Meet Karen Pulfer Focht | Professional Photojournalist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Pulfer Focht and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
Since I was a child, all I ever wanted was to be a photojournalist. It is all I have ever wanted to do. I’ve always had a deep desire to share what I see and to tell people’s stories. I loved the idea of documenting history for future generations. I’m curious by nature.
It may be documenting an elderly farmer hand milking a cow, cloistered nuns, or capturing social issues, like poverty and infant mortality, in a compelling way. It’s always been my goal to make people care. To inspire the community into action and to preserve history.
I’m a storyteller who happens to use a camera. Photography is my tool.
I have three children. All of them have gone into fields that they are passionate about. None of them settled for a “job” they all pursued careers that they were passionate about.
Our children know we love them very much, and we spend time with them. We worked hard and spent the money we made supporting them and their interests. We traveled and still travel as a family. They had been all over the world before they were even out of high school. We fostered in them a love of travel, respect, and curiosity about the world around them.
We’ve made life such an adventure.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It is important to me that people understand that authentic documentary photography is my craft. My work is authentic; it’s real and raw and honest. It may not always be perfect and that is why, because it is real.

There is a power in art that is real. My work reflects that which is around me.

It’s becoming a lost art, with Ai and the magic of Photoshop. But there is nothing more magical than capturing a fleeting moment in time that tells a story. That is what great photojournalism is made of.

I was among the trailblazers. There were a few women photojournalists when I started, but they were the exception. I was the first woman hired at The Post Tribune, the first paper I worked at, and the second woman on staff at The Commercial Appeal, the newspaper I spent most of my career.

There were many challenges in being a woman in a male-dominated field and at a highly respected photojournalism newspaper. We did great work every day and it was recognized nationally. As challenging as it was and still is, I believe it is my calling and it is what I am meant to do and I gain strength in that.

In a competitive field like this, you have to be your best every day.

What I learned is that often, the people that you are working with and for don’t always share nor understand your vision. They have their own needs and agendas. But stay true to yourself and your vision. You can’t let them discourage you.

Some of my most powerful work has been work I produced quietly on the side, without support. I never gave up.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love my city, I love Memphis. I am always so proud to show it off.

Like my photography, Memphis can be rough and rugged, it is so beautifully authentic. It is filled with rich music and civil rights history.

You can’t come to Memphis without eating barbecue. My favorite in Memphis in Rendevous and The Bar-B-Q Shop. The Rendevous is unique, I prefer it dry, it is a vinegar-style sauce and their BBQ is legendary. The locals often go to The Bar-B-Q Shop, it is off the beaten path. I love their sour cream potato salad. Memphis is a great eating town. You will never have enough time to eat all the great food here. There are some fun breweries too.

You have to visit Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. One of the most visited homes in the country. Then a short tour at Sun Studio where the Million Dollar Quartet recorded (Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins). You can’t leave Memphis without going to Beale Street for a meal, dancing, music and seeing Ernest Withers iconic photos from the Civil Rights movement.

The National Civil Rights Museum is also a top attraction in Memphis. It is first class and a must-see! It is at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated.

I love to take people for a bike ride along and across the Mississippi River on Big River Crossing, I love to grab a picnic at Miss Cordelia’s in Harbortown and have a picnic, or wine and cheese on the river at sunset.

Visit the South Main St. area and Central Station for happy hour, where there is a live DJ to entertain you while you have cocktails. Have breakfast at The Arcade, a wonderful historic restaurant, or a Soul Burger and drinks at Earnestines and Hazels, an amazingly fun, former brothel and “haunted’ dive bar.

Catch a sunset on top of one of the many rooftop bars downtown or at the top of our Pyramid that houses a giant Bass Pro Shop.

Historic Elmwood Cemetery is a fun place to walk and explore. Around the corner from there is the Stax Museum, the site of a former recording studio where the Memphis sound was made famous.

Otherlands Coffee in the Cooper-Young neighborhood is a great hangout, as is nearby Overton Square. There is some great food in both of these neighborhoods. You can hear music at Lafayettes  Music Room, a nice bar on top of the Memphian Hotel and really nice food at Porch and Parlor.

Not far from here is our wonderful Memphis Zoo. It’s just the right size to stroll for a few hours and there is a splash pad for the kids who might get hot and want to play.

To get outside of the city head out to 4500 acres of greenspace at Shelby Farms, which is great for walking and bike trails, dog park, canoeing, and kayaking. Save time for a fantastic meal at Coastal Seafood,

Depending on the time of year, if you can catch a Memphis Grizzlies basketball game and see our superstar Ja Morant.

I also like to sneak down to Clarksdale, Mississippi to hear some blues music. This is the land where the blues began!

I could go on and on. Memphis is a really cool and interesting place. Memphis was named one of the top 25 places to visit by Conde Nast and top ten by National Geographic. It’s a bit of a secret and a diamond in the rough, but when you know, you know.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If you are lucky, there will be many wonderful people to help guide your path, shape your attitude, and teach you along the way.

I hit the jackpot when it comes to mentors. My college teacher, John H. White, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former staff photographer for the Chicago Sun-Times has been my mentor and one of my most special friends since I began as a photojournalist.

There have been many times John has talked me off the ledge, inspired me to do my best, and reminded me how important what we do is, and why.

This career is challenging at times it pushes you to your limits.

My husband is another person who has always offered unwavering support. When our children were little, there were times when I had to leave the country for work for an extended period. My husband stepped up to the plate, holding down the fort while, cheering me on all the way. Being a photojournalist is a crazy life. You have to work crazy hours, having assignments all hours of the day and night, working holidays. Having to run out of the house when the phone rings and there is breaking news. It is really difficult to blend with family life.

I’d also like to thank the National Press Photographers Association for bringing so much professionalism to our field and teaching so many generations how to be great visual storytellers, protecting the dignity and honor of what we do.

Website: https://www.karenpulferfocht.com

Instagram: @karenpulferfocht

Linkedin: @karenpulferfocht

Twitter: @karenfocht

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Youtube: Karen Pulfer Focht Photojournalist @karenpulferfocht-vids

Image Credits
Second Photo: John L. Focht