Karen I. Hirsch Photography

Bio

Nautical Photographer

As a junior at the University of Illinois, Karen was inspired to buy her first 35mm camera the weekend before she left for a year of study in France.  Little did she know that this purchase would change the direction of her life.  

Karen soon discovered that she had inherited an innate ability for color and composition as well as a great sense of timing.   She developed her technical skills and studied with some of the best photographers around - Ernst Haas, Arnold Newman and Jay Maisel.   Her photos were published in newspapers, books and magazines. This eventually landed her a job at Foote, Cone & Belding Advertising in Chicago as in-house photographer and editor of internal publications.

When one of Karen’s friends invited her to bring her camera and watch the start of the Race to Mackinac. The experience sparked her passion for nautical photography. From then on, she could be found on summer weekends documenting the racing fleets on Lake Michigan.  Her dynamic sailing images have become well known.

In 1991, Karen began her own photo business.  Clients such as Fidelity, High Sierra Sport, and Illinois Tourism Bureau have used her images to communicate their marketing message.  

In 2003, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs hosted "My Chicago," a 25 year retrospective exhibit of more than 200 of Karen’s images of Chicago, displayed at the Richard J. Daley Civic Center in the heart of the City.

In 2007, the Chinese government invited Karen to be one of ten foreign photographers to photograph the coastal city of Rizhao on the Yellow Sea.

With the digital revolution, Karen has entered a new phase in her career.  The computer has become a new favorite tool. She uses it for interpreting photographs taken with her camera and for creating original works of self-expression.  

Hirsch’s photographs are acquired by corporations and private collectors.