For the second time, Bella Vista photographer Jean Berg is a winner in the AAA Southern Traveler Photography Contest. This year Berg took third place with a photo of Cooper Chapel. Two years ago, a photo of Crystal Bridges won her a second place award in the same contest.
Berg, a long-time member of the Bella Vista/Bentonville Photography Club, has always taken pictures, but she didn't get serious about photography until she retired from a career in nursing. She has photographs hanging in City Hall. When an airline magazine asked former mayor Frank Anderson for pictures to illustrate a story about Bella Vista, she was happy to send hers.
"They didn't give me credit," she said, but she did get several copies of the magazine when her niece recognized her work on a flight to Europe.
For the AAA contest, Berg went to Pettit Jean State Park looking for the perfect photo, but she knew they were looking for an iconic image, so she ended up going back into her own files. She had already used Crystal Bridges, but she had a photo of the Cooper Chapel at night.
"It's always been a favorite," she said about the shot. She makes her own greeting cards, using her own photos and people are always happy to see Cooper Chapel.
Berg said her first camera was a box camera she found at home. She used it around the farm. She purchased a camera with a flash when she was in high school. In the early 1970s she bought her first SLR (single-lens reflex) camera. Back in those days, film and processing could be expensive, so a roll of film had to last several months. She was busy working and raising a family, so her photography had to take a back seat.
When she retired she bought her first digital camera and learned how to use it.
"It's been fun to do something that's fun and interesting," she said, "I'm learning about editing. It keeps me busy and active in my twilight years."
She never took a class, but she's heard many guest speakers at the photo club. She served as club secretary and as a board member for several years.
The photo club will often have an educational meeting with a speaker talking about a specific topic, and then they go out and try out what they learned, she said.
"I just like to take pretty pictures." she said. "I've done it because I love it."
General News on 08/30/2017