Dave Berry: Writer, Photographer, Journalist
Photography and Stories from a Lifetime in Journalism and Beyond
Capturing a Life in Words and Images
This site showcases the selected work - both photographic and written - of Dave Berry. My 44-plus years as a journalist spans stints as a war correspondent in Vietnam and daily newspaper editor in Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Texas. In retirement, I continue to write, to learn and to expand my knowledge of photography and to capture images that appeal to me. I hope they appeal to you too.
A Few Favorite Images
I never thought of myself as a full-time professional photographer, but photography was always a key piece of what I thought a journalist should be. I learned photography at Kansas State University on a 4x5 Speed Graphic. When the instructor hands you two wooden slides with two sheets of film in each, you have to be selective about what you shoot. You train yourself to be patient and to envision the finished shot before you trip the shutter. There aren't a lot of do-overs. It made me appreciate the photographers of the day who captured wars and breaking news with that bulky camera. For a short time, I shot with a Yashica D and its mid-size format, but after being handed a 35mm camera while training to be a military journalist, I never looked back. I bought my first 35mm camera in Vietnam - a Pentax Spotmatic with two lenses. Since then, I've shot with Nikons and Canons, both film and digital. Much of my work has never been published.
The photo below, "I've Got Your Back," is a different view of the "Three Servicemen" Statue at "The Wall" in Washington, D.C. Veterans like it, and I'm proud to say it hangs in the new Veterans Home north of Tyler, a VFW Hall in Palestine, an American Legion hall in my hometown, and the American Freedom Museum in Bullard. Since retirement, I've updated my skills, bought a new camera body and a few go-to lenses... and tackled astrophotography, high-speed shots, low-light, etc. I'll share my successes when they come. Please explore my galleries. I believe every picture tells a story, and a few words accompany each shot. I hope you enjoy the journey.
Photo Galleries:
I'm a Storyteller at Heart
In recent years, I wrote a weekly column called Focal Point for the Tyler Morning Telegraph in Tyler, TX. Those columns covered many topics and were accompanied by photos illustrating my main point. I have included a small selection of those Columns & News Articles here.
Two of my favorite columns involve Vietnam's Warrior-Poet Michael Davis O'Donnell and a special meeting with Bob Hope in Long Binh. Many involve military themes such as Silence in the Gardens of Stone, about Arlington National Cemetery. Others tell the stories of those I met on multiple ventures to Washington accompanying groups of World War II veterans on Heroes Flights. Forged by War is a journey through the military memorials that fill the nation's capital.
Other pieces are as varied as Knowing When to Get Off, lessons learned working in a Kansas grain elevator; Sky Vu in My Rearview Mirror about a long-overdue return home to my roots; Above it All at Acoma, a memorable trip to Sky City; and Where the Buffalo Roamed, a piece about growing up wading in buffalo wallows in our Kansas pasture. I hope you like these. I'll keep writing and adding new content, so I hope you'll come back from time to time. Enjoy.
A Letter in the Recipe Box
This column, published Nov. 22, 2013, honors my wife’s uncle, Lt. (j.g.) Hugh Coachman Crews, above, who was lost when the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis was torpedoed in the final…
Dad, Death and Dora
“In the concentration camps, we discovered this whole universe where everyone had his place. The killer came to kill, and the victims came to die.”– Elie Wiesel By DAVE BERRY…
Farewell to the Texas Prison Rodeo
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” – Strother Martin (the Captain), Cool Hand Luke (1967) Photos and Story by DAVE BERRY Brazoria County, along the Texas Gulf Coast,…