Mary Beth Koeth

@alejandrosanz for @billboard Photographer: @mbkoeth Digi: @lightisbeauty 💪🏽: @mostly_sunny_305 On-Set Production: @tetherproduction Writer: @leilacobo Location: @5020studio

Karen Frank is an icon in the photo world. I’ve heard her name spoken in the brightest light for years, so when she reached out after moving to Barron’s, the answer was simple: yes. Editorial budgets rarely cover what it actually takes to do what we do—assistants, gear, the whole circus👩‍🎤. After my accident, I’ve had to create real boundaries around my energy and my body. But sometimes you still go beyond. You know the budget. You know you’ll lose money. You hire Jose to help with the heavy gear. You rent what you need. And you do it anyway. Because you’re not doing it for Karen. You’re not doing it for Barron’s. You’re doing it for you. Also…turns out I now have a whole new appreciation for photographing older men in finance wearing slightly ill-fitted suits. Meet the delightful Sadek Wahba. I wasn’t taking about his suit. ☝🏼 @josearizmendi @frankie626

I was standing outside a CVS in South Beach waiting on my cousin when I heard the most beautiful whistling. I turned and said, “You don’t hear that anymore.” We started talking—one of those conversations that just opens. She told me she used to sing for some of the greats. I said, “You should come to dinner. One of my best friends used to sing too. You’d love each other.” She paused, smiled, and said, “I feel like I just walked into a rainbow.” I said, “You did. We’re both rainbows.” Ms. J has a voice that stays with you. But it’s her spirit that makes you feel at home. She’s family now.

There’s something deeply moving to me about artists who grow up inside rigid systems and still manage to make work that feels expansive, liberated, and completely their own. That’s what I feel looking at @keemo_art work. I just bought two of his pieces, including this one, and I can’t stop thinking about them. The work feels spiritual without preaching, emotional without trying too hard, and visually so alive that it almost feels transmitted from somewhere beyond language. You can feel the tension between structure and freedom in it — like someone who came from a religious framework but pushed far beyond its walls into something more universal, human, and honest. A lot of art wants to look profound. This actually is. The best artists don’t just make images — they expand perception. KEEMO is doing that. Repost from @keemo_art •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The Vision For The Future Is Found In The Memories Of The Past ABOUT THIS PAINTING I feel like the title is pretty straight forward on this painting. However, I would like to say that when I think of the future, I do my best to remain hopeful and I will always do my best to promote and create a positive and inclusive future (and present) for all. ORIGINAL PAINTING SIZE: 20”x20”x1.5” MEDIUM: Acrylic on canvas. Ready to hang. FREE US SHIPPING / International Shipping: $65. RESERVE THIS PAINTING Want to reserve this painting but don’t have the whole amount right now? No worries. I offer flexible, easy payment plans that work with you. You pick the amount and the time frame. Have a question about reserving this painting, just click here to send me a message and we can go from there. #artist #amazingpainter #metaphysical

Repost from @exiliocollective ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Not a Grammy. A rock 🪨 The voice that helped shape the sound of Miami. The man behind a generation of music, memory, and culture. And yet, what Willy Chirino is most proud of is probably the last thing you’d expect. When Willy Chirino opened his doors to Exilio Collective, he welcomed us with so much warmth and shared one of the most powerful stories we’ve heard yet. Despite a lifetime of music achievements and a career that helped define Miami’s soundtrack, when we asked Willy what he’s most proud of, he didn’t point to the Grammys. He pointed to a rock. In 1976, Willy jumped into a Hialeah canal and pulled two men from a sinking car. The rock he used to break the glass was later returned to him engraved with the words, “I owe my life to you.” That rock sits above his desk, front and center. Without hesitation, he said, “That’s my greatest achievement.” He also walked us over to a framed photograph of two rafts, one with “Felicidades Willy Chirino” painted across it. The passengers aboard were never located. He shared that one of his greatest hopes has always been to one day learn they survived. Willy came to this country alone at 14 through Operation Pedro Pan. He worked paper routes, waited tables, and did whatever it took to seguir adelante. Willy Chirino’s real legacy isn’t only what he built on stage. It’s his character. Thank you for welcoming us into your beautiful home and world @willychirino 📷 @mbkoeth 👯‍♀️ @lynet_aspuru @monica_monicapardoevents #willychirino #cuba #latinmusic @billboardlatin #legend #miamicubanos

I bought a giant stack of vintage romance novels for a new art project I’m working on for fun called…The Heroine Chooses Herself. I’m reworking the covers through collage, paint, altered titles, and tiny rebellions. Not anti-love. Not anti-men. Just interested in women as whole people instead of people waiting to be chosen. Rewriting the mythology a little. Can’t wait to start cutting these up.

