Daily Inspiration: Meet David Eulitt

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Eulitt.

Hi David, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, could you briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I got my first camera at age 12, a 1970’s Polaroid Pronto B!, and this little plastic box with the motor sound hooked me on the magic of still photography, watching an image slowly unveil itself, like a magic trick I could create over and over again. Even in middle school, I knew this was what I should be doing as a career. After graduating with a BA in Journalism from The University of Missouri-Columbia, I began my newspaper career as a staff photographer at The San Bernardino (Ca.) Sun, The Topeka Capital-Journal, and The Kansas City Star, where I photographed many national and international sporting events, including four Summer Olympic Games, two Super Bowls, and two World Series. At the Star, I added video storytelling to my daily work. Today, I work for Midwest Health, Inc. in Topeka, telling visual stories in both video and still photography while freelancing for Getty Images photographing the Kansas City Chiefs home games.

Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve been fortunate to have great instructors and patient editors who have helped me improve without tearing me down. Having confidence that you can tell someone’s story with a camera, or at least interpret it visually, is key because taking chances and risks also leads to inevitable failure occasionally; otherwise, you’re not pushing yourself forward. If you’re afraid to make mistakes, you tend to do the same safe things repeatedly.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve always been particularly interested in portrait and sports photography, so I tended to gravitate towards those genres, which was easy working at a newspaper since there are a lot of portraits and sports assignments. I’ve worked a lot on making my video work equal to my still work, even though I’m in a corporate environment. I film my video stories candidly, without any staging (other than the interview part), and authentic videos are much more effective than staged technically-gorgeous ones. I’m happy that my company lets me do this and encourages my philosophy regarding storytelling, whether it’s in motion or stills.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check?
I have a bookcase in my office filled with photo books connected with me and the genres of photography I love. One of my favorites is John Loengard’s “Pictures Under Discussion,” which is hard to find outside used bookstores. Loengard, a photographer with Life Magazine, compiled a book of pictures he made for the magazine, which is terrific, not surprisingly. What IS surprising are the short stories accompanying each image on how and why he made the photo that way. His words are simple, yet they showed me how important thinking is before picking up the camera. I’m also a huge fan of Robert Frank’s “The Americans” and Dan Winters’ “Road To Seeing,” but I could also pick out another 20 books that have made an impression on me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.davideulitt.com
• Instagram: @davidphotokc
• Other: https://vimeo.com/davideulitt

Image Credits:
All photos other than the wedding portrait, David Eulitt/The Kansas City Star, Wedding portrait, David Eulitt.