David Valdez

David Valdez (born June 1, 1949) is an American photographer, best known for being the Chief Official White House Photographer from 1989 to 1993, during the presidency of George H. W. Bush.

Early life Valdez was born on June 1, 1949, to Israel Valdez Sr. (formerly of the Army Air Corps), and Alicia Saldaña Valdez in Alice, Texas. His family had emigrated from Mexico when the King Ranch started transporting cattle north of the border.

Following his graduation from high school in 1967, Valdez was drafted into the Air Force, where he was told he was going be a field photographer. He was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. He worked for the base newspaper and often photographed generals during the Vietnam War at Strike Command headquarters. He was also put in charge of other servicemen, which he put on his resume as 'supervisor', hoping that it would help him in the long run.

In 1989, after Bush's inauguration as President, Valdez was appointed as the President's photographer and director of the White House Photo Office. Valdez reportedly took 65,000 rolls of film of the President during his time at the White House.

The Public News of Houston praised Valdez's "fine eye for composition and the historical moment" and also "beauty and humor", but it criticized the lack of captions of the photographs, stating that this means no information or context is provided about them, and therefore criticizing the editing.

Personal life Valdez is married to Sarah Jane; the couple have no children. They reside in Georgetown, Texas.