Meet Bobbi Karg

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bobbi Karg. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bobbi below.

Bobbi, so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever had any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?

My creative journey began in Ridgewater College in Willmar, MN, where I went to school for photography. The assignments gave me total freedom to experiment. Models were willing to try anything, so I could explore conceptual and fine art ideas without limits. That environment fueled my imagination, love for art, and gave me the confidence I never knew I had.

After school in 2019, I dove into building my business photographing seniors, families, weddings, etc. While I loved it, and still do, I realized my work was missing a personal voice.

The turning point came when a client reached out for a boudoir session, sharing her insecurities and experiences with body positivity and mental health. Inspired, I organized a group body positivity shoot, and for the first time in a while, I felt the thrill of creating freely again.
From there, I developed other conceptual series, like Mental Health Awareness, Normalizing Acne, and other “taboo” photo series.

To keep my creativity alive, I do at least one creative project a year. Collaborations with a makeup artist, professional models, other artists, and themed model calls.

I also make mood boards and seek inspiration everywhere. For example, at thrift stores or antique shops. Photographing textures, patterns, colors, and objects that catch my eye with my phone. Or journaling about them.

Another technique I love is a “music meditation”: listening to songs from different genres, closing my eyes, and imagining a scene inspired by the music.

For me, overcoming creative block is not about perfection. It’s about experimentation, collaboration, and staying curious. By intentionally exploring and observing, I keep my work fresh, personal, and meaningful, and I fall in love with photography over and over again.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m Bobbi Karg, a photographer based in Willmar, MN. I am more than willing to travel for work as well.

However soft, loud, messy, or beautiful a story is, I specialize in capturing authentic stories through portrait, wedding, family, maternity, high school senior, boudoir, and personal conceptual photography projects. What excites me most about my work is creating sessions that feel personal, intentional, and reflective of each individual’s unique personality and experiences.

I approach photography in a more hands-off, nontraditional way, where I witness what’s happening in front of my lens and create art from those moments rather than directing every movement. I’m not following trends. I focus on capturing the present moment as it unfolds, because that’s when true beauty emerges. While I provide guidance and prep prior to each session, stepping back allows everyone, especially children, to be themselves, revealing their confidence, personality, and authenticity. I also direct when needed, ensuring every session is collaborative and that my clients’ vision is combined with my own creative ideas to make each session unique and memorable.

I’m especially excited about my 31 Days of Halloween Series, which I’ve been developing for over a year and a half! Each day features a unique Halloween themed shoot showcasing different concepts, storytelling, and creative visuals. I collaborated with my go-to makeup artist, Jessi B Artistry, on this project, and it’s one of our largest and most ambitious projects yet…dropping this year October 1st, 2025!

Ultimately, my brand is about showcasing natural beauty, storytelling, collaboration, and creativity, helping people feel seen, confident, and celebrated through images of themselves, and leaving them with a greater love for who they are at the end of the experience.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, three qualities have been most impactful in my journey as a photographer:

1. Trusting my intuition.
I started my photography journey without knowing anything about it, or cameras beyond my phone. I had been working in healthcare for years but knew it wasn’t the path I wanted to pursue long-term. When I discovered photography, I just had a feeling it was right for me and I followed it. Trusting your gut, leaning into what excites you, and maybe even scares you, can guide you toward what’s true for you.

2. Always experimenting and having fun.
Early in my career I learned the importance of keeping my creativity alive. Life is too short to do work that doesn’t spark passion. While commissions and client work are necessary, it’s important to make room for creative experiments, personal projects, and just overall work that inspires you. Those experiments not only fuel your creativity, but also teach you new skills and help you grow as an artist.

3. Setting boundaries and knowing your worth.
Learning to say no to projects, clients, or situations that don’t align with your values, vision, or that might lead to stress and burnout has been essential for me. Protecting your time, energy, and creative focus allows you to produce your best work and enjoy your journey more.

For those early in their journey, my advice would be:

Follow your instincts.
Pursue projects/work that feel exciting, even if they seem scary or unconventional.

Keep experimenting.
Try new techniques, styles, or concepts, even outside of paid work. These experiments will teach you more than you realize.

Learn to value your time and skill.
Say no when needed, set boundaries, and don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth. Creativity thrives and your dream clients come to you when you respect yourself, and feel confident, and empowered in your work.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I’m always open to collaborating, and I love connecting with others. Whether you’re a dancer, painter, musician, makeup artist, or someone working in a completely different medium. That also includes people in more spiritual or healing roles like yoga instructors, massage therapists, reiki practitioners, sound healers, doulas, and others who bring a unique energy to their work. I believe there’s so much beauty in crossing those worlds (art, healing, and storytelling) to create something powerful together.

Lately, I’ve been especially drawn to my past projects that challenge traditional ideas of beauty and shine light on parts of life that aren’t always celebrated by society. Whether that is in regards to mental health, skin (acne, birthmarks, scars, burns, albinism, vitiligo, etc.) body hair, breastfeeding, LGBTQIA+ journeys, and more. Many of my photo series pair portraits with short interviews, so that people’s voices and experiences are shared alongside the images.

My hope with these collaborations is to create even more work that is fulfilling not only for me, but also for those I photograph, and for the wider community that sees it. I want people to feel seen, heard, valued, and more comfortable being themselves in life.

So whether you’re an artist in a traditional sense, or someone who uses your gifts in healing, spiritual, or community-centered ways, or just someone who is inspired by my work or is drawn to what I’m saying and wants to share their story with the world not only as a form of self expression, but to make others feel not alone and then there is hope in a world that feels so scary and dark sometimes. Then, I’d love to connect and co-create something powerful together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.photographybybobbik.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photography_by_bobbi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photography.by.bobbi
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbikarg/
• Other: Tik Tok:
  https://www.tiktok.com/@photography.by.bobbi

Image Credits

Natalie Hanson

Jess Bonnema – Jessi B Artistry

Joe AKA Black Ryver