A staff photographer for The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN for 26 years (1988-2014), Focht is known for compelling compositions that capture the emotions of her subjects and portray a slice of their lives. Today, she is self-employed and based in Memphis with a diverse client list that includes the Associated Press, regional magazines, national and international newspapers and other wire services and publications.
Focht specializes in long-term projects and editorial photography, and her work is featured in several books and on more than two dozen album covers.
She is a recipient of the Society of Professional Journalists' Medallion for Distinguished Service to the American People for "Born to Die," her series on infant mortality in Memphis published in The Commercial Appeal. For that project, she also received the Casey Foundation Medal for Meritorious Journalism.
A native of suburban Chicago, she worked early in her career at The Post Tribune, a daily newspaper in northwest Indiana and as a rookie photographer was named Indiana Photographer of the Year.
Focht's website is karenpulferfocht.com Her work also is available at: www.instagram.com/karenpulferfocht
www.facebook.com/karenpulferfocht-photojournalist
www.twitter.com/karenfocht
We meet at the Longinotti auditorium in the St. Francis medical complex, see this map.