Mary Beth Koeth was born on June 2, 1982, in Ohio, the youngest of five kids whose names all begin with M. She’s still not sure why her parents, Mike and Marlene, thought that was a good idea.
Her family moved to Texas when she was one, where she quickly adopted the unofficial state uniform: cowgirl boots and a mysterious food stain near the hem of her shirt.
She survived Catholic school despite telling a priest during confession that she had robbed a bank.
At an all-girls college prep school, Koeth spent most of her time hiding in the darkroom, inhaling hazardous chemicals and forgetting to shave her legs.
She was a vegetarian for eight years. Then lemon chicken happened.
Koeth studied Design Communication at Texas Tech University, with a semester abroad in Florence mostly spent romanticizing dramatic make-out sessions in darkrooms while accidentally earning a degree.
Certain she was destined for a glamorous life of power suits and briefcases, she moved to Kansas City to work as a designer for Hallmark Cards, later continuing her greeting card career with Hallmark UK.
On weekends, she traveled Europe with a camera in hand and slowly realized photography was less of a fantasy and more of a calling.
She later assisted Norwegian photographer Nancy Bundt while observing unusually tall blond men, and interned for photographers Sid Hoeltzell in Miami and Joe Pugliese in Los Angeles.
Today, Koeth works as a photographer, artist, and storyteller, creating work that explores humanity, identity, memory, absurdity, beauty, and the strange ways people try to love and understand one another. She currently considers Dallas—and wherever she feels most alive—home.
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