“David Whitman’s intimate scenes of street and beach are painterly in their vibrant colors and artful compositions. Amid tropical light and color and shadow, these compassionate images of human beauty and warmth stay with us.”

—Sarah Cahill, East Bay Express

“David Whitman’s passion is photography. The subject he has trained a painterly eye upon most frequently to date is Brazil. What that means to him, it seems, is not so much a geographical as an emotional locale where warmth and vibrancy coexist intensely.”

—Cathy Cockrell, “Capturing the Soul of Brazil,” Berkeleyan

“O Brasil tem sido uma fonte de inspiração fundamental para o fotógrafo norte-americano David Whitman. Para Whitman, o Brasil é principalmente seu povo de traços às vezes desconcertantemente rudes e maneiras sempre doces, de uma sensualidade que ele localiza junto à areia da praia e à água dos rios e lagoas, o que transforma muitas vezes seus modelos não-profissionais em personagens da mitologia afro-baiana.”

“Brazil has long been the primary source of inspiration for American photographer David Whitman. For Whitman, Brazil is principally its people whose traits are sometimes disconcertingly primitive but at the same time always sweet, with a sensuality that he connects to beach sands and the waters of rivers and lagoons, often transforming his non-professional models into mythological Afro-Bahian figures.”

—Álvaro Machado, editor, Opera Prima, 2002

“David Whitman’s strong emotional connection to Brazil and his flourishing career as photographer are seminally linked. His has always been an eclectic soul—prone to travel and experience based on their own merits.”
—Michael Sasser, “David Whitman: Portrait of a Modern Renaissance Man,” The Wire

“I have a variety of photographer idols—personalities that come from a wide array of different areas and artists with often diametrically opposed work methods and focuses. They include Horst P. Horst, Yousuf Karsh, Helmut Newton, Pierre Paolo Pasolini, Leni Riefenstahl and Francesco Scavullo, as well as people like Peter Berlin, Clifford Baker, Peter Beard, Tom Bianchi, Jean-Daniel Cadinot, Michael Childers, Greg Day, Andreas Fux, Greg Gorman, David Hockney, Annie Leibovitz, Hans van Manen, Beatrice Neumann, Dianora Niccolini, Terry Richardson, Andres Serrano, Arthur Tress, Gert Weigelt, and David Whitman.”

“Tengo una gran variedad de fotógrafos que admiro y que provienen de una amplia gama de diferentes áreas, artistas a menudo diametralmente opuestos a los métodos con los que trabajo. Entre ellos se incluyen: Horst P. Horst, Yousuf Karsh, Helmut Newton, Pierre Paolo, Pasolini, Leni Riefenstahl y Francesco Scavullo, Peter Berlin, Clifford Baker, Peter Beard, Tom Bianchi, Jean-Daniel Cadinot, Michael Childers, Greg Day, Andreas Fux, Greg Gorman, David Hockney, Annie Leibovitz, Hans van Manen, Beatrice Neumann, Dianora Niccolini, Terry Richardson, Andres Serrano, Arthur Tress, Gert Weigelt y David Whitman.”
—Henning von Berg, GaydarNation.com

“David Whitman’s images of Brazil are unique yet familiar. His photographic subjects are ordinary people in their ordinary activities. What surprises the viewer are the details of light, color, and pattern. Whitman’s photos capture private moments without intruding, and thus show the viewer a face of Brazil often hidden behind the spectacular scenery and riotous carnival of more typical shots.”
—Norine Berenz, Professor, InterAmerican University,
San Germán, Puerto Rico

“Um americano e uma baiana, ambos apaixonados fotógrafos, revelando a Bahia nas imagens que os arrebataram. O fascínio do movimento da pelada em Itacaré, as fachadas da velha Salvador em detalhes de pura sensibilidade, cenas de cidades e sua natureza viva. As fotos de David Whitman e Valéria Simões mostram quanta arte há no cotidiano.

“As cenas do dia-a dia, que geralmente nos passam despercebidas, foram as que enfeitiçaram David Whitman: homens olhando uma cena de dança, um garoto sentado na borda de uma canoinha, o extraordinário sorriso do vendedor de amendoim…Tanto Whitman quanto Simões festejam as pessoas do Brasil e provam que o belo não só está nos olhos de quem vê.”

“An American and a Brazilian, both passionate photographers, show Bahia in images that captivated them: movement in a beach soccer game in Itacaré, façades of historic Salvador in sensitive detail, scenes of cities and nature. The photos of David Whitman and Valéria Simões reveal how much art there is in the everyday.

“Day-to-day scenes, which usually go unnoticed, intrigue David Whitman: men watching a dance, a boy sitting on the edge of a canoe, the extraordinary smile of a peanut vendor. Whitman and Simões both celebrate the people of Brazil and demonstrate that beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder.”
—Cássia M. Candra, Correio da Bahia, 1997

“David Whitman celebrates Brazil’s people and their world, infusing the work with the sensual pleasures of Brazilian culture.”
—Jolene Thym, “Artists celebrate beauty of Brazil,” Oakland Tribune, 1996

”The art of David Whitman is magical. He captures the beauty of the male physique and the essence of masculinity in harmony with other of nature’s wonders. His photographs transport one to exotic places in space and time, and lift the spirits of all who view them.”

—George Neary, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

“O fotógrafo norte-americano David Whitman, conhecido internacionalmente, é um amante das belezas naturais do Brasil. Beleza essas que incluem o homem brasileiro, com certeza um dos mais belos e sensuais do mundo.”

“The American photographer David Whitman, known internationally, is a lover of the natural beauty of Brazil. This includes Brazilian men, certainly among the most beautiful and sensuous in the world.”

—G Magazine, 2004

“David Whitman's photographs take us to the heart of Brazil—a heart that is essentially male. Visually the shapes are strong, muscular, powerful. The men are very much at ease with themselves. We see it in the way they touch one another, fling themselves down in the sand, laugh as they plunge into the sea. And there is something very new in the way Whitman captures these moments in their lives. There is no posing, no self-consciousness, no sense that they are aware that they are being watched. That is why David Whitman's photographs are so important. They come from a Brazil that is spontaneous, real, living in the moment.”

—David Leddick, “Approachable Beauty,” Miamigo, 2002

“O fotógrafo norte americano David Whitman é uma figura pra lá de finíssima. Gente boa, bom papo e alto astral; adora o Brasil, fala português, escuta e curte MPB, bossa nova, samba e com seu talento e sensibilidade, registrou por suas viagens ao Brasil as pessoas que encontrou nas ruas, praias e praças.”

“American photographer David Whitman is the epitome of cool. Nice all around, makes good talk, and is very upbeat. He speaks Portuguese and loves Brazil and its popular music, bossa nova, samba. On his many trips to Brazil his talent and sensitivity have recorded the daily lives of people he has encountered on the streets, beaches and plazas.”

—Paul Constantinides, Fotograturas