Sara Krulwich

The Michigan Daily - Jay Cassidy

It is 1969. Sara Krulwich is about to push down the social boundaries built by the sexist society of her time. School officials remove the ban against dogs on the football field for the team mascot, but refuse to make an exception for any woman. The men insist, “The sign says no women on the field,” but Sara has a job to do. She must get to her subject, capture the action and document the event. She gets on the field, ignores the protests, and accomplishes much more than photographing the game. Ultimately, she makes her dent on history.

Nowadays, Sara photographs scenes that are of a much deeper interest to her: theater and opera. The road to this position, however was not easy either. Like her early years as a photographer, there were obstacles keeping her from a close view of the action. Of course, she did not allow these hurdles to stop her. For three years, she worked towards getting permission to photograph the performers on stage. Through her unrelenting efforts, she now has countless photographs published in the New York Times.

Although Sara Krulwich’s main feats show her success as a photographer, I find her to be a bit more than just a woman behind the camera. She is a go-getter. She is a mother. She is an activist. She is a learner. She is driven. Through her short time speaking, she showed that having focus and determination could be enough to cut through red tape and incite change. Perhaps her intended message to the class was to get close to the subject when taking photographs, but the ways she has been able to get to her subjects demonstrates a much larger lesson.