Today we’d like to introduce you to David Winegar.
Hi David, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From Saddle to Cockpit to Camera
I started life as a cowboy in Montana, became an Air Force pilot, then an airline captain, and today I’m a professional fine art photographer. The path hasn’t been straight, but it has always been shaped by resilience, reinvention, and a deep love for wilderness and wildlife.
Roots in the West
I grew up in Utah, where my father took me camping in the Uintas and fishing at Panguitch Lake—experiences that gave me his love for the outdoors. When I was twelve, he suddenly passed away from colon cancer. My mother was left with five children and worked long hours as an emergency room nurse while struggling under massive medical bills. As the oldest, I moved to live with my uncle and aunt on a working cattle ranch in Kalispell, Montana. My relatives were World War II veterans—no-nonsense people—and ranch life was demanding. I replaced their retiring hired hand, spending long days mending fences, bucking hay bales, and riding the range on a spirited quarter horse named Tinker Bell when not in school. Those years taught me self-reliance, a love of hard work, and a reverence for wide-open spaces.
Stirrups to the Stratosphere
By the end of high school, it was clear the ranch wouldn’t be my future. Back in Utah, I enrolled at the University of Utah and joined Air Force ROTC. I was inspired after an interview with Lt. Colonel Heiser, a decorated fighter pilot and Commandant of Cadets, whose encouragement helped me believe I could become an Air Force pilot. I worked long days and nights to pay my way through school, eventually earning a commission as an officer and pinning on my silver pilot’s wings in 1984.
The Air Force was a world of discipline and responsibility. I flew missions in Panama during Operation Just Cause, in the Middle East during Desert Shield, and in the Pacific during major exercises such as Cope Thunder and Team Spirit. Later, I was chosen to fly Four-Star Marine General George B. Crist, Commander of U.S. Central Command, aboard a specialized EC-135Y command aircraft, carrying senior military leaders and subject-matter experts throughout the Middle East.
When my military service ended, I joined Delta Air Lines. Over a 30-year career I rose to captain, served in management, and gathered what I call “Retina Records”—memorable sunrises and sunsets all over the world from 30,000 feet, flying among the Northern Lights, over glaciers in Alaska, and across the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Photography from the cockpit was not allowed, but many images remain etched in memory.
A Photographer’s Path
I retired early during the Covid pandemic of 2020, stepping fully into Park City Photography, a business I had founded in 2003. Even while flying, my education in art continued—on layovers I sought out museums around the world, studying masterworks of painting and photography. In 2015, I earned a diploma from the New York Institute of Photography, sharpening my craft in both film and digital.
I have never settled into a single niche—and perhaps that is my strength. I love all genres of photographic capture. My style leans toward straight photography: real subjects in real light, with only minimal manipulation. I prefer the solitude of working alone, returning to places that are meaningful to me, watching how light transforms them at different times of day and in different seasons.
My autumn landscapes have twice been juried into the prestigious Springville Museum of Art’s Spring Salon, in 2024 and 2025. My wildlife work—from ospreys and owls to wild mustangs—remains closest to my heart, earning first-place awards at the Utah State Fair and recognition in international competitions.
Full Circle
Today, I sell my work directly to the public through art festivals, my website, and private in-home consultations. In the end, my story is less about planes or cameras, and more about gratitude—for family, for mentors along the way, and for the chance to witness beauty from the saddle, the cockpit, and behind the lens.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Losing my dad to cancer when I was twelve turned my world upside down. Leaving my brothers and sisters to live on my uncle’s ranch in Montana was lonely, and I had to grow up fast.
College brought its own struggles. I paid my own way, which meant an extra year to graduate—working nights and studying days while pushing toward my dream of becoming a pilot. I often wondered if I was good enough to make it. The Air Force tested me further with long deployments, time away from home, and the weight of responsibility every time I strapped into a cockpit.
Thirty years of airline flying carried its own pressures—landings in snowstorms, threading between thunderstorms, handling sick passengers, and the occasional mechanical scare. The endless checkrides and simulator emergency drills were a necessary evil, but they took their toll year after year. And when the Covid pandemic hit, it forced me into retirement before I was ready.
Photography has had its challenges too. Building Park City Photography while still flying meant cramming art shows and competitions into my days off, a grind that often stretched me thin.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in fine art photography, with a focus on landscapes and wildlife. I spend countless hours afield and tens of thousands of miles each year studying subject matter, watching how light transforms the land and days observing wildlife, and envisioning how those moments might become powerful works of art. My process extends well beyond capture—through careful post-processing, test printing on different materials, and refining presentation to bring out the fullest expression of each piece.
What sets me apart are scenes and artworks that have been juried into museums, professional credentials and training that ground my craft, and more than 25 years of experience behind the lens. I am a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography, a board member of the Intermountain Professional Photographers Association, and the recipient of numerous local, state, and international awards. I continue to compete in art shows, seek critique, and take every opportunity to learn, always striving to grow as both a photographer and an artist.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters to me most is being kind to others, staying true to traditional values, and honoring the oath I took as a military officer to protect and defend this country against all threats, foreign and domestic. I want to be a trusted friend, someone people can count on. Above all, I believe in staying true to core values and principles—never blindly following a political movement when it strays from the vision and ideals laid down by our Founding Fathers.
Pricing:
- I offer limited-edition fine art prints in four premium formats—archival loose prints, gallery-quality canvas wraps, vibrant Chromaluxe metal prints, and museum-grade acrylic. Prices range from $85 for smaller prints to $6,495 for large-format acrylic pieces, with sizes available up to 48×72 inches.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ParkCityPhotography.NET
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkcityphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhotoMojo1959
