An Inspired Chat with David Berding of Minneapolis-St.Paul

David Berding shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning David, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
During my travels last year, I found and bought a Leica M6 with a 35 f/2 lens. I’ve been rediscovering my love for working with film and the development process and now I get excited at the thought of going through another roll. There’s something to be said about taking photos with film and limiting yourself to a certain amount of frames. The thought process behind film isn’t too different with my sports work: Be intentional and get good frames but the advantage of digital is I can fire off as many frames as I need as fast as the camera will allow and I can go through instantly and see what I got. Film lets me slow down and the anticipation is what excites me. Being able to say that I take photos for a living is a privilege, and being able to maintain photography as a hobby when I’m not working is one of the things that makes the art form my favorite creative venue.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is David Berding and I’m a freelance sports photographer in the Minneapolis, MN USA. I cover all of the professional and collegiate sports teams in town and other odds and ends that come up, like golf tournaments around the Midwest. My main client is Getty Images and I’ve been freelancing full time with them since 2022 which has led me to opportunities I could only dream of when starting on my photography journey back in 2009. As the saying goes, it takes a village, and this journey has allowed me to meet some incredible people that I can lean on.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship I have with myself. It has not been easy. I grew up in a predominantly white town and being Korean was not exactly the easiest thing to be. There was a lot of self hatred and wishful thinking that I could wake up and be white like my peers. I was adopted as a baby and all the way through high school, I wanted nothing to do with my heritage or culture, it was poison to me. As I’ve gotten older, and with the help of therapy, I’ve been able to embrace who I am and where I come from. I still catch myself here and there having those old thoughts but they’re far less frequent and I’m able to process why I’m having those thoughts. I can confidently say I’m a proud Korean-American.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Failure. I’ve been fortunate enough that I’m not scared to try new things but if the fear ever starts creeping in, I think of this Johnny Knoxville quote: “Honestly, you just take a deep breath and say ‘Fuck it.'”

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Not completely, I’m pretty guarded about myself. I let people see glimpses but I’m protective of my peace.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
When I’m behind the camera. It’s the only time I can keep my mind completely clear.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.davidberdingphotography.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/davidberdbag