David Ottenstein has worked as a free-lance photographer in New Haven, CT since 1982 and is a member of the Professional Photographers of America. His commercial work includes architectural, product, editorial and people photography on location and in the studio. His clients have ranged from high tech corporations to non-profit organizations that provide social services.
David’s strong interest in American history and culture is reflected in his fine art/documentary work. This interest has led him to photograph interiors of decaying industrial buildings in the northeast U.S., to the Midwest, and more recently, to the mountains and Great Plains of the American West. Photographs from these projects are part of the Western Americana Collection at Yale University’s Beinecke Library, the Permanent Collection of Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of American Art, Kansas City, Missouri, the New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain, CT, the Palmer Museum of Art at the Pennsylvania State University, the Dubuque Museum of Art, Dubuque, Iowa, and numerous other institutional and private collections. IOWA: Echoes of a Vanishing Landscape, his first book, was published in October 2017.
David grew up in the small Pennsylvania town of State College where, at 14 years old, he picked up a camera and was immediately hooked. He received a degree from Yale University in 1982 in American Studies with a concentration in Photography.
News, Publicity and Announcements
KJAN Backyard and Beyond interview with David Ottenstein on 12/14/2018:
Beinecke Library Press Release (PDF)
New Haven Magazine Article (PDF)
Radio Interview WESU (mp3)