Craig Semetko

Semetko was born near Detroit, Michigan and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Speech from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He holds a master's degree in consciousness studies from the University of Philosophical Research in Los Angeles. At 16 he was a page in the United States House of Representatives. For much of his adult life Semetko was a professional comedic actor and writer, and he still performs occasionally. In 2000, he had a corporate performing job that took him to England, Ireland, Japan and China. He purchased his first camera for the trip and after seeing a photo he took outside Shanghai of two women in a dugout canoe it occurred to him that he could use photography as a different medium to tell stories. He has stated he views his photography as an extension of his acting and writing.{{Cite news|url=https://pfmagazine.com/2015/magazine/the-charm-of-serendipity-a-conversation-with-craig-semetko/|title=The Charm of Serendipity: A Conversation with Craig Semetko|last=Lassiter|first=Ken|date=May 15, 2015|work=Photographer’s Forum Magazine|pages=30–38|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121233956/https://pfmagazine.com/2015/magazine/the-charm-of-serendipity-a-conversation-with-craig-semetko/|archive-date=January 21, 2019|url-status=dead}}

Semetko was inspired by the work of Magnum Photos photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson and Elliott Erwitt, saying, "In a perfect world, I would try to get the emotion from an Erwitt image and the composition of a Cartier-Bresson photograph."{{Cite news|title=Ways of Seeing: How to be a better photographer (for the instagram generation)|last=Sethi|first=Shikha|date=January 2016|work=GQ India|pages=54–55}}

Semetko's first book, Unposed, was published by teNeues in 2010 and contained photographs taken from 2000 to 2010. Elliott Erwitt wrote the foreword for the book, excerpted below:

Good photographs are tough enough to shoot. Really funny ones are even harder. Good and funny photographs observed in nature not arranged or manipulated but simply observed in real time with amazing consistency, constitute a minor miracle now presented in Mr. Semetko's book...In my book he is the essential photographer. That is, the one who sees what others could not have seen.

In 2014 Semetko was selected as one of ten photographers to be a part of Leica's 10×10 exhibition.{{cite news|access-date=2019-01-28|title=Looking for grey in Craig Semetko's India Unposed collection|author=Paramita Ghosh|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/looking-for-grey-in-craig-semetko-s-india-unposed-collection/story-UvGzNYliILqouOjKe7TrOM.html|date=4 April 2015|newspaper=Hindustan Times}} This inaugural show celebrated Leica's 100 year anniversary at their new headquarters and museum in Wetzlar, Germany. Leica paired each photographer with their "artistic father," coupling Semetko with Erwitt. In an article that year celebrating the history of Leica cameras, Esquire magazine called Semetko "a noble torchbearer" to the long legacy of professional photographers using Leicas, beginning with Cartier-Bresson.{{Cite news|url=https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/news/a7135/leica-camera-100-years-big-black-book/|title=Dot Commerce. The Cult of Leica|last=Garfield|first=Simon|date=Winter 2014|work=Esquire, The Big Black Book Issue 4, autumn/winter 2014 UK edition|access-date=28 January 2019}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

• Unposed (teNeues, 2009) {{ISBN|978-3-8327-9420-0}}. With a foreword by Elliott Erwitt.
• India Unposed (Street View, 2014) {{ISBN|978-0-9916065-0-4}}

• 10 x 10: Dominic Nahr, Julia Baier, Evgenia Arbugaeva, Craig Semetko, Kirill Golovchenko, Amedeo M. Turello, Alec Soth, Jing Huang, Thomas Ruff, Saga Sig. Volume 1 of Leica Fotografie International. LFI Photographie, 2014. {{OCLC|935624158}}.
• Both Sides of Sunset—Photographing Los Angeles (Metropolis, 2015) {{ISBN|9781938922732}}
• Inspiration Leica Akademie (English and German Edition), Rheinwerk Publishing; First edition (April 6, 2020). {{ISBN|3836269732|}} {{Cite web|title=Inspiration Leica Akademie // 2020 // Global // Leica News // World of Leica - Leica Camera AG|url=https://en.leica-camera.com/World-of-Leica/Leica-News/Global/2020/Inspiration-Leica-Akademie|website=en.leica-camera.com|access-date=2020-05-23}}{{Cite book|isbn=978-3836269735|title=Inspiration Leica Akademie|last1=Mertens|first1=Heidi|last2=Mertens|first2=Robert|date=28 March 2020}}

