In today’s episode, W. Scott Olsen speaks with Robert Kalman, a New York–born documentary portrait photographer whose forty-plus-year practice uses large-format cameras to reveal the dignity and emotional truth of everyday people across America and the world.
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Robert Kalman is a New York–born documentary portrait photographer whose work over more than four decades has focused on making formal, large-format portraits of people he meets in both everyday and extraordinary contexts, revealing their humanity with quiet dignity and emotional depth.
Working in the tradition of classic documentary portraiture, Kalman has traveled extensively — from cities in the United States to communities around the world — creating bodies of work that explore identity, culture, and personal narrative, including projects on Nicaraguan villagers, mixed-race and LGBT couples, and the multitudes of everyday Americans answering the question “What’s it like for you to be an American?”
His photographs have been exhibited nationally, published in books and editorial features, and recognized by institutions such as Photolucida’s Critical Mass; alongside his artistic practice, he has also taught photography and communication, and remains deeply engaged in conversations about portraiture, presence, and the power of genuine human connection.
ROBERT KALMAN
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