Born in Chicago and raised in the suburbs of the Midwest, Barb Bergwerf discovered her passion for photography at an early age. As a child, she eagerly carried rolls of Kodak film to her local camera shop, captivated by the anticipation of opening the envelope to see what she had captured. One defining moment came when she noticed that the photographs displayed in the shop window were her own—a realization that quietly set her on a lifelong creative path.

After graduating from high school in Skokie, Illinois, she enrolled at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a degree in International Affairs. Following college, she entered government service, working briefly at the Library of Congress while awaiting security clearances before serving with a U.S. intelligence agency.

Family health challenges eventually brought her back to Chicago, where a chance opportunity led her into professional photography. She began working with a photo studio, then moved into photojournalism with a small local newspaper. Her work soon caught the attention of the Chicago Tribune, which recruited her as a staff photographer during its expansion of regional coverage.

Never one to shy away from a new challenge, she later developed a deep love for Tiffany-style stained glass. She founded Stained Glass and More in Northfield, Illinois, creating original stained glass works for over two decades while teaching thousands of students. Her studio received multiple awards in recognition of its craftsmanship and artistic excellence.

When retirement planning prompted a search for a new home, she and her husband, Ben, traveled extensively before discovering the beauty and history of Charleston, South Carolina. Relocating to the Lowcountry allowed her to return fully to photography, working with organizations such as the Center for Birds of Prey, the Department of Natural Resources, the South Carolina Aquarium, and the Island Turtle Team.

Alongside her visual art, a long-held desire to write quietly endured. Advances in technology—and the unexpected gift of time during the COVID era—finally allowed her to bring that dream to life. Her debut novel, Fatal Exposure, marks the culmination of a lifetime of storytelling through both image and word.

See some of Barb’s books, artwork, lamps, photography and more on Instagram