• Street Photography: From Classic to Contemporary—Henri Cartier-Bresson and Craig Semetko (Open Shutter Gallery, Durango, Colorado, 2008)Lisa Morgan, "[http://coachellavalleyweekly.com/craig-semetko/ Craig Semetko: World Renowned Photographer of the Absurd and the Ironic Showing at the AMFM Festival, June 13–16th, in Cathedral City]", Coachella Valley Weekly, May 29, 2013. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
• Craig Semetko: Street Photography (Leica Gallery, Frankfurt, 2009)"[https://www.leica-camera.blog/2010/10/29/craig-semetko-capturing-the-authentic-human-experience-part-1/ Craig Semetko: Capturing the Authentic Human Experience, Part 1]", Leica Blog, October 29, 2010. Retrieved January 2019-01-29.
• Craig Semetko: Street Life (Leica Gallery, Salzburg, 2010)
• Craig Semetko: Unposed (Leica Gallery, New York City, 2011)
• Semetko: Unposed (Leica Store, Washington, D.C., 2012). A selection from Unposed as well as E Pluribus Unum."[https://www.leica-camera.blog/2012/10/17/craig-semetko-america-e-pluribus-unum/ Craig Semetko: America: E Pluribus Unum]", Leica Blog, October 17, 2012. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
• AMFM Festival (Cathedral City, CA, 2013)
• America: E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One) (Open Shutter Gallery, Durango, Colorado, 2013){{cite web|first1=Ted |last1=Holteen|date=23 May 2013|access-date=2019-01-28|title=More than words can say|url=https://durangoherald.com/articles/56023|website=The Durango Herald}}
• Craig Semetko—Unposed and Unseen (Leica Gallery Los Angeles, 2014){{cite web|access-date=2019-01-29|title=Craig Semetko|url=https://leicagalleryla.com/gallery-view/craig-semetko/|website=Leica Gallery Los Angeles}}
• India Unposed (with Torsten Andreas Hoffmann, India on the move; Leica Gallery, Frankfurt, 2014)"[https://www.leicastore-frankfurt.de/en/cms4shop/News/Exhibitions/Craig-Semetko---India-Unposed---Torsten-Andreas-Hoffmann---India-on-the-move.html Craig Semetko – India Unposed & Torsten Andreas Hoffmann – India on the move]", Leica Galerie Frankfurt. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
• Unposed: India and elsewhere (Leica Gallery Singapore, 2015)"[https://web.archive.org/web/20150329001549/http://www.leica-store.sg/gallery-opening-book-signing-session-craig-semetko/ Gallery Opening and Book Signing Session with Craig Semetko]", Leica Store Singapore, as archived by the Wayback Machine on March 29, 2015.
• India Unposed (Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, India, 2015){{cite web|access-date=2019-01-28|title=Craig Semetko|url=http://www.vadehraart.com/craig-semetko-india-unposed/|website=Vadehra Art Gallery}}
• Funny Business (Leica GalleryNuremberg, 2017–2018)"[http://www.leica-store-nuernberg.de/Leica-Gallery-Nuernberg/Planned-Exhibitions/Craig-Semetko-Funny-Business Craig Semetko – Funny Business]", Leica Store Nürnberg. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
• Craig Semetko: Funny Business (Street Photo Milano, 2018){{cite web|access-date=2019-01-29|title=Exhibitions|url=https://www.streetphotomilano.org/exhibitions/|website=Street Photo Milano}}
• Craig Semetko - For your Amusement (Leica Gallery Melbourne, 2019){{Cite web|title=Craig Semetko {{!}} For Your Amusement // News & Program // Leica Gallery Melbourne // Leica Galleries - Leica Camera AG|url=https://us.leica-camera.com/Leica-Galleries/Leica-Gallery-Melbourne/News-Program/Craig-Semetko-%7C-For-Your-Amusement|website=us.leica-camera.com|access-date=2020-05-23}}
• Craig Semetko - For your Amusement (Leica Gallery Sydney, 2019){{Cite web|title=Leica Artist Talk & Exhibition with Craig Semetko – Visual Voyager|url=https://visualvoyager.net/leica-artist-talk-exhibition-with-craig-semetko/|website=visualvoyager.net|access-date=2020-05-23}}

• 10×10 (Leica Gallery Wetzlar, 2014; with Dominic Nahr, Julia Baier, Evgenia Arbugaeva, Kirill Golovchenko, Amadeo M. Turello, Alec Soth, Jing Huang, Thomas Ruff, and Saga Sig)"[https://www.leica-camera.blog/2014/08/22/craig-semetko-inside-india-unposed/ Craig Semetko: Inside India Unposed]", Leica Blog, August 22, 2014. Retrieved 2019-01-29."[https://www.leica-camera.blog/2014/05/26/leica-gallery-wetzlar-inaugural-10-x-10-exhibition/ Leica Gallery Wetzlar Inaugural 10 x 10 Exhibition]", Leica Blog, June 26, 2014. Retrieved 2019-01-29."[https://lfi-online.de/ceemes/en/shop/10x10-1000834.html 10×10]", Leica Fotografie International, June 24, 2014. Retrieved 2019-01-29.

• Craig Semetko: Portrait (uberartists, 2010)
• How to use a Leica M Rangefinder: Craig Semetko (Leica Camera, 2014)
• Craig Semetko: The Photographer’s Diet (Cooperative of Photography, 2017)

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Category:American street photographers

Category:Photographers from Michigan

Category:Living people

Category:1961 births