Karina Reets currently resides in Franklin, GA along with her husband Aaron Reets. She has a passion for photography that began very early. "Most of my childhood memories include my fathers Pentax K1000 camera. I thought it was magnificent and, of course, it was. He sent it with me when I moved to Georgia." She was exposed to many different forms of Art at numerous museums. "That's what my family did for fun. We spent our Saturday afternoons at places like The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. There, the impressionists spoke to me. The photography at the Metropolitan Museum of art amazed my heart and my eyes. The modern art at MASS MOCA captivated me. I absorbed all of it. I loved art, I loved photography.” Growing up in upstate New York, near the capital city Albany, she was surrounded by the stunning architecture of places such as the Empire State Plaza (Wallace Harrison), the Capital Building (Thomas Fuller, Leopold Eidlitz, Henry Hobson Richardson and Isaac G. Perry), and The State Education Building (Henry Hornbostel). She lived in the beautiful Hudson River Valley where such artists as Frederic Church and Tomas Cole were inspired by its overwhelming beauty. “We could often be found at Olana, the former home of Frederic Church, walking in the gardens or having picnics on the hills overlooking the river at sunset. These landscapes are forever etched in my mind.” The Hudson River Valley is nestled between The Catskill Mountains, The Adirondack Mountains and The White Mountains. Karina spent her summers at her family’s summer place in the Adirondack Mountains on Schroon Lake. “This is where my love of nature was so firmly implanted in my heart. I know every rock and tree and every patch of moss. I can picture the steam rise off the water in the morning. I can smell the air. My heart is there always.” Her photography career began in Upstate New York and quickly began to develop as she traveled the world. Karina has traveled extensively through Europe to countries including Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Russia, Austria, Hungary, France, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, and The Netherlands. She has also been to Central America and made several trips to Asia. Her first trip to Italy started it all. She was seventeen. “There was no going back. Once I got a taste of the history, the culture, the people, I felt I had to see more, and so I did. These places have made me the photographer I am today.”