About the Photographer

When I picked up a DSLR camera for the first time in 2016 as a reporter for the Northeaster newspaper, a lifetime habit of paying attention suddenly had an outlet; creating art seemed within my reach.  

It is a privilege to be able to capture anything the wondrous world presents:  from the glee of a child raking in candy at a parade to the pollen-dusted legs of a bee on a coneflower; from the protesters at a demonstration at the State Capitol to the  thousands of crows that flock each night to roost in Minneapolis in the winter.   

I am a retired science teacher,  now teaching English to immigrants. I'm a  freelance journalist and photographer. For most of my professional life I have alternated between teaching and writing/editing jobs, sometimes doing both at the same time. My urban wildlife stories and photos have appeared in the Star Tribune and Northeaster newspapers; I also report and shoot news and features for the Northeaster. My features and profiles and advertorial work have appeared in MinnPost, Minnesota Medicine, Minnesota Women's Press, Mpls St Paul magazine and other local and regional publications. 

My photos have appeared in juried exhibitions at the Mpls Photo Center, the American Swedish Institute, the Hopkins Center for the Arts, Artistry,  Silverwood Park, the MSP Airport, the Minnesota Zoo, and elsewhere. In 2019 my photo Back of the Beach was awarded the Excellence in 2-D honor in Artistry's annual member exhibition.

I am no longer in the Northrup King Building, but photos are available for sale here. Check back here and on social media for news of new locations and displays of my work.

 

2024 Art-A-Whirl location:  A-Mill Artist Lofts, 315 SE Main St., lower level, in studio row. 

May 17 - 19.  Friday 5-10, Saturday 12-8, Sunday 12-5

 

Four of my photos are the exhibit Flightlines: Exploring Birds through Art at the Hanifl Nature Center at the Minnesota Zoo, through Labor Day. 

 

Five of my photos will be on display in the Critters: Animals in Modern Art show, gallery 427, Northrup King Building, September through early October. 

 

Two of my photos (Back of the Beach, Something's Not Right) were chosen for the PhotoMidwest Biennial Exhibition in Madison, Wisconsin. Exhibition runs September through November at the Arts and Literature Lab in Madison. 

 

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoy my photography.  

 

Karen Kraco