UNITED STATES

J. Kyle Keener sees his goal as making pictures that "invite, excite, entertain, and inform." During nine years on the staff of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Keener developed a specialty in conceptual photography and lighting. He has traveled extensively, covering AIDS in Uganda, Nelson Mandela's release from prison in South Africa, the aftermath of recent ethnic violence in Rwanda, and the devastation of Brazil's Amazon rain forest. He is a four-time winner of the National Press Photographers' Association Regional Photographer of the Year title. His work has also been honored with a Gold Award for Portfolio from the Society of Newspaper Design. A 1983 graduate of Central Michigan University with a degree in journalism, Keener is often called upon to lecture to photojournalism groups across the country.