Finding Beauty in Every Season
Bob Jester Captures First Place
Alisha Yocum
When The Catoctin Banner announced its 1st Annual Photography Contest, celebrating local landscapes, the response from the community was overwhelming. We published the top ten finalists in the February issue and left it up to you—our readers—to determine the winner.
One image rose above the rest: a stunning photograph by Bob Jester that perfectly captured the beauty of Owens Creek in the Catoctin Mountains.
Jester, originally from Frederick County, has resided in Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania, for the past 32 years. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1980 to 1986 before beginning a 30-year career as an executive chef, including time at the Village Tavern in Walkersville. Many may also know him from his business, Jester Computers, which he operated for 25 years in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, and which his daughter now continues.
“I have been interested in photography since I was a teenager, but I didn’t take it up as a hobby until I bought my first DSLR [camera] in 2010,” Jester said. From there, he taught himself the skills needed through books, online photography classes, and YouTube videos.
While his favorite subjects remain landscapes, especially sunrises and sunsets, Jester has dabbled in a variety of different types of photography. Perhaps most notably, he photographed concerts for his friends in the platinum-recording band Kix, known for hits such as “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”
Lately, his new interest has been on macro photography, which is extreme close-ups of small subjects, as well as phases of the moon, portraiture, and still life.
In recent years, Jester faced one of life’s most difficult challenges: a diagnosis of incurable stage 4 cancer. Despite this reality, he remains optimistic. Ongoing treatments have been largely effective, allowing him the time and energy to devote himself more fully to photography, a passion that has brought him peace and purpose.
Jester is married to Mary Ellen, his wife of 41 years, and they have two daughters, Mandra Jester-Burris and Ayse Marie Stenabaugh, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Congratulations on winning the inaugural photography contest! Through his lens, Jester reminds us to pause, look a little closer, and find the beauty in every season of life.
Bob Jester’s winning photograph, “Owens Creek Catoctin Mountain,” voted on as the favorite by Catoctin Banner readers.
Bob Jester photographs as a hobby, but had a unique opportunity to photograph his friends in Kix during their concerts.
