It’s hard to know where to begin when trying to write about David Bergman. As a concert photographer myself, David is someone I have looked up to for a long time, and I am hoping to avoid sounding like a fan. That may be tough.

David Bergman is, to put it as simple as possible, is a phenomenal talent. Based out of New York, David is a portrait and music photographer, and world class photo educator. Let’s start on the music side of things…

David is the official tour photographer for Bon Jovi, documenting the band both on and off the stage. That job has taken him to more than 30 countries on six continents. Let that sink in for a minute. As a music photographer he has also toured with Barenaked Ladies and Gloria Estefan, and has worked with Avril Lavigne and Joss Stone. Add to that his celebrity work for the likes of Drew Carey and you have someone with more experience than most people have the chance to get – no wonder David is a Canon Explorer of Light.

One of the things he is best know for is being a pioneer of the GigaPan technique for making very high resolution images, and his Gigapan of President Obama’s first inaugural speech was view by more than 30 million people. His 20,000 megapixel image of Yankee Stadium was printed at 130 feet wide and displayed at the Canon Expo in 2015, a technique he has also used for commercial clients including NBC and MLB.com. David at times seems to be able to do anything with a camera.

On the education side of things he stars in and produces a show for AdoramaTV called “Two Minute Photo Tips with David Bergman”, something I have watched often. He also is a sought after speaker, having done workshops and seminars for Canon, Apple, Adorama, Best Buy, and Columbia University. He’s on the design board for Think Tank Photo, a Red River Pro, an AdoramaPix ambassador, and was a charter member of the Apple Aperture Advisory Board – a program he still uses today even though it’s been discontinued by Apple.

Hopefully you’re starting to see what I meant when I mentioned his level of talent. Moving from being a Miami Herald staff photographer to where he is today has been an interesting path. David has had 13 Sports Illustrated covers, including his image of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees raising his son over his head after winning the Super Bowl. He has covered multiple Olympics, World Series, Super Bowls, NBA and NCAA championships, and Stanley Cup Finals.

In other words, for those of you that know the man as the Bon Jovi Tour Photographer, he is so much more than that. This photographer has been published in Rolling Stone, Time, Newsweek, People, Entertainment Weekly, Blender, Kerrang, USA Today, and of course his current hometown paper, The New York Times. I am so glad David was able to find some time to join me for this episode, because yeah… I am a fan.

Join photographer David Bergman and me as we take a deep dive into his portrait of a swimmer for a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 ad campaign, and as we discuss creativity, cropping, composition, and workflow on this episode of Behind the Shot.

Portfolio: DavidBergman.net

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