Through Her Lens

Boulder photographer Darcy Kiefel documents life’s triumphs, struggles, and everyday beauty

WORDS Kastle Waserman

If a photo is worth a thousand words, then photographers have a lot to say. Conveying stories through photos is a way to let people in on scenes they don’t see in everyday life. Nobody knows this better than Darcy Kiefel. From world-class athletes and documenting international humanitarian projects to those celebrating life’s milestones and fashion trends for Boulder Magazine. She’s captured it all. 

The CU Boulder grad with a love for athletics, she says she aspired to become a sports commentator until she was invited by a Belgian cycling magazine to cover the first American cycling team to ride in the Tour de France.  

After 10 years of covering European cycling, she was hired to document post-war Serbia. “Serbia was a life-changing experience in my career, strengthening my commitment to documenting humanitarian projects worldwide and expanding global awareness through my images and the words of the recipients themselves,” Darcy says, adding, “It is one thing to read about poverty and conflict in developing countries; it is another to stand before it, look through the lens and meet the eyes of those living it, and listen to their quiet, fragile words. For me, their suffering was no longer abstract—it was personal, human, immediate.”

She also feels raising awareness is one of the more important aspects of her career, citing a United Nations exhibit of her photos in the early 2000s. “My hope was that my United Nations exhibit would deepen awareness of the daily struggles with poverty, hunger, and natural disasters—alongside the extraordinary resilience of lives that emerge from these unfathomable challenges,” Darcy says. “Through my images and their words, faces and voices that had long been invisible were finally seen and felt. They sought no sympathy but simply moved forward each day with courage, grace, and hope.”

Darcy also worked as a photographer and media specialist with a Russian child relief organization for five years, where she met and fell in love with two little boys that she later adopted and brought back to the States. “My boys are the greatest gift life has given me,” she gushes. “I don’t think my heart could be as full as it is because of them.”

Since funding has become limited, sending professional photographers on assignment to document humanitarian efforts has also become less frequent. Darcy continues to document international projects, although limited, and to photograph more often with U.S. nature conservancies and nonprofits. She also continues capturing family and lifestyle images. “Photographs hold emotion and connection to each season of life,” she attests. “It’s a privilege to preserve those moments and have them become a family’s lasting memory.”

This year, Darcy launched a new project: Outback Trails and Tales. It was born from her love of animals and nature and inspired by her two courageous rescue dogs. Darcy will provide basic training and adventure hikes to rescue dogs. She says, “With gentle guidance, timid hearts transform into loyal, courageous companions, discovering their inner strength and boldly unleashing their beautiful spirits.”

Through it all, she says she always looks to capture people’s spirit and strength in photos. She encourages people to slow down to really see and experience the world around us. “A photographer sees the world differently—drawn to the light, the gentle colors, and the honest expressions that might otherwise pass by,” she says. “Through the lens of a camera, stories are quietly preserving moments and cherished for a lifetime.”

For more information, visit outbacktrailsandtails.com and kiefelphotography.com.