Bert joined the Charlotte Observer in January 2007 as director of photography after tens years picture editing at National Geographic Magazine. At the Geographic he edited stories ranging from camel caravans across the Libyan Desert to a 70-page cover story celebrating 50 years of mountaineering on Mt. Everest. Before joining National Geographic he was a picture editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and an art director for the Inquirer’s Sunday magazine. His honors include being named “Picture Editor of the Year” five times by the University of Missouri in its annual Pictures of the Year competition. He has participated in the Eddie Adams Workshop for 15 years. He is also the director of photography for “Child Labor and the Global Village: Photography for Social Change,” a ten-year documentary photography project that explores the complex issues behind child labor.