About
Amy Sacka is a documentary photographer based in Detroit, Michigan, who is passionate about celebrating the beauty of people and culture, particularly in Detroit and the Midwest. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, TOPIC, BuzzFeed, the Guardian, LensCulture, PDN, Dodho, Musee Magazine, Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News and PBS World News Hour. She is a National Geographic Explorer, a two-time National Geographic grantee and a Top 50 Critical Mass photographer. Amy's photography has been exhibited at Photoville in Brooklyn, Cortona on the Move in Italy, Les Rencontres d'Arles in France, Edition ONE Santa Fe, Brighton Biennial UK, Midwest Contemporary Chicago and Detroit Institute of Arts.
GRANTS
Knight Arts Challenge Winner, 2019
National Geographic Support for Women, 2019
National Geographic Explorer Grant, 2017
Visura Personal Grant, Honorable Mention, 2016
AWARDS
Finalist Smithsonian Photo Competition, American Experience, 2019 & 2016
Finalist LensCulture Street Photography Awards, 2018
Top 50 Photographer, Critical Mass/Photolucida, 2017
2nd Place, Scarab Club Photo Exhibition, 2016
Featured entry in Exposure Awards Gallery, LensCulture, 2016
Featured entry in Magnum Photos Awards Competition Gallery, LensCulture, 2016
2nd Place – Special: Street Photography, ND Awards, 2015
Honorable Mention – People, ND Awards, 2014
Honorable Mention – Architecture, ND Awards, 2014
3rd Place, Scarab Club Photo Exhibition
5 Editor’s Pick – National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest, 2014 & 2012
Editor’s Pick – National Geographic Photo Contest, 2012 & 2011
Photo of the Week – Director Ron Howard’s Project Imagin8ion
MENTORSHIPS/FELLOWSHIPS
Scholarship to Bruce Gilden Magnum Workshop, London, 2019
Documenting Detroit fellow, 2016
Alex Webb & Rebecca Norris Webb, “Four Continents” mentorship, 2015
PUBLICATIONS
The Great Lakes depend on ice. This winter, they barely froze. National Geographic. 2020
The End Of Ice Fishing, HuffPost, 2020
COVID DIARIES, WDET Public Radio, 2020
On the ice: Anglers rejoice when the Great Lakes freeze," National Geographic, 2019
For Love & Money: Finding Roommates After 40," TOPIC, 2019
Mysterious People, Dodho, 2018
Travel portfolio, WorldWide, 2018
"Summer Portfolio: Amy Sacka," Musee, 2017
"Detroit Stories: What is This City Really All About?", LensCulture
Featured in Instagram feeds: Palm Springs Photo Festival, Visura, Everyday, Everywhere, Don't Take Pictures, PHmuseum, Women in Street
Long Lens Interview with National Geographic Editor Jeanne Modderman
Long Lens Blog by Senior National Geographic Editor Susan Welchman
“Meet Amy Sacka, who took 500 photos of Detroit in 500 days,” PBS World NewsHour
“Litro Q&A: Detroit Photographer, Amy Sacka”, Litro magazine
“Interview: Amy Sacka,” Buffalo Almanack
“Lost and Found in Detroit – in pictures”, The Guardian
“Amy Sacka, Detroit, Photographer, Captures City Day At A Time For A Year,” Huffington Post Detroit
“Photo a day project reflects newcomer’s vision of Detroit,” Detroit News
“Picture Perfect: Around Detroit in 365 Days,” Detroit Unspun
2 Photos of the Day – National Geographic Online
17 Published Photos – National Geographic Your Shot
BOOKS
"Framed," by WDET Detroit, 2019
“Getting Your Shot: Stunning Photos, How-To Tips, and Endless Inspiration from the Pros,” National Geographic, 2015
Morocco travel guide, National Geographic Traveler, 2015
“Detroit Anthology,” by Anna Clark, 2014
PRESS
National Geographic Best Photos of the Year So Far, National Geographic, 2020
Explorer Amy Sacka on Why the Great Lakes Give Her Hope, National Geographic, 2020
Detroit's Blues Culture, PDN Photo of the Day
8 Photo Stories That Will Help You See The World A Little Differently, BuzzFeed
Frozen: Detroit Photographer Documents Ice Culture in Michigan for NatGeo, WDET public radio
Detroit Photographer’s Stunning Photos of Ice Fishing in Michigan and Quest to Know Her Father, WDET public radio
Ice fishermen say their season is shrinking as the ice comes later and leaves earlier, Channel 7 WXYZ
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Summer Loving, Hatch Gallery, Detroit
Sundays at the Carpet House, Framed by WDET, Baltimore Gallery
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Framed by WDET: Places Where We Belong, Detroit, 2019
PerSIStence, Collected Detroit, Detroit, 2019
LensCulture Street Photography Exhibition, Les Rencontres d’Arles, France
Critical Mass 2017 Top 50 Exhibition: A Contemporary Reference of the Human Condition, Cortona on the Move, Italy
Critical Mass 2017 Top 50 Exhibition: A Contemporary Reference of the Human Condition, Edition ONE Gallery, Santa Fe
Documenting Detroit, Photoville, Brooklyn, New York
Documenting Detroit, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
Actual Size Biennial, Contemporary Art Institute Detroit
No Place Like Detroit, Baltimore Gallery, Detroit
Midwest Contemporary, Lillstreet Gallery, Chicago
Brighton Photo Biennial, Night Contact, Brighton, UK
Annual Photography Exhibition, Scarab Club, Detroit, 2014 & 2016
Eye on the D: Seeing Detroit With New Eyes, 555 Gallery, Detroit
PRESENTATIONS/HONORARIUMS
Michigan State University School of Journalism, 2020
Juror, Scarab Club Annual Photography Competition, Detroit, 2019
Amy Sacka on Water, Creative Mornings, Detroit, 2019