Meet Daniel Kraus | Artist & Photography Professor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel Kraus and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
My answer comes from my experience as an artist, but I think someone who takes whatever they do seriously has formulated a similar process to mine. Making art isn’t much different from other careers, it’s work in the best sense, and the most frustrating.

To know whether to give up or keep going (in my case it’s an artistic project or question), I have to be honest with myself on why I’m feeling the resistance that leads to this question. Is the resistance stemming from tough decisions I’m avoiding, do I just need to knuckle down, or am I uncomfortable with how ambiguous the project is becoming? If I’m honest with myself and these are the reasons, then what needs to be done is simple; I have to go to the studio and sit down and simply do the work. It’s a difficult but ultimately simple obstacle to overcome. There’s also the potential that I’ve reached an appropriate point to pause as outside factors develop. On the other hand, if I’m honest with myself and I don’t think the resistance is from work avoidance, then I have to consider I’ve reached the end of an idea. This sounds like an easy answer, but it also forces the humbling realization that not all my ideas are good. This answer has it’s own benefit though, because it helps to separate the wheat from chaff.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My photographic work blends historical research with photography to deepen our understanding of people, places, and how they combine to create a culture. In practice, I strive to create work which is informed and empathetic towards the subjects and his viewers. While maintaining his own artistic practice, Kraus is also working in collaboration with Byron Wolfe on two extremely rare microphotographs made by two 19th century photographers, the Langenheim brothers. I also publish videos of photobook reviews on my youtube channel, The Photobook Review.

I earned a MFA (2017) in photography at the Tyler School of Art & Architecture at Temple University and also hold a BFA in Photography and BA in History from the University of North Florida (2013). Having a background and training in historical research has greatly influenced the way I approach creative projects. My work has been featured in numerous print and online publications, including Esquire Russia, Fraction, SeeSaw, Oxford American, Create Magazine, Aint-Bad, and Ruminate Magazine. My photographs have been exhibited in national and international juried exhibitions including South Korea, China, and Ireland. I was the 2016 recipient of the College Arts Association’s Professional Development Fellowship in Visual Arts grant and was awarded a fellowship by the John Teti Rare Photography Book Collection at the Institute of Art & Design at New England College for my self published books and research on the practice of “participant observation” in contemporary documentary photography.

I currently live in Houston, Texas where I’m Assistant Professor of Art & Design at the University of Houston-Clear Lake teaching photography and photographic history. Before moving to Houston, I taught photography, video, and photographic history at Tyler School of Art & Architecture at Temple University, Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, and The College of New Jersey.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For food recommendations-Barcelona, Ninfa’s, Toasted Coconut, Nancy’s Hustle, Postinos, Pondicherri

For drink recommendations-Barcelona, Light Years, Heights & C0, St. Arnolds Brewery, and 13 Celsius

For entertainment- the Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, Houston Center for Photography, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Kaboom Books, and of course, Cavendars Western Wear.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Certainly my wife, parents, family are where I find the support and motivation for my work. My parents never batted an eye at my plans to become a photographer, attend graduate school, and pursue a career in higher education. They were very supportive and offered necessary and timely advice along the way when big questions came-up. My wife and I actually met in a museum where she was working and I was visiting with a class. She understands the unpredictable elements of life that a career in the arts can lead to because she’s experienced the same. I can’t imagine making decisions without her love, understanding, and wisdom. We’ve had tough and good options to choose between, and if I was left to my own devices the decisions wouldn’t have been the best. There’s a few books that have been encouraging and instrumental to my art practice, like Francis Schaeffer’s book “Art and the Bible” and Robert Adams book “Beauty in Photography.”

Website: https://danielsethkraus.com

Instagram: danielsethkraus

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePhotobookReview

Image Credits
Exhibition Photographs: Haigen G. Pearson