James Karales facts for kids

James H. Karales (born July 15, 1930, died April 1, 2002) was an American photographer. He was born in Canton, Ohio and passed away in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y..

Karales was famous for his work with Look magazine from 1960 to 1971. He took many important photos of the Civil Rights Movement. This movement was a time when people fought for equal rights for all. His most famous photo shows people marching proudly during the Selma to Montgomery march. This picture captures a powerful moment in history.

Life and Early Career

James Karales was born in Ohio. His family had moved there from Greece. He first went to Ohio University to study electrical engineering. But he soon changed his mind.

He saw his roommate working in a darkroom, developing photos. This sparked his interest in photography. He switched his major and earned a degree in fine arts in 1955. After college, he moved to New York City.

Learning from a Master Photographer

In New York, Karales became an assistant to W. Eugene Smith. Smith was a famous photo-essayist. A photo-essay is a story told mostly through pictures. Karales worked for Smith for two years. He made over 7,000 prints during this time. This experience taught him a lot about photography and telling stories with pictures.

Capturing Life in Rendville

After working with Smith, Karales started his own photo essays. One of his projects showed daily life in Rendville, Ohio. Rendville was a special place. It was a former stop on the Underground Railroad. It was also one of the few places in the U.S. where people of different backgrounds lived and worked together peacefully.

His Rendville photos caught the eye of Edward Steichen, a famous curator. This led to Karales having his own photo show at a gallery in New York. Look magazine also noticed his work. They hired him in 1960.

Documenting the Civil Rights Movement

At Look magazine, James Karales covered important events. He photographed the Civil Rights Movement as it happened. He also covered the war in Vietnam. He worked for Look until the magazine closed in 1972. After that, he worked as a freelance photographer.

Photographing Key Moments

One of Karales's first jobs for Look was in Atlanta in 1960. He photographed members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). They were learning about peaceful protest.

Later, in 1962–63, he was given special access to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family. He took pictures showing Dr. King explaining things to his daughter, Yolanda. He also photographed Dr. King with other important figures, like Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson.

In 2013, a book of his photographs was published. It is called CONTROVERSY AND HOPE: The Civil Rights Movement Photographs of James Karales. It shows many of his powerful images from that time.

See also

• List of photographers of the civil rights movement