
I am Diane Kroupa and my art is expressed through the media of photography. I use a Canon 5D Mark II and Canon 40D cameras and use a variety of Canon L Series lens that I carry with me to accommodate the subject I am shooting. I use a Manfrotto tripod for most of my captures as I strive for crisp and impeccable details in my work. I have taken numerous trips all over the U.S. for the sole purpose of capturing the beautiful country we live in and have found that one of my favorite places to take captures is of the grandeur and vast vistas of the American Southwest with the richness of colors and details that surround the entire area. When I stand at the edge of the canyons I can almost hear Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA”. We are fortunate to live in a big wonderful and very beautiful country and I have a very deep and compelling zest to share what I have seen through photography. I strive to take my captures either in the early morning or early evening to benefit from the golden rays from the low angle of the sun at those times of the day. My most notable achievement in photography is that one of my captures I took in Canyonlands National Park of Mesa Arch at Sunrise was selected as one of the 5 finalists in the 4th annual Smithsonian Photo contest. My photograph hung in the Smithsonian Castle building in Washington, D.C. from July through November 2007. I am humbled and very proud of this accomplishment. My capture was also published in the June 2007 issue of the Smithsonian Magazine. The contest was open world wide and there were over 8,500 entries. I hiked on an uneven and challenging gravel trail in the dark for ¾ of a mile using a flash light to guide my steps to arrive at Mesa Arch prior to sunrise to capture the magnificent show the sun puts on when it wakes up each day. I definitely wasn’t disappointed as it was the most spectacular and brilliant show I have ever seen and it will remain with me forever.
Juried Member Greater St. Louis Artist Assoc- Photography, Acrylics
Juried Member Best Of Missouri Hands – Photography Finalist - Smithsonian 4th Annual Photo Contest
Published, Smithsonian magazine – June 2007
Photo of the Day - Smithsonianmag.com - April 21, 2008
Photographer of the Year – 2008 – Webaperture.com
Published -AAA Arizona Highroads magazine - March 2013
Published-St. Louis Post Dispatch-March 2013