Francesco Da Vinci

Francesco Da Vinci is a Los Angeles-based photojournalist, nonviolent activist, public speaker, and documentary film producer whose career spans decades of photography and peace advocacy. For more than 20 years, Da Vinci worked as a celebrity portrait photographer with Getty Images. His work has been published in a wide range of outlets, including Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Harper's Bazaar (UK), USA Today, People, Forbes, The Washington Post, and LIFE Magazine. He has photographed astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Alan Shepard, Jim Lovell, Guion Bluford Jr., Wally Schirra, Gene Cernan, and John Glenn. His photography includes prominent figures in sports, fashion, and entertainment, reflecting his versatility in visual storytelling within the media and entertainment industries.

Da Vinci's commitment to social justice is central to his career. During the Vietnam War, he faced the draft and chose to become a conscientious objector, giving up his student deferment and risking prison. After three and a half years on appeal, he won his case and served two years of alternative service at a community center. While his case was on appeal, Da Vinci formed a peace group in San Diego called Nonviolent Action, which grew into a national movement and reached Congress with the support of Senator George McGovern. This early activism established a foundation for his ongoing public engagement in nonviolence and human rights.

After completing his alternative service, Da Vinci began as a set photographer for NBC-TV and Universal Studios, later focusing on photojournalism. His association with Getty Images provided a platform to promote causes such as UNICEF, gun control, ending capital punishment, animal rights, nuclear disarmament, the Equal Rights Amendment, and human rights, with a lifelong emphasis on peace through nonviolence. His photo of a child at a March for Our Lives rally was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Da Vinci has been recognized as a member of the U.S. Senate Gallery of Photographers and received the Key to the City of Miami Beach for outstanding photography.

Da Vinci authored the memoir "I Refuse to Kill," which details his conscientious objection to war and promotes nonviolence at both individual and international levels, featuring his photographs of civil rights and peace marches. The book addresses issues such as social justice, police brutality, government surveillance, persecution of nonviolent activists, and the contrast between war and nonviolent conflict resolution. Da Vinci received a nomination for the U.S. Peace Prize in recognition of his advocacy. He has developed a documentary film based on "I Refuse to Kill" to further promote social justice, nonviolence, and altruism. Da Vinci also launched a social media series on his celebrity shoots and street photography called "Da Vinci's Camera." He regularly participates in podcasts and radio interviews as a peacemaker, discussing topics including the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the cultural shift from violence to nonviolence, and responses to right-wing extremism.