazine Photographer of the Year” from the University of Missouri/NPPA (1980); “Best Olympic Sports Essay” from the China News Photographers Association (2009); “Best Campaign Picture – Road to the White House” from “Picture of the Year International” (2009). He’s also been recently named one of the “100 most important personalities in photography” by “American Photo” magazine.

Burnett was the last photojournalist to cover America’s war in Vietnam for “Life” magazine. He was in Chile in 1973 following the military coup against the government. His photographs in the book 44 Days were taken during the Iranian revolution and the return of the ayatollah Khomeini. In 1989 he was in Germany to witness the fall of the Berlin wall. In Africa he photographed young soldiers fighting for liberation in Eritrea.

Burnett has focused not only on animosity but athletics. He’s covered many sport events including the summer Olympics since 1984. He’s photographed world leaders as well as politicians running for the US Presidency.  His photographs include every American president from JFK in the 60’s through the inauguration of Obama.

Co-founder of Contact Press Images, Burnett has collaborated ith the group “Facing Change – Documenting America” and has his own very active blog werejustsayin.blogspot.com which he shares with his wife Iris. “Reporters Without Borders” has recently published a whole book of his photographs, 100 Photos for Freedom of the Press.

He’s had the oportunity to photograph Bob Marley twice: as a correspondent for “Time” magazine in Jamaica in 1976 and the following year for “Rolling Stone” during the European leg of the Exodus tour. Only a few pictures got published by these magazines and most of the material has remained unseen in Burnett’s archives until 2009 when Chris Murray of Govinda Gallery in Washington, struck by the uniqueness of those unpublished images, decided to exhibit them. They were eventually published in Burnett’s first ever book, Soul Rebel. An Intimate Portrait of Bob Marley (Insight Editions).