Bill Rettberg Sr's last day on York Road...An era ends!

 On August 5, 2013 one of the longest running professional organizations in the country shuttered its doors forever. Bill Rettberg Sr. closed his York Road studio, the final peg in once was a three studio, full pro lab operation that at its peak in the 1980s photographed over 400 weddings, over a thousand portrait sessions,  dozens of commercial shoots, and took in outside lab work from other photographers every year. In addition, Rettberg Brothers ran until 1978 photographing thousands of newborns at Mercy and Saint Agnes hospitals. Throw in years of photographing yearbooks for several area schools, and one can grasp what a dynamic business spun out of Govans.

 From 1948 until August 5, 2013, Bill Rettberg has been a fixture on York Road, going from Waverly to the 5200 block of York Road, to 5802 York Road, and finally next  door to 5800 York Road. Bill has dedicated 65 years to his craft, and though some commercial photographers have shot into their 90s, there is not an active wedding photographer in the country who will still be shooting weddings at age 87. Bill will shoot his last wedding on September 28.

 He weathered fires, theft, family splits and all the normal pitfalls of running a business to stay vibrant and effective in a highly competitive field. In that time there were well over 150 people who worked there at one time or another as photographers, lab personnel, or administrative sales people.

  Retirement does not go down easily with Bill, and he will undoubtedly find new ways to exercize his still very active mind.

 Though Bill Sr. is out of the active pursuit of the photographic client, the Rettberg will go on. Bill Rettberg Jr. with 44 years under his belt as a full time professional will continue the family tradition along with wife and partner Robin Sommer. In the tenor of the times, the new business is Images of Sommer, a Bill Rettberg Production. It has been decided that the industry has taken on a decidedly feminine touch, and the advantages of a woman owned business cannot be ignored. Bill Jr. is many miles from a full retirement and will still actively pursue all aspects of photography coverage.

There is another Rettberg in the creative arts also. Bill Jr's son Jeff is at last moving forward on several projects in the video production arena. Jeff and his fiance Elena DeBold are forming their own production company, and Jeff is currently working on the set of the Netflix series House of Cards. Jeff is a graduate of the prestigious Vancouver Film School, and has a strong background in editing, producing and directing various projects. The Rettberg name will endure for many decades to come!

We wish Bill Sr. many happy years, and to him we say it was a great ride, and you are a credit to all those who ever called themselves professional photographers.