Repost from @exiliocollective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arriving in the United States at six years old with his family and a suitcase, Frank Del Rio would one day help shape Miami into the cruise capital of the world Like so many Cuban exiles, Frank’s story began with sacrifice, uncertainty, and the courage to start a new business in his adopted new country. Long before leading one of the most influential cruise companies in the world, he was building a vision from the dining room table of his home. Relentless drive, instinct, and the willingness to outwork the odds. Frank went on to become a true pioneer of the modern cruise industry. He founded Oceania Cruises in 2002, creating an entirely new space in upscale cruising. He later acquired Regent Seven Seas Cruises and eventually became President and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, overseeing Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, one of the largest and most influential cruise portfolios in the world. His impact on Miami reaches far beyond business headlines. With Miami serving as the cruise capital of the world and a primary global port, the industry generates billions in economic activity and supports countless jobs tied to tourism, hospitality, transportation, and trade. Frank helped shape that ecosystem. He helped build companies that brought global tourism through Miami, created thousands of jobs, and contributed to the city’s rise as the epicenter of the cruise industry. And at the center of it all was the vision of a Cuban exile who once started with nothing more than a dining room table and an idea. One of the most symbolic moments of his journey came decades later when in 2017, he helmed one of his Oceania Cruises ships into the Port of Havana. A Cuban exile returning to the island by sea, not as the child who left, but as a man who helped shape a global industry. History has a way of coming full circle. His story is not simply about success. It is about vision, reinvention, and the extraordinary milestones exiles can achieve when resilience meets opportunity. Miami is filled with stories like this. EXILIO exists to preserve them.

June 2020. Everglades nights with Anne Gorden-Vega—61, out-catching 37 hunters combined like it’s nothing. We cruised at 6 mph, lights blazing, her eyes on iridescent scales… mine on vibes. No bravado—just calm women who could grade your homework and wrestle a snake after dark. It’s not about the money. It’s about what’s disappearing. I left humbled. Not cut out to hunt pythons—but elite truck companion? Absolutely. Snacks included.

Repost from @exiliocollectiv 🤦🏻‍♀️ • There are people who photograph moments, and those who make you feel them long after. Mary Beth Koeth has always lived in that space. Born the youngest in a house of five M’s, she learned early how to stand out. Texas raised, in cowgirl boots and a little chaos. She found her way in the darkroom, then through detours. A design degree, Hallmark, years abroad, before realizing this was never a hobby, but a way of seeing. She chased it. From Norway to Miami to LA, learning from the best and refining her instinct. A week in Cuba shifted something deeper. The color, the people, the soul stayed with her, later becoming Exilio, a body of work rooted in connection and memory. Her images don’t just document. They reveal. Quiet, intimate, deeply human. You don’t just see them, you recognize something in them. Her work has appeared in Time, People, Billboard and more, but it’s never been about accolades. Only about creating images that linger. Now between Miami and Dallas, living out of two suitcases, she continues to follow the feeling. Still a little messy. Still led by instinct. ✨

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐛/𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐠 Doug Pursley—who I used to call Dougie Fresh—has lived a lot of lives. He once had a successful career in marketing and sales, the kind people stay in because the money is good. He didn’t. After years of moving between places and versions of himself, he’s now back near home in Minnesota, close to his two brothers. These days, Doug lives in a local motel, LumberJill Lodge—pink doors, flower boxes, and antique photographs of female lumberJILLS in every room. He helps run the place in exchange for a room. To make money, he substitute teaches. Somewhere along the way, he became Super Sub Doug. (Some of the high school girls call him Super Stud Doug, which makes him wildly uncomfortable.) He walks into classrooms with an easy, open energy. The kids feel it immediately. They don’t just listen—they light up. He makes them laugh, plays games, and gives them the space to be themselves. During an art class, he asked them to draw him: hearts around his face, “#1 Teacher,” “Best Teacher Ever,” and one kid who drew him as a devil. All of it felt right. What they respond to isn’t perfection—it’s presence. Doug doesn’t try to control the room. He meets it where it is. A man who stepped out of one version of success and into something simpler. And somehow, exactly right. @lumberjilllodge @djpursley #luck #youreinluck

Shot a story on Dr. Paul Offit — a man who’s been called a lot of things, including “the devil” by RFK Jr. But here’s what I experienced: A warm home in Naples. A kind, generous couple. An awesome, really bright wife. A quiet presence. A sense of humor that meets you right where you are. As I was setting up lights, I said, “Let’s make you look like an angel, not a devil.” We both laughed — and honestly, it didn’t feel like much of a stretch. It’s always fascinating to witness the space between public narrative and private reality. Grateful to Claudia Gavin @claudiaaann for the trust, the kindness, and for bringing me into this story. Some assignments stay with you. This was one of them. 📷 @mbkoeth for @phillymag 💪🏽 @josearizmendi Photo Editor @claudiaaann 😇 @pauloffitmd

Shot this story for the The New York Times with the absolute legends known as the Plus Size Park Hoppers — and I’m sorry but I will never do Disney without them again. Pure joy. Pure chaos. Disney character outfits. Snacks. Honesty. Laughter that doesn’t quit. The kind of day where you forget about everything else and just be — fully in it, fully alive, fully yourself. These women don’t just go to Disney… they expand it. Make it softer, louder, funnier, more human. Madison Malone Kircher told the story, I got to witness the magic. Best shoot ever. Would do it again in a heartbeat 💫 📝 @4evrmalone 📷 @mbkoeth for @nytimes 👯‍♀️👯‍♀️ @plussizeparkhoppers