alison.jpg

Portrait by Greg Bottali

  • Alison Bert

    • I'm a writer who used to make my living as a musician. And somewhere along the way, I developed a passion for photography.

    Whatever I do, I try to make it meaningful. The best training I ever had was as a reporter The Journal News, covering everything from 9-11 to education and business. Now, as an editor for Elsevier, I try to bring the same journalistic integrity to corporate communications.

    In the previous century, I was a classical guitarist and music professor. I will always be grateful for the opportunities it gave me. While working on a doctorate at the University of Arizona, I was a Fulbright Scholar in Spain and studied with Andrés Segovia in a master class. I performed with wonderful musicians in places I will never forget, like Berlin, Krakow, Jerusalem and Caracas. And was able to share what I learned with with some incredible students.

    But ultimately I decided to return to my roots as a writer. When I was on the music faculty of Syracuse University, the Newhouse School was right across the street. I signed up for a few courses, but a professor there convinced me to get a master's in journalism and make it my living.

    Many people ask me why I changed careers, but I don't see it that way. For me, art in any form is about finding what is fascinating and building a technique to express it to others. Which is what I hope to do here. I hope you will join me.

    img_1510.jpg

     My photo gallery 

    An amazing night out in Manhattan for $15

    Alison Bert on February 24th, 2008 | Filed under Dancing, Photography

    img_1510.jpgFirst, if you’re wondering why I haven’t been writing much lately, it’s because I’ve been spending my weekends on photography, having recently bought new camera equipment.*

    Now for the best part. My gig last night was to take pics of the Swing & Salsa Party at You Should Be Dancing in NYC — a monthly dance with two killer bands and a dee-jay. Even if you don’t dance, you can stop by, sip a soda and surround yourself with some of the liveliest swing and salsa in town. Here’s my picture of Kate Bartoldus, bandleader of Lady Luck and the Suicide Kings. You can find the rest of the pics in my new gallery. And check out Explore Dance for dance photos, reviews, hot spots and more. My first review of camera equipment is there, and I actually sound like I know what I’m talking about!

    * For the photo buffs among you, I have a Canon Rebel XTi, a Tamron 17-50 mm aspherical lens, and my latest addition — the Canon 580EX II Speedlite (thanks to Greg on the Metro North for recommending it).

    2 Comments »


    2 Responses to “An amazing night out in Manhattan for $15”

    1. Pam Says:
      February 28th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

      Hey! I wondered where you went! I’ve just read a bunch of your entries and really enjoyed them. Miss you!

    2. Alison Bert Says:
      February 28th, 2008 at 2:00 pm

      Pam, it’s great to hear from you. And from a fellow writer, your praise means a lot. Let’s catch up soon!

    Leave a Comment