David Butow

I've been a professional photojournalist since I was a teenager and have photographed major news events, social conditions, politics, conflicts and natural disasters all over the world.
In the mid-2010's, I produced a personal project called "Seeing Buddha," which infused photography with ideas aligned with meditation, empathy, presence and emotional wellness.
The project expanded as I launched a series of teaching workshops, first on my own and later in collaboration with the Leica Akademie, to bring these ideas to photographers of all levels.

In 2025 I met a photography enthusiast whose emotional well-being was transformed by picking a camera later in life. The activity helped him tremendously in dealing with repressed PTSD from a childhood tragedy. This synergy sparked the idea to collaborate with him and two others first for an event at the International Center of Photography in New York, and later to create Fotophase.

Our intent is to facilitate and participate in more research on how the act of photographing can help individuals deal with trauma and more generally, have satisfying experiences that contribute to their well-being. We have found photography to be an underrepresented discipline in the neauroarts community and are encouraged to explore the possibilities of greater understanding and effectuations.