Meeting, understanding, and listening to people's stories have been life-long passions for Bartay, whether they’re across town, across the country, or across the most remote corners of the world. Traveling around the U.S. since childhood and traveling the globe since his college days, has nourished and deepened his curiosity, understanding, and appreciation of different peoples and their cultures.

In 2009 he embarked on a trip to the far western regions of Nepal to document the efforts of Helen Keller International to eliminate malnourishment. It was during this trip that he recognized the powerful effect his photos had in helping NGO’s achieve their goals and the importance of using visual storytelling to address social issues throughout the developing world. Bartay doesn't just document the situation; he creates images that foster emotion, provoke thought and challenge action.

Bartay is a humanitarian whose photographs tell the story behind the picture while preserving the dignity of his subjects. His desire is to get you, the viewer, involved with the subject as another human being, to care about their struggles and cheer on their successes.

Since September 1977, Bartay’s photography career has taken him from the advertising world of NYC’s Madison Avenue, to the graphic design world of Fortune 500 companies in San Francisco, to social documentary photojournalism around the world. This diversified background enables him to have a more complete understanding and the best solutions to the overall project. He is able to self-direct on site, often in a myriad of difficult situations while never losing sight of his client’s objectives. His ability to go with the flow has proved helpful in many situations. He genuinely cares and is deeply respectful of the people and culture in which he is working.

Bartay graduated with a BA from Brooks Institute of Photography with honors in 1976. When he's not traveling throughout the developing world, immersed in the local culture while documenting social issues, he can be found enjoying the culture at home in San Francisco.