“A perfect day would always include seeing and experiencing art, as well as getting a good cup of coffee and food. ”
Betty Press has been photographing for the last 25 years. She grew up on a farm in Nebraska but left the Midwest to experience the world. Her photographic career really started when she moved to Africa in 1987. As a free lance photographer she quickly established conncections with UNICEF, UNHCR, and other not profit organizations to photograph what was happening at the time. She also contributed to major magazines and newspapers. In 1992 she had the honor of photographing Audrey Hepburn on her visit to Somalia as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In 1995 she moved to Florida to start a new phase which included teaching photography at Stetson University. She started to show her African photographs which showed the more positive aspects of African society and culture. This work placed in Photolucida Critical Mass Top 50 in 2005. She also continued to photograph in Florida, the African diaspora in Cuba, the Caribbean and Central America. Her photogaphs have been widely exhibited and collected around the world as well as being selected for many juried competitions. In 2011 she published her first award winning photobook I Am Because We Are: African Wisdom in Image and Proverb. She captured a stunning, life-affirming portrait of the African people and culture.