About David Winegar

Cowboy Life & Cameras

My love of photography and the outdoors began with my father James, an outdoorsman who instilled in me a deep appreciation for wild places. Some of my fondest memories are of camping and backpacking with him in Utah’s High Uintas and riding on the back of his motorcycle. My father also had his own photography business.

Dad died of colon cancer at a young age, leaving my mother to raise five children and working full time as a nurse at the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. At age 12, I left Utah to live, go to school and work on my uncle’s cattle ranch in Kalispell, Montana.

Shelter Valley Ranch was a working Hereford cattle ranch, blessed with deer, the occasional bear, and packs of coyotes howling at night. Ranch life was hard work, but I loved it.

We had several working horses—Cindy, an Indian Paint purchased from the Flathead Indian Reservation. Tinker Bell, a high-spirited pureblood Quarter Horse, and Charlie, a powerful horse that never surprised. I rode with a Winchester Model 94 .30-30 in a saddle scabbard.

I explored the ranch, occasionally photographing whatever caught my eye. Photography felt magical—the anticipation of unwrapping the package of developed prints was magical. And the fact that a camera could literally stop time, sparked a lifelong love of photography.

Ranch life taught me to embrace hard work—setting fence posts, branding cattle, moving irrigation pipe, and bucking bales of hay. It taught me independence, self-reliance, and a love for wide-open spaces. It was a life where simple things were more than enough.

Aviation

After high school, taking over the ranch wasn’t in my future, and life took me in another direction. Inspired by seeing the Blue Angels as a boy, I returned to Utah, graduated from the University of Utah, earned my officer’s commission, and became a U.S. Air Force pilot.

Before pilot training, I attended Air Force SERE (Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion) School in Spokane, Washington. My uncle gave me a Canon AE-1 film camera as a present. I still have that camera today and love shooting film and not dealing all the digital menus.

My Air Force career took me across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Pacific. I flew for four-star Marine General George B. Crist, Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command, and later flew the KC-10 Extender. In 1990, I joined Delta Air Lines, where I spent three decades as a pilot and captain, including time in Flight Operations management.

Photography Full Time

I founded Park City Photography in 2003, entering competitions and exhibiting my work while continuing my airline career. Since retiring from airline life in 2020, I have devoted myself full time to creating photographic art.

I work as a private photography tutor and lecturer, serve on the Board of Directors of the Intermountain Professional Photographers Association, and was honored to exhibit my work at the 2026 Kimball Arts Festival.

After years of representation in Park City showrooms, I now work directly with clients to create art uniquely suited to their space.

Education & Growth

I graduated from the New York Institute of Photography in 2015, completing a comprehensive program in film and digital photography. I remain passionate about continuing education and printing a lot of my own work on fabulous artistic media.

Competition

Professional competition helps me grow through feedback from experienced judges and jurors. Museum and juried acceptance also gives my clients confidence that my work has met high standards of fine art photography and gallery level presentation.

Inspiration

My influences range from Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier-Bresson to Sebastião Salgado, Nick Brandt, Thomas D. Mangelsen, David Muench, and Guy Tal. Each has influenced the way I think about light, place, emotional impact, storytelling, and the power of a photograph.

The Art

I hope my art connects you to a place you have known, loved, or still dream of exploring—and perhaps finds a lasting place in your home. I invite you to discover the image that speaks to you.

David James Winegar