Photography editor David Hicks joined The Washingtonian in September. Born in Arlington, he grew up mostly in Middleburg, graduated from Loudoun County High School, and received a painting degree from the Rhode Island School of Design.

After college, he worked for a billboard company, where his assignments included painting the Marlboro man at RFK Stadium. He particularly liked painting food—including an “eight-foot chicken leg” and a similarly proportioned ice-cream sundae: “That was really fun.”

Hicks was a photography editor in the Clinton White House; he traveled often with the President. More recently, he was a photo editor at Washingtonpost.com and deputy photo editor at USA Weekend.

What kind of photos get his attention? “When a moment is captured that’s not going to come back. When something becomes more than real—a saturated or enhanced version of reality. Or when someone is surprised, when their guard is down.”

Hicks lives in Bethesda with his partner, Martin Signore.