A former United States Attorney has been named Photographer of the Month for April, 2012, by the Friends of Hagerman.    H. S. Bert Garcia of Sherman has been a photo enthusiast since childhood. 

Garcia says, “One of my earliest memories is of the smell of the chemicals as one of my older sisters was processing pictures in our make-shift closet/dark room with black cloth on the walls and a bare red bulb on the ceiling.  I was fascinated by the image appearing in the chemical pan toward the end of the process and I still have some of those pictures we developed.  I have never forgotten that and those memories led me back to photography when I became an adult.” 

Now Garcia will have a virtual album of twelve photographs he has taken at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge featured on the Friends web gallery. 

Garcia says, “I grew up in a hunting culture and as a hunter.  However, along about the age of 18 or 19 I became dissatisfied with killing anything and stopped.  Photography, particularly at places like Hagerman, gives me the opportunity to hunt with a camera and not hurt anything.”

photo of Dead Woman by Pond by H.S. Bert Garcia

Garcia, a semi-retired attorney, now works part time, and has worked for the US Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney for 20 years in the Sherman office of the United States Attorney.  He finished his career with the DOJ in 2006 as United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, serving in that capacity for 4 years.  

A native Texan, born in the Rio Grande Valley, he has been a licensed attorney in Texas for almost 35 years.  He has been married to Lana Caswell-Garcia, who is also a native Texan, for 37 years.  In addition to photography, Garcia also enjoys physical fitness, golf, and fishing (catch and release).

Garcia states, “I have owned an Olympus n, an Olympus n-1, an Olympus Camedia E-10, various incidental point and shoots and my current Nikon D-300.  I primarily use a Zuiko 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G and an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D for long shots.  I also have a Zuiko 50mm f/1.8G for low light and my next  lens is going to be a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 for wide angle.  I am sorry it took so long for me to get to Nikon.  Hopefully my second camera body will be the upcoming D-400.” 

Photography is the only piece of artistic talent that Garcia claims, adding, “such as it is.  Hagerman gives me the opportunity to express that bit of talent, enjoy the beauty of nature and nature’s animals and get exercise and peace as I traipse along the trails.  I only hope to continue doing it for a while longer.”

Garcia is a member of the Friends of Hagerman Nature Photo Club, which meets semimonthly at the Refuge.  For more information about photo programs of the Friends, contact fohphotoclub@gmail.com.