Raleigh County, WV (WOAY) – Beloved Beckley Newspapers chief photographer Rick Barbero is retiring after a storied career.
We are reminded that “A picture is worth a thousand words“ when looking at Barbero’s impactful images.
“It’s bittersweet; all I’ve ever done. I know I’m probably going to be out there driving my car when I see a fire or car wreck, and immediately I’m going to want to jump out and get pictures,” Barbero said he will probably still do that and submit them.
Reflecting on his 45-year career, the chief photographer says he didn’t have plans when he got out of high school.
“I got involved with photography because my cousin had a chemical darkroom in his house,” said Barbero. “He projected an image on the enlarger, and then put it in the chemical and that image appeared; it was magical.”
He went to a Rochester, New York vocational school, followed by the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Barbero knew he wanted to pursue photography as a career, but wasn’t yet sure of his niche when he snapped photos of a house explosion that he submitted to the Pittsburgh Press.
“Next day I ran down to the store and sure enough, it was on the front page,” Barbero said, adding that he set photojournalism in his sights.
He traveled from Pittsburgh to Beckley Newspapers in 1980, capturing decades worth of powerful photos.
“I’ve been able to photograph seven presidents, a wide variety of celebrities, sports figures, and Oliver North,” Barbero said. “I can just go on and on. I would never have had that opportunity if I weren’t a photojournalist.”
The chief photographer won 37 first-place West Virginia Press Association Awards, Associated Press West Virginia Photographer of the Year, among other recognitions. He is all about capturing people’s expressions in his photos.
“Sometimes, you’ll read the story and the cut line and the photo already tells that story,” said Barbero.
While the chief photographer is stepping away from the paper, you may catch him on the golf course, camping, fishing, model railroading, but happily, some things never change.
“My fingers are still going to be clicking that shutter,” Barbero said he will be out there in the community. “I could be taking wedding photos, graduation photos, senior photos. I’ll do some freelance work if the paper needs me.”
