His main focuses as a documentarian are oriented around nature, conservation, community, place, and outdoor adventure. Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, he splits his time between Taos, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles.

Berman’s early explorations in photography were shaped from an upbringing rooted in the outdoor folk culture of the Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands, high school years spent in the subtropics of South Florida, several visits to Argentina and Chile as a youth between the late 80’s and mid 90’s, and a life-shaping pilgrimage through Thailand in 1999. Those early experiences inspired a curiosity in personal travel narrative and documentation of place and community that’s taken him across the US and to six continents around the world. During early college years in the mid-90’s, he began his first foray into dedicated photography studies in central Florida. At that time, he also launched into a professional career in the ski industry. Over the past twenty five years, he has served as a ski instructor, trainer, and manager at several resorts throughout the US, most notably as part of the renowned ski and ride school at Taos Ski Valley in northern New Mexico. Following a four-year period sitting contemplatively in a solo wilderness hermitage in his twenties, he returned to university studies as an adult, receiving a BA in the humanities in 2009 and an MFA in interdisciplinary arts in 2019, both from Goddard College in Vermont. In the fall of 2013, Berman’s documentary work from Sierra Leone, Dreaming in the Land of the Mango Sun, was presented at the Taos Center for the Arts. Between 2014-2019, he completed his master studies, developing a written and visual thesis entitled The Trail, weaving together a series of independent travel projects, conservation photography, reflections on pilgrimage and hermitage, and explorations of outdoor adventure. In 2021, his work from West Africa was included in the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in Nevada City, CA.

Through the years, Berman has documented the work of NGO’s and non-profit organizations, including Shine on Sierra Leone, an LA-based non-profit focused on education development in West Africa; conservation organizations Surfrider Foundation and the Sierra Club; and regional conservation and education programs Amigos Bravos, River Source, and the Field Institute of Taos in New Mexico, and Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center in Oregon. He currently sits on the board of directors for the Australia-based charitable organization, Make Ways Foundation, whose work focuses on wellness and empowerment of sporting, education, and mental health communities in developing countries. His images have been utilized by organizations for fund raising and to highlight their narratives. In addition, he works with clients on private commissions, has displayed fine art work around the US, and has been an independent contributor to local news publications. Berman is a member of Photographer’s Without Borders, completing certification in ethical photography in 2020, and he recently completed a certificate in the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program at the International Center of Photography in New York City.

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www.joshuabermanarts.com