Debbie Michel
July 14, 2025Dave Sherwin greeted her with the calm patience that comes from decades of understanding how tender these first moments can be.
She asked if she could return a little later to compose herself. “It was clear how deeply it all hit her,” he said. “I see that flood of emotions a lot. You have to be sensitive to what they’re feeling because this is a huge moment for them.”
Sherwin serves as lead photographer for the Adventist Review, responsible for taking all the official head shots of newly elected leaders at the General Conference Session, which ran July 3-12 in St. Louis. This marks his eighth time covering the global gathering, a role he first took on in 1985.
Back then he was fresh out of college and shooting entirely on black and white film. Sherwin and a colleague took turns rushing from the floor to the darkroom, often working all night to process rolls of negatives. Partway through the session, editors decided to publish their first color cover. Sherwin had to catch a taxi to go an hour away to a one-hour photo lab, wait for prints, then hurry them back so the Review’s bulletin could be shipped to Maryland for printing.
“That first color cover came out really nice,” he said. “It was simpler times in some ways but also a lot crazier.”
Today, Sherwin’s work is fully digital, with images reviewed on the spot and delivered to editors in minutes. Preparing for this session started long before he arrived in St. Louis. From his home base in Berrien Springs, Michigan, he planned what he would take: monitors, lighting gear, backdrops and nearly a van full of equipment. He packed five computers to guard against failures — a precaution that proved necessary when one machine crashed early in the session.
“We even rented about $100,000 worth of lenses,” Sherwin said. “I took out insurance just to cover all that.”
Never a Routine Day
Most days start around 7 a.m. with worship alongside the Adventist Review team. Afterward, photographers huddle with editors to plan assignments. Sherwin’s studio becomes a revolving door of leaders, spouses and families. In 2022 he took nearly 150 head shots and expects a similar pace this year, though he will finish up missing portraits at Annual Council in Washington.
The job is rarely predictable. During a recent lunch, a message came in urgently requesting a photographer. One of Sherwin’s team members jumped up, left his plate on the table and ran off with his camera to catch the moment before returning to finish his meal.
“That happens all the time,” Sherwin said. “We try to plan, but a lot of it is just being ready to grab your gear and go.”
Beyond portraits, he finds time to roam the floor and capture candid scenes from worship services, business meetings and cultural processions.
“I love the photojournalism side of this,” he said. “Getting out there and seeing people, catching real expressions, that’s the best part. The long business sessions are tough. We can get pretty bored waiting for something to happen. But when there’s a key vote or [on Sabbath when] delegates parade through in their dress clothes, it gets exciting fast.”
Sherwin grew up in Pakistan where his father served as a missionary. For him, these sessions are also a kind of reunion. As he hurries through crowded hallways loaded with cameras and lenses, he is often stopped by someone calling his name.
“It’s like a giant family gathering,” he said. “I’m too busy to have long talks, but it’s special to see people from all over the world.”
Perhaps most rewarding is mentoring younger photographers. Two of his former students from Andrews University where he taught for decades until his retirement in May, are now working professionals, and part of his team this year.
“I know what they can do. I trust them,” he said. “It feels good to see them out here doing what they love too.”
Sherwin laughed when summing up the daily swings of the job. “You go from tearing your hair out to being bored out of your mind. But I wouldn’t trade it. I still love taking pictures.”
