Nancy Bartell, A Photographic Presence
by Karen Reider
Whether Nancy Bartell is looking over the counter at Bank of America in West Sedona, or through the lens of her camera, what is looking back usually has a smile. Even the little bee she spotted buzzing around her yard recently seemed to be smiling into her lens, posing for this gifted photographer.
Just the thought of Bartell and her wonderful photography makes me smile. Which brings me to the story of how I
"discovered" Bartell.
A dear friend of mine, Emily Love, was terminally ill. Bartell, in her capacity at the bank, helped us with paper work, which had us befuddled. To show her appreciation, Emily had me buy a rose and bring it to Bartell.
The following week, we received a photo of the rose and a note, calling it the
"Love Rose," because you could clearly see the shape of a heart in one of its petals. The rose, a beautiful reminder of my loving friend, hangs on my wall to this day.
So when the publisher mentioned reviewing
Bartell's work, I jumped at the chance.
While interviewing Bartell, I commented on that photo. She told me she
didn't see the heart until the photo was on her computer screen, where it jumped out at her.
"That is how it is with photography," she told me.
"Sometimes you don't see what you're shooting until after the fact."
It's part of the mystery and magic she so often taps into. Most of the time she sees and knows exactly what she is after, but cherishes those little surprises when nature is working behind her back.
Bartell grew up around cameras and a father who loved taking photos as a hobby. She was not particularly drawn to learning how to shoot as a child, but seemed to have a natural eye for it. Her parents bought her a camera that she had some fun with, but she
didn't take it seriously at the age of 12.
It wasn't until 2004 that Bartell discovered her passion for photography. Her sister gave her a Sony digital camera, and she began playing around with it in her backyard. When she discovered the macro lens, it was all over. That summer, she probably photographed every flower, bee, and bird that visited her yard.
"Suddenly, I was seeing a whole world I didn't even know existed," she told me with great enthusiasm as she relived the moment.
"The lens drew me in to uncover the most intricate designs of nature. It made me realize how much you can miss with the naked eye, how you don't focus on those intimate spots until you're looking through the lens of a camera." Bartell was so thrilled with this new discovery that she began to spend all of her free time shooting photos.
This is how she learned photography, through intense trial and error, and also great success. And, of course, four years later, she continues to learn, not only photography but also the multi-dimensional world of the computer.
"Using Photoshop has opened another avenue of art to me," said Bartell. She is often burning the midnight oil, creating masterpieces from photos
she's taken and blended or filtered.
Almost completely self-taught, Bartell has a gifted eye and natural talent for photography. She told me that talking with other photographers, especially Mel Russell, has been more than helpful.
"It's nice to see a group of people
who do photography for a living, being so gracious in sharing information." She is sure there is competition out there, but
hasn't felt the sting of it.
She even assisted Russell last year for the shooting of Sedona Jazz Festival, and loved every minute of it.
While a lot of her focus has been on nature, Bartell is no stranger to photographing people.
"I never turn down an experience," she said. So when guitarist William Eaton asked her to shoot some photos of him and his group several years ago, she nervously jumped at the opportunity.
"It's one thing to shoot photos for myself, quite another to have someone depending on you."
Bartell found that shoot a little challenging at first, but extremely rewarding. She has shot many promo photos since, with incredible results.
A few months ago, she did a promo shoot for
Eaton's daughter Ty. At 16, Eaton was producing her debut album, and he called Bartell in for the photos.
I saw the photos previous to attending a concert featuring Ty. Bartell had done a superb job of capturing the personality of the young star ... a little shy, a little bold and a whole lot of talent.
In 2007, William Eaton, also a master guitar maker, hired Bartell to photograph some of his truly unique guitars, which are handcrafted pieces of playable art. He submitted the shots to Guitar Makers Magazine, and Bartell was honored when they chose one of her photos for its cover.
Bartel's photos have donned the cover of other magazines. She was hired to photograph a 1956 Packard, which was featured on the cover of Packards International Magazine with several more of her photos inside.
Last year, Bartell's honeybee photo graced the cover of Four Corners Magazine, which featured the struggle and endangerment of the honeybee.
Bartell's latest project is for the City Historical Preservation Committee. She has been shooting photos of historical landmark buildings in the area. The committee wants to make people aware of historical landmark buildings and their significance.
The photos have been enlarged to an impressive 24x36 inches, and are hanging in Sedona City Hall.
Bartell gets most of her work through word of mouth, and has quite a following of locals who love her photos.
Bartell is grateful to have found her soul work.
"It's how I share myself with the
world," she smiled.
Aren't we the lucky ones!
Bartell can be reached directly at (928) 301-2213.