Karen Hutton

Who Am I? How Did I Get My Start. What Are My Interests?

Karen Hutton is a Professional Fujifilm X-Photographer, award-winning Landscape & Travel Photographer, Mixed Media Artist, Kelbyone Instructor/Educator, Speaker, Author.

She's based in the American West of Nevada.

Karen's art has been exhibited in shows and installations throughout the U.S. and Japan, including Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, NYC and Tokyo. She and her work been featured work in numerous magazines, podcasts and interviews.

Project collaborations include:

• Fujifilm Global
• Fujifilm North America
• Fujifilm Original Photographic Paper
• Gravity Haus Truckee
• Ivor Andrew Ad Agency
• Google
• private art collectors
• and many others

A lifetime of creating photographically began as a child, after a transformational vision of light. Now her “artist’s paintbrush” is both her camera and other digital mediums, where she creates art intended to uplift hearts, minds and souls.

In her words: "I believe that art is love made visible. That Awe is a prime emotion given to us by the Creator for its power of transformation. And that the more we experience it, the happier + lighter we become. I believe in discernment, truth, wisdom, strong artistic choices, love and the power of uplifting others."

Adoring fans + customers call her “Pure JOY, LIGHT & absolute FUN!”, “An inspirational gem” and "Incredibly artistic. Captivatingly genius. World class!”

Field Gear

OWC Gear:

• OWC Atlas Ultra CFexpress & SD memory cards
• OWC CFexpress & SD card reader
• OWC Envoy Pro mini
• OWC Envoy Pro Elektron

FUJIFILM CAMERAS:

• GFX 100S Fujifilm X-T5
• Fujifilm X-H2

FUJIFILM LENSES:

• GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR
• GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR
• GF 100-200mm f/5.6 R LM WR
• GF120mmF4 R LM OIS
• WR Macro XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS
• WR XF80mm f/2.8 R LM OIS
• WR Macro XF150-600mmF5.6-8 R LM OIS
• WR XF 23mm f1.4 R

BACKPACKS:

• PEAK DESIGN 45L travel FSTOP
• GURU 20L Lightweight hiking backpack
• REALLY RIGHT STUFF TQC-14 + BH-40 TVC-23 + BH-55
• LUCROIT FILTERS ND, GND, Reverse GND

Workstation Gear

• CUSTOM WINDOWS TOWER w/24 TB internal RAID storage
• WACOM CINTIQ PRO 24"
• LG 27" monitor
• MACBOOK PRO
• iPAD PRO 12"

OWC Gear I Like

OWC's Atlas Ultra Cfexpress & SD cards have revolutionized my workflow. I've gone to dreaming of more speed — to having it!

At home, the faster download speeds mean more time to create. I didn't expect how much that would impact my workflow and life in the best possible ways.

Plus, being able to carry only one reader when I'm traveling means I'm more organized and I'm no longer waiting waiting an eternity for 4 full cards of images to download. In return? Time for a meal, to rest - and to enjoy space in my mind for next level creativity.

Workflow

First: choosing the content.

That will depend upon what I'm working on. Project-based content is based upon client/partner requirements and deliverables. My own art's content is based upon my current vision and the next collection I'm creating.

It'll usually involve nature and landscapes. Sometimes travel too, depending.

I want great light, which usually means early mornings or late afternoon shoot times.

If I'm hiking, I take a light pack — built for backpacking, not a camera bag.

For shorter distances, I'll use my Fstop Guru.

When I score a great location I can work from my car — I have a wider selection of gear in my Peak Design 45L.

I love to shoot handheld when I can: Fujifilm makes that easy.

But for dragged shutter effects, smoothing water or low light conditions, I'll use my Really Right Stuff TVC-14 tripod.

Of course, OWC's Atlas Ultra Cfexpress and SD cards are in my camera.

When it's time to begin gathering images, I think in terms of telling a story — and always aim to see my environment in as many unique ways as possible. I want to walk away with an entire "book" of perspectives. I'll always get my "hero" shot, but also chunk down bigger landscapes into smaller stories, pick up intimate views, cover areas from wide to macro, varying DOF, make sure to shoot both horizontally and vertically, get down low — up high — anything I can think of to bring in a unique angle. I use different in-camera aspect ratios too. Above all, keeping in mind that I want my viewer to experience a sense of awe.

I use Fujifilm's film simulations for inspiration. My faves are Velvia and Monochrome.

I love LucRoit's filters and holders... they're so easy to use and really bring an incredible vibe to everything I use them for.

I get busy and begin telling stories! Some will be epic landscapes, others photographic studies. Yet other images will be the inspiration and base image for my Whimsical Reveries mixed media art.

When it's time to download, my Cfexpress CD & SD reader is ready to download both formats at the same time - FAST. I love that so much.

I do a light culling right away. I definitely have high standards and know what I want to see — so I'll toss any images that aren't up to par, or are too repetitious.

If I'm working on a project — I'll start rounding up likely suspects and putting them in folders.

If the work is just for me — I'll start looking for some that I have fun ideas about.

From there... I take it into either Photoshop or Procreate for the iPad, depending on what the final art is going to be.

I edit Photography in Photoshop, using PS techniques and a couple of my favorite plugins.

I typically begin my mixed media art production with a photograph in Procreate — which is then finished in Photoshop.

All is outputted for either social, client use or print... sometimes all the above!