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Named Merchant of the Month at Hollister Artisans Mercantile, which has a section with his photographs for sale, Adam Bell continues to build his presence as one of San Benito County’s most active photographers and photojournalists.
“He’s just a great guy,” said Mercantile owner Kristi Kern. “He works really hard doing what he does, and he’s an inspiration to others. He’s quick to take people under his wing and help them out because he’s so grateful for being helped himself.”
Bell attended the Life Skills Transition Program at Hollister High School and became a client of Hope Services in 2018. In 2019, he became the photographer and social media specialist for Growing Hearts Garden Center and acquired his first camera, which ignited his passion for photography.
“I love showing the nature of the area,” he said. “I feel that I’m going out and taking pictures for people who can’t get out much, and when I post them online, it’s like my gift to them. Somebody commented on one of my posts, ‘Thank you for giving me a tour of San Benito County.’”
![Adam Bell photographing in the wild. Courtesy of Adam Bell.]()
Adam Bell photographing in the wild. Courtesy of Adam Bell. ![The Church at Tres Pinos. Photograph by Adam Bell.]()
The Church at Tres Pinos. Photograph by Adam Bell. ![Landscape. Photograph by Adam Bell.]()
Landscape. Photograph by Adam Bell. ![A horse. Photograph by Adam Bell.]()
A horse. Photograph by Adam Bell. ![Balers football. Photograph by Adam Bell.]()
Balers football. Photograph by Adam Bell. ![Sunset. Photograph by Adam Bell.]()
Sunset. Photograph by Adam Bell. ![Some of Adam Bell's entries at the County Fair. Courtesy of Adam Bell.]()
Some of Adam Bell’s entries at the County Fair. Courtesy of Adam Bell. ![Adam Bell at the KSBW weather desk. Courtesy of Adam Bell.]()
Adam Bell at the KSBW weather desk. Courtesy of Adam Bell.
Vowing to take pictures daily, he can often be found biking through the backroads south of Hollister in search of beauty to capture.
“I usually have free time on Tuesdays, Thursdays and the weekends,” he said. “I like to get out of town for a while and take pictures. One of my favorite areas is around the church in Tres Pinos, but I also like Hollister Hills. The first time I went out there, I had a deer following me, which was funny.”
His journeys to the county’s rural areas have resulted in a series of landscapes and wildlife portraits that won him four awards at the 2024 San Benito County Fair, an event that Fair CEO Dara Tobias hired him to photograph.
“Dara told me I should enter the contest,” he said. “Every time the fair comes up, people tell me that I need to put my photographs up there. So I worked with her to select what I would show, and I ended up with two Second Place awards and two Third Place.”
Bell was hired as a freelance photojournalist for Benitolink in April 2023. He covers sports and community events and contributed to over sixty-five articles in 2024 alone.
“Adam is a delightful presence here in the newsroom,” said BenitoLink Interim Editor Eric Johnson, “and he gets a lot of support from the staff. He’s ambitious about photography, and he’s very plugged into the community. He’s been sharpening his skills, and I’m really pleased to help him with that.”
Bell became interested in photojournalism when he worked near the BenitoLink office, which was then at the Community Foundation’s Epicenter Building in Hollister.
“I saw how people were doing the news,” he said. “I thought, ‘They seem to be having lots of fun. This is really cool!’ I told the editors, ‘If you guys need pictures, let me know.’ I started as a volunteer, and I loved the excitement.”
Bell has active accounts on Instagram, Threads and Facebook as well as his own website. Recently, after a conversation with Zoe Martinez, CASA San Benito’s social media coordinator, he was inspired to create his own YouTube channel.
“She said, ‘I see your reels on Instagram, and you do a very good job,’” he said. “I thought, ‘I can put pictures on there. I can put videos on there. I’m going to do it.’’
Bell volunteers at Hope Service’s stand at the Hollister Farmer’s Market—whenever he isn’t roaming the market photographing the people and vendors.
“I like going to things like that,” he said. “Being a reporter is very important to me. And now that I am a photojournalist, I get to do interviews, and I always learn something from the people there.”
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