Casa Grande, AZ
I first became obsessed with photography and motion pictures while growing up in post WW2 Manila in the Philippine Islands in the late 1940's/early 1950's. Film noirs were a particular influence.
But my first love remains the theater. I acted in numerous amateur productions from 1958 to 1978. In 1979 I earned a MA in drama from the University of Arizona; earlier getting a BA in English from the University of Minnesota, where I co-founded the first film society on campus and ran it for four years. While at the U of A, I studied with the master black and white photo essayist W. Eugene Smith (1918-1978) the last year of his life. I am the last person cited in Jim Hughes' definitive biography of Gene, as I wrote about attending his final class days before his death.
I still consider myself an amateur photographer as almost all my work displayed here has been self assignments. After graduating from an announcing school in Minneapolis in 1964 I began employment as a news anchorman/booth announcer/writer/still photographer, at the now defunct KXAB TV in Aberdeen, South Dakota, without having taken a journalism course or ever have taken a photograph. (I bluffed my way into the job.) Being essentially my own boss of a one man news team, I could repeatedly blunder and bury my numerous mistakes. There I began my thematic, photo essays as stories for broadcast in black and white slide form. I found photography much more rewarding than being a media celebrity.
After an abortive try at the Peace Corps I landed at KVOA TV in Tucson, Arizona in April 1967 as a news editor/cinematographer. I continued with the photo essays now shot on negative film, and printed/ rephotographed with 16mm film. My only on air appearances were when I did "stand-uppers" or interviews.
Since then I have spent decades as a teacher of arts related subjects (acting, film making/history, creative writing, art history, literature and photography, English, etc.) in various community colleges, universities and prison facilities in Arizona.
My images, with the captions and descriptions, speak for themselves. I am presently building a website (vanishingamericanwest.com) which will feature my photo essays and short films.
My photo essays are in numerous archives/museums in the US and Europe. I am the only living photographer who has his own archive at the University of Arizona Special Collections Library in Tucson.
My prize winning short films/videos have been screened at festivals in Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Japan. Malta and Spain; and on many US cable systems.
Since 1994 I have lived in an adobe house in Casa Grande, Arizona.
Adolf Hitler saluting marching troops from a Mercedes Nuremberg Germany 1935 by David Lee Guss
Adolf Hitler Giving The Nazi Salute From A Mercedes #3 C. 1934-2015 by David Lee Guss
Adolf Hitler with fellow soldiers from the List regiment number one circa 1916 by David Lee Guss
Adolf Hitler as WW1 soldier close up circa 1916 color and frame added 2016 by David Lee Guss
Adolf Hitler And A Feathered Friend C.1941-2008 by David Lee Guss
Standard of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler circa 1935 by David Lee Guss
SA parade Berlin January 1930 color added 2016 by David Lee Guss
Franklin Roosevelt on February 3 1911 color and drawing added 2015 by David Lee Guss
Mrs Evelyn Nesbit and Son Russell William Thaw Arnold Genthe photo New York 1913 color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
Pro Germany march at the start of WW1 1914 color added 2016 by David Lee Guss
Men line up to enlist in the Army at the start of WW1 London 1914 color added 2016 by David Lee Guss
German soldiers marching in town at the beginning of WW1 1914 color frame added 2016 by David Lee Guss
The Battle of the Somme 1916 color added 2016 by David Lee Guss
Tomorrow Is Forever Orson Welles in WW1 uniform and Claudette Colbert 1946 by David Lee Guss
Life in a Western Penitentiary Moving Picture World trade ad Dec 27 1913 Citagraph Company 1914 col by David Lee Guss
Butterfly woman Henry Buehman photo Tucson Arizona c. 1900 color added 2008 by David Lee Guss
Woman with earrings Henry Buehman photo circa 1910 Tucson Arizona by David Lee Guss
Anna May Wong circa 1930 color added 2012 by David Lee Guss
Chinese immigrant Tucson Arizona circa 1910 color added 2016 by David Lee Guss
Auto accident Mesilla near Meyer the barrio Tucson Arizona circa 1914 by David Lee Guss
Corner of Meyer and Congress Tucson Arizona circa 1911 color added 2012 by David Lee Guss
Lewis Hine Winter Newsie Burlington Vermont December 17 1916 color added 2012 by David Lee Guss
Messenger boy for Mackay Telegraph Co. Lewis Hine photo Waco Texas 1913 color frame added 2016 by David Lee Guss
Children working in coal mine Lewis Hine photo unknown location c. 1910 by David Lee Guss
Lewis Hine photographing children in a slum location or photographer unknown circa 1910 by David Lee Guss
Child newsie unknown location Lewis Hine photo circa 1912 by David Lee Guss
Newsies at Skeeter Branch Lewis Hine photo St. Louis Missouri May 9 1910 by David Lee Guss
Film Homage Billy Bitzer Miriam Cooper Intolerance 1916 Screen Capture Color Added 2012 by David Lee Guss
Film Homage D.w. Griffith Intolerance 1916 Fall Of Babylon 1916-2012 by David Lee Guss
Recruiting Display 23rd And Broadway Flatiron Building New York City April 1917-2014 by David Lee Guss
Zeppelin Viktoria Louise c.1914 color added 2016 by David Lee Guss
Ft. Duffy Statute And Yul Brynner Poster Palace Theater Times Square Nyc 1977 by David Lee Guss
Plank Rd first planks 1915 entrance Holtville California circa 1915 color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
plank rd first planks close up 1915 color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
plank rd first planks 1915 color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
plank rd first planks c. 1918 color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
Remnants of Old Plank Road Burton Frasher photo 193 by David Lee Guss
plank rd remains circa 1940 color added 2015 color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
Remnants of Old Plank Road Algodones Dunes photo by Perdelsky number seven Imperial County CA 2007 by David Lee Guss
Soldiers marching in WW1 parade El Paso and Southwestern Depot Tucson Arizona circa 1916-2015 by David Lee Guss
Liberty Bell float in a WW1 parade Tucson Arizona circa 1916 color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
WW1 float Tucson Arizona 1917 color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
Mechanized boat July 4th parade Tucson Arizona 1918 drawing and color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
Hotel Orndorff Colored American Flags Tucson Arizona Circa 1915-2012 by David Lee Guss
Liberty Bonds rally Congress Tucson circa 1917 color added 2015 by David Lee Guss
Jack Johnson heavyweight boxing champion 1915 coolant frames added 2016 by David Lee Guss
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