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BIOGRAPHY
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Karen Kasmauski
Contributing Photographer-in-Residence National Geographic Society |
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Every so often 2 skills collide in a way that amplifies each of them. Such is the case with the National Geographic Contributing Photographer-in-Residence Karen Kasmauski, whose social science training gives her a unique perspective on her subjects. Kasmauski has used her camera as a beacon into critical global health and social change issues. As a constant observer of society she has carved a unique space in the world of photojournalism. By a mix of sheer will, prescient vision, and extensive fieldwork, she has captured on film the personal dramas that put a face on sweeping cultural change as it happens. Born on a US naval base in Japan, of mixed heritage, Kasmauski grew familiar with exotic locales early in life. Once stateside, she was reared primarily in the Tidewater area of Virginia, where she began her photographic career at the Virginian Pilot/Ledger Star in Norfolk. Her photographic essay on Hampton Roads, Virginia, was among the first 23 National Geographic stories she has to her credit. Throughout her 17 years of contributing to National Geographic, Kasmauski has introduced a generation of readers to critical global health issues—the effect of female reproductive health on world population, immigration and the changing face of America, and the unrelenting spread of the AIDS virus. Kasmauski is also known for her extensive work chronicling the spread of infectious disease. Celebrated for her ability to illustrate the microscopic architecture of a disease and record the social impact in its wake, Kasmauski’s work has won the praise of both the medical and journalism communities. In her role as Contributing Photographer-in-Residence, Kasmauski is driving a global health/global change initiative at National Geographic. A thoughtful, accomplished presenter, she leads numerous workshops and conferences when she’s not on assignment or at home in Virginia with her husband, Bill Douthitt, a senior editor at National Geographic, and their 2 children. 
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