David Valdez: White House Photographer Turned Festival Founder

Episode 90 of Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast, titled David Valdez | Former White House Photographer, features an intimate conversation with David Valdez, the fifth official White House photographer in U.S. history. Hosted by Bryan Eisenberg and published September 8, 2026, the episode traces Valdez's journey from a military-trained photographer to chief photographer for President George H.W. Bush, and now founder of the Texas Photography Festival in Georgetown, Texas. During the Bush presidency, Valdez captured 65,000 rolls of film, now archived at the George Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University.

The wide-ranging discussion covers Valdez's early work photographing urban rebuilding for Housing and Urban Development after the 1960s race riots, his tenure as chief photographer at the United States Chamber of Commerce, and leading photography for the Walt Disney Company, including the controversial transition from film to digital. He traveled to 75 countries and all 50 states with Vice President and then President George H.W. Bush. Valdez also founded the Texas Photography Festival with CEO Julie Copenhaver, which welcomed 1,400 photographers this past year, and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, the USO, ROCK Therapeutic Horseback Riding, and Crestview Baptist Church.

Valdez recounts a striking moment in a Georgetown church when a Ukrainian missionary described the fall of the Berlin Wall. President Bush had refused political advice to travel to Berlin and claim Cold War victory, warning that a rogue Russian general might launch missiles. Decades later, the missionary confirmed exactly that fear. Valdez also shares leadership insights from the Oval Office, including Bush's tradition of starting cabinet meetings with prayer and his humble approach during pivotal global events. He recalls signing a nuclear arms agreement inside the Kremlin with President Gorbachev, who unexpectedly guided Bush to the pristine Tsar's Chapel preserved through seven decades of Soviet atheism. Valdez reflects on mentoring the next generation, from Susan Biddle, Carol Powers, and Joyce Naltchayan to interns who now shoot for Mercedes-Benz and have won World Press Photo honors. The Briscoe Center for American History in Austin has named him among its Icons of American Photography. Key sponsors of the festival include Precision Camera, Westcott, Nikon, and Cedar Park gallery Art Direct.