Karen Leonard  Country: USA My interest in photography began on a trip to Europe, during college. I was studying print journalism and Russian Studies, and had no particular interest in art, at the time, but, I was able to tour Italy, Greece, France, England, Russia, or the Soviet Union, as it was then. In the three months the trip lasted, through every major art museum, it was possible to see, without a doubt, that Western art was made up of standing, sitting or reclining figures, with  still lifes and landscapes. It was surprising to see the whole thing together, at once, and without sentiment.  I had heard of the lack of movement, but seeing was believing. I had a Minolta SLR film camera during college and after, but I didn’t have much chance to use it. In the ‘90s I got a small SLR film camera, with what they call a “learner’s kit,” or 200mm 2.8 lens for an affordable price, with a 50mm and a wide angle.  But they were faster lenses, intended to teach. The Mississippi River flows through downtown St Paul and Minneapolis, were I live, and is always an opportunity for a landscape, with barges, a paddlewheel for tourists, and so on. Once I had the 200 mm f2.8, I was set. There are a number of colleges locally all with sports programs. It was the time digital photography was beginning, when a 3MB DSLR weighted 10 lbs.

There happened to be no men doing sports photography to speak off. They were saving their money to buy a digital camera. So, I was able to take the field and shoot from the sidelines.
It has been fun. I do baseball, soccer, rugby, hockey, especially women’s hockey, and whatever sport events are available.  
I am now digital, with a Canon DSLR and lenses.
There is much civil unrest locally, especially with killings of black citizens by police.  I try to cover that.  I have a fast f2.8 wide-angle zoom, and mainly use that. In 2015 a black man was shot in the head, in handcuffs, fatally, by a police officer. No charges were brought. There was a protest outside the police station that lasted all winter—a cold Minnesota winter. Protesters were shot by white supremacists.  I was moving, and sick, so missed that one.  Then two other black citizens were killed during routine police stops. Then a black man was choked to death on a city street in broad daylight in front of onlookers. Someone posted the event to YouTube, having recorded it on a cell phone.  That was Memorial Day 2020.  There were riots.  Much of the area around the police station was burned.  I was able to get some pictures. Perhaps even in Romania, the name George Floyd is known. He was the man choked.
There have since been several other incidents. I try to cover the Black Lives Matter (BLM) events that follow.
Now there are some protests and street blockings over the genocide of the Palestinians of Gaza.
It is a preference over the still life and landscape.
I am gratified to have an audience for my photos.