Karales, James H., 1930-2002

American photojournalist who worked for LOOK magazine; resident of New York, N.Y.

From the description of James H. Karales Photographs, 1955-2005 and undated. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 166268493

James H. Karales was born in Canton, Ohio in 1930. In 1955, Karales graduated from Ohio University with BFA in photography. Upon graduation, he began a mentorship with W. Eugene Smith, who at that time was printing his Pittsburg photographs. Karales learned printing skills under Smith, while pursuing his own projects in Rendville and the Pacific Northwest. In 1960, he joined the staff at Look magazine, where he worked until it ceased publication in 1971. At Look, he took some of his most iconic pictures, documenting Martin Luther King, Jr., the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march, Vietnam and the Lower East Side. Karales receieved numerous awards, such as the Overseas Press Club Award and the Picture of the Year. His photographs are housed in many collections including the International Center of Photography, the High Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art.

• 1930 July 15: Born in Canton, Ohio
• 1955: Graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts; Became darkroom assistant to photographer W. Eugene Smith
• 1955: Cleveland Plain Dealer Pictorial Magazine published Ohio Sub Hunters by James Karales
• 1956: Journeyed to Rendville, Ohio for documentary photography shoot
• 1958 - 1959 : Edward Steichen purchased two Rendville, Ohio prints for Museum of Modern Art; Helen Gee exhibited Karales' Rendville photographic essay at Limelight Gallery, Greenwich Village; Traveled to the Pacific Northwest to document logging practices and culture
• 1960: Joined the staff ofLook magazine
• 1962 - 1963 : Photographed Martin Luther King Jr. and his followers in the civil rights movement
• 1963: Look published The New New York: Victims of Welfare by Sam Castan, with images by Karales
• 1964 - 1967 : Traveled twice to South Vietnam, capturing images from the Vietnam War
• 1965: Look publishes What Johnson Faces in South Vietnam by Sam Castan, with images by Karales
• 1965: Photographed the Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery Ala.; Won award for Pictures of the Year.
• 1965: Look magazine published Our Churches’ Sin Against the Negro by Robert W. Spike, with images by Karales
• 1966: Look magazine published Saigon: Stained Pearl of the Orient by Sam Castan, with images by Karales
• 1969: 1975: 1985: Photojournalistic work on the Lower East Side, New York City
• 1971: Look magazine folded; Karales launched career as independent photographer
• 1999: First major solo gallery exhibit at Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York City
• 2002 Apr. 1: Died at the age of 71, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
• 2005: Duke University Special Collections Gallery exhibition, James Karales: Photographs 1956-1969
• 2006: Kennedy Museum of Art exhibition, James Karales: Photojournalist
• 2013 Jan. - 2013 May : Gibbes Museum exhibition, in Charleston, S.C.: Witness to History: Civil Rights Era Photographs by James Karales
• 2013 May: University of South Carolina publishes Controversy and Hope: The Civil Rights Photographs of James Karales, by Julian Cox with Rebekah Jacob and Monica Karales and a foreword by Andrew Young.
• Forthcoming: James Karales, by James Karales, published by Steidl, texts by Vicki Goldberg, Howard Greenberg and Sam Stephenson.

From the guide to the James H. Karales photographs, 1953-2006 and undated, (David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University)