With a passion to take photographs that change people’s perspectives and open their eyes, Karin Schermbrucker spends most of her time traveling the African continent drinking tea and sharing. It was actually on a 10 month trip through East Africa with UNICEF in 2005, documenting community projects in over 14 different countries, that the bug bit, and her career as a photographer began.

Her long unpronounceable surname is frequently seen next to her photos in a number of publications including Wild Travel Magazine, Getaway, Bicycling, Runner’s World, and Ride. She has put her gear and body on the line as the photographer on the Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race, The PnP Argus Cycle tour, and the Two Oceans.

In 2006, Karin published the book Miles Ahead, which was both locally and internationally distributed, and told the photographic journey of  Barclays/UNICEF community development projects through Africa and Europe. She was also one of the main photographing contributors to “The Guts and the Glory” – a book documenting the Cape Epic from its beginning.

In 2007, she partnered her husband in launching Slingshot Media – a production company dedicated to visual story telling that inspires hope,  changes perspective and could ultimately transform the nation.

As a ‘dreamer of the day’, Karin remains passionate about taking pictures that reflect something bigger than herself. “I see my camera as a bridge, which has the capacity to cross the divide that sometimes exists between people of different cultures, classes, languages and beliefs and I have had my eyes opened in the process…”

In 2009, she set up Photography for Change as a platform that uses photography to help children in
challenging circumstances to realize once again who they are and what they are capable of.