David Degner

Contact

+1.646.450.4334 / [email protected] / Signal: Degner.01

based in

Boston & New York City

background

My interest in photography stemmed from a recognition of my own—and America’s—ignorance of Islam and the Middle East in the wake of 9/11 and its wars.  After studying photojournalism and philosophy, I moved to Cairo just before the start of the Arab Spring in 2011.   For the next 9 years, I covered breaking news in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Sudan, while also working on in-depth stories of religion, human rights, and cultural life in the region.

Just before the Covid Era I returned to Boston to document this moment in the US, while expanding my visual language to incorporate more video, long term documentary, and artistic approaches.

I work with select companies and organization to tell their stories and I enjoy showing the passion they bring and how they are changing the world.

My work has been published widely, appearing in outlets such as National Geographic, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times, Der Spiegel, and Le Monde Magazines. One of my long-term projects, “Modern Miracles,” which documents the physical imprint of the spiritual world, was the subject of a solo exhibition at Maqad Sultan Qaytbay in 2017. 

One favorite project was co-founding Panorama with Mada Masr, a platform for showcasing the best photojournalism from Egypt and issues of interest to the greater Arab world. I was also a founding contributor to @EverydayMiddleEast.  

reviews

David did an amazing job on a Hepatitis C story. I’m filled with gratitude for his dedication and talent. I know it’s an anachronism but he made page one, top of the fold, a position of honor usually held by breaking news. Thank you! – Jessie DeWitt at The New York Times

David covered the Arab Spring for me at The Wall Street Journal and his images graced the cover after the fall of Mubarak. He is a dedicated and capable professional, able to work under any condition and capture the essence of any story. Highly recommended working with him.  – Matthew Craig at the WSJ

David is a total pro. He communicated with several people in our newsroom about a single project and satisfied the needs of the reporters, the director of photography and the video producers. He delivered both photo and video on short notice. We gave him 12 hours notice for our 1-1 video interview with a high-profile politician and he delivered high-quality content without a problem. Would love to work with him again. – Monica at POLITICO 

Outstanding. He was on-time, easy to communicate with and his work was exactly what we were looking for. Looking forward to working with him again. – Blyth at Duke University

More: Glimmer / Google Business / Blink.la

exhibitions & awards

select editorial commissions

select institutional commissions