Based in Cairo, Egypt photojournalist David Degner was right in the middle of the Egyptian uprising when it erupted back in early 2011 and was also in Libya during the early phases of the uprising. Apart from documenting and witnessing some of the most important events in the MIddle East this year the subjects that David documents are wide and varied. From portraits of pigeons amongst the pigeon hobbyist in Cairo, to the growth of Parkour in Egypt, to the Uighur minorities in China just to name a few. David manages to dig a lot deeper rather than just scratch above the surface with the images and stories he captures giving the viewers a real understanding of the matter. However what really caught my attention when viewing David's website (and his BagNews features) was his amazing ability to combine his photographs with his own words which many photographers lack. This truly strengthens the ability to tell untold stories. We got in touch with David and asked him a few questions about the situation in Egypt and he how got into photography.

Hi David what initially sparked your interest in photography and can you remember the moment you decided photojournalism was what you wanted to pursue?

In high school I worked for the website design section of a newspaper company, but I would often sneak down to a nearby camera store just to hang out and look at the old cameras they had gathering dust. Step by step I picked up a camera, read books, and learned that having a camera in my hand could get me into almost anywhere.  It was the ideal tool to get over my shyness and learn about the world firsthand.

Having studied both photography and philosophy, which one did you studied first?

In college I found that the photo classes were so technical and the skill was so narrow that I really wanted some form of liberal arts education to pull my ideas from.  While I loved political science and economics I felt philosophy would give me the broadest base.

Do you find that philosophy helps with your  photography in term of how the images or message is delivered?

Quite often I see photography that is pretty and shot without a clear purpose.  Those philosophy classes helped train my brain to rigidly think through the message that I want to get across to my audience.  Of course I fall into the trap of loving ambiguity in my photos, I'm far from my own ideal in what and how I shoot.

You decided to based yourself in Egypt, Cairo early 2010, was this always the plan or did circumstances lead you there?.

I always wanted to set myself in the middle of people that think differently than me and try to absorb their mindset to challenge my own.  I chose egypt because I had already learned some Arabic, it was cheap, and in an important area.

Since living in Egypt how do you think Egypt and the middle east in general is represented and reported in the west compared to your own personal experiences?

I think Egypt in particular has had a hard time breaking out of it's reputation of camels and pyramids.  That's why I worked on the parkour and pigeon raising stories.  Just to break the stereotypes.  I think these revolutions have done more than anything else to show another side of the people in the Middle East.

When the Tuninsa uprising started you were in Cairo, what was the atmosphere like? Was there a sense amongst the Egyptians that something was going to happen in Egypt even before President Zine El Abidine Ben was ousted. 

In Egypt at first we were watching in amazement and thinking that it could never happen here.  Then, the night before Jan 25th I experienced a light switch moment and enough of my friends were talking about taking to the streets the next day that it seemed like anything could happen.

Can you describe how you prepared yourself going from Egypt to Libya and what it was like when you arrived there and how the situation is at the moment?

The decision to go to Libya was really short notice.  We weren't expecting to get across the border for a few more days so when the Egyptians let us through we were a bit unprepared.  But on the other side they were so starved for coverage that everyone was extremely helpful.  A driver took us to the first city and  it just flowed from there.

You are witnessing some fairly astonishing events in the middle east, do you often find conflicted reports from media outlets compared to what you see and photograph on the ground?

The difference between what I experience and what is reported isn't in the facts, but in the bandwidth and area of emphasis.  I'll experience a whole emotion filled day with 10 defining stories summarized down into 500 words and a photo.  Also, I spend much more time looking for the interesting moments while writers are often bogged down verifying the basic facts.  The biggest difference often comes when a few days after an event I'll remember something I saw as supremely important, but by then the news has moved on.

Many of the images on your website are combined with text. I think the words you produce to accompany your images really complements each other. Is this something you have always worked on and wanted to do?

I wish my photos were good enough to just say "Egypt, 2011" but many of them need a bit of explanation to get their full meaning across.

What do you look for when you are developing an idea for new a project? 

The ideas I persue fit a matrix of objectives, they send the right message, they are novel, feasible, and are publishable.

What are some of your influences and are there any photographers work you can recommend us to check out?

There are so many photographers that inspire me, but I can rarely remember their names.  Though you can't see it in my photos I really like the work of Larry Towell, Kodelka, and Trent Park.  Though I want to work more in the mold of Carolyn Drake.

Finally how do you think photography can contribute to and be helpful to society?

Last week I was bemoaning the inability of journalism and photography to stir the international community into action in Libya. This week I think we might have made a difference, though we never know what would have been or what will be, we might have stopped a larger massacre in eastern Libya.

We would just like to thank David for taking the time out and chatting to us as we know his super busy with all that's been happening in the Middle East right now. We wish him to be safe and well. Our thoughts and respect are with the photographers, journalists and civilians who have lost their lives since the Middle East events started. YMY Collective