Brian Kratzer

Brian Kratzer died on September 13, 2026, in Columbia, Missouri, after a short battle with cancer. He was 56. The Columbia Missourian published a life story by managing editor Jeanne Abbott on September 16, 2026, gathering tributes from students and colleagues across major newsrooms. An obituary published via the McPherson Sentinel and Legacy remembered his Kansas roots and asked for memorial contributions to the Missouri Photo Workshop through the University of Missouri.

Visitation, a rosary, and a funeral Mass were arranged for October 2, 2026, at the St. John Henry Catholic Newman Center (602 Turner Ave., Columbia). Guests were invited to wear his favorite color, blue, instead of black. He was survived by his wife, Renee Martin-Kratzer; children Kedzie, Zoe, Owen, and Zackary; his parents; his sister Kelly; his half-sister Kelley Jo Adams; and extended family.

Brian Wayne Kratzer was born on September 2, 1970, in Akron, Ohio, to Robbin and Valerie Kratzer. He spent his early childhood in McPherson, Kansas, where photography entered the household in a literal way: his father added a darkroom in the basement, and Brian spent hours learning to process negatives and develop prints while his younger sister, Kelly, waited to see the finished images.

That early experience fixed a purpose that stayed with him. He knew he wanted to be a photojournalist. He attended Lincoln Elementary and McPherson High School, and he often credited Jackie Engel, his high school journalism teacher, for believing in him. Tom Throne, managing editor of the McPherson Sentinel, hired him at age 14. Working as a staff photographer for the local paper while still in high school grounded his respect for hard work, community, and showing up with a camera.

Kratzer earned a journalism degree from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. During college he completed internships as a staff photographer at the Eugene Register-Guard in Oregon, the Wichita Eagle in Kansas, the Great Falls Tribune in Montana, and the Manhattan Mercury.

He later returned to school at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, earning a master's degree in 2005 while working as director of photography at the Columbia Daily Tribune. His master's project depicted 15 families living on Missouri Century Farms across the state. An O.O. McIntyre grant supported the breadth of that rural work. As a graduate student he also served as graduate coordinator for College Photographer of the Year and Pictures of the Year International.

Kratzer's first full-time newsroom job was as photo editor at the Moscow-Pullman Daily News in Idaho. In 1996 he joined the Columbia Daily Tribune as a staff photographer and photo editor. Mark Horvit, a School of Journalism professor and Tribune colleague, later said Kratzer had an intuitive feel for capturing an image with the right essence and mood, and that he was exceptionally good at being in the moment and in the service of the story.

After completing his master's degree, he spent five years as director of photography and assistant managing editor for online and multimedia at the Gainesville Sun in Florida. There he helped lead the newsroom into a Web-first environment. The video and photo team covered multiple University of Florida national championships, and the work contributed to Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com receiving the Arthur "Punch" Sulzberger Award, The New York Times Company's highest honor for innovation and success.

He returned to Missouri in 2010 as director of photography for the Columbia Missourian and joined the faculty of the Missouri School of Journalism. He taught Photo and Visual Editing, Staff Photojournalism, and advanced multimedia documentary work that fed the Missourian's website and app. He became a full professor and Donald W. Reynolds Distinguished Faculty Fellow. He also taught as an adjunct at the University of Florida earlier in his career and attended major workshops including The Kalish, Eddie Adams, and the Missouri Photo Workshop.

As director of the Missouri Photo Workshop, he oversaw a program that for more than seven decades has brought professional photojournalists to a different small Missouri town each fall for an intensive week of community documentary work. He became sole workshop director after David Rees and Jim Curley stepped back from co-directing, and he remained a tireless organizer who insisted that visuals be treated with respect.

Kratzer met Renee Martin-Kratzer at Kedzie Hall on the Kansas State University campus. They married and built a life together for 30 years. Their family included two daughters, Kedzie and Zoe, and twin sons, Owen and Zackary, all of Columbia. He was also remembered by his parents, Robbin and Valerie Kratzer of Wichita, Kansas; his sister, Kelly Kratzer (Josh Rezac) of Encino, California; his half-sister, Kelley Jo Adams (Steve) of Grove City, Ohio; and by nieces, nephews, and in-laws.

Those who knew him said the role he cherished most was being a father. Renee recalled that he was up for any crazy idea the family wanted to try and that he always showed up for the kids. He went camping with the Scout troop, packed for robotics competitions, cheered every team his children joined, and was eager for a spontaneous road trip. As a partner, Renee said his energy matched her own, and he would cheerfully agree to any new project for the house or the family. He was preceded in death by grandparents Leland and Helen Kratzer, Robert Foster, and Betty Wargo, and by his uncle Randolph Kratzer and aunt Rudeen Kratzer.

Kratzer believed photojournalism was both craft and moral practice. In the newsroom and classroom he pushed students past the easy picture (the tackle, the touchdown, the obvious ceremonial moment) toward the emotional pivot of a story: the crush of defeat, the delight of an unexpected victory, the quiet dignity of ordinary people. He taught editors how to manage, how to stay calm under pressure, when to pick their battles, and how to help others understand what photographers are up against.

Former students described a teaching style that was passionate and professional at once. Liz Pierson, later an editor for the Social Visuals team at The New York Times, said he taught her to have difficult conversations and to stand up for what she believed. Jennifer Mosbrucker, who went on to work on The New York Times national desk, called his classroom "like learning a language" and his enthusiasm for visuals infectious. David Rees said Kratzer was a true believer who thought the power of visuals could make the world a better place, and that he would not tolerate anyone who underestimated that value.

Kratzer's students reached some of the highest levels of photojournalism and visual editing, including roles at The New York Times, The Associated Press, ESPN, CNN, and National Geographic. Colleagues said he made everyone feel like they mattered, treated students as peers, and combined rigorous standards with warmth. Eve Adelheit, a New York Times photo editor, called him "the light" that brought out the best in her and other students. Alyssa Goodman, who graduated in 2013 and joined the Associated Press in New York, remembered him as patient, meticulous, kind, and careful with his words.

Through the Missouri Photo Workshop he extended Missouri's land-grant tradition of media literacy in rural communities, giving working photojournalists a career-changing week of documentary practice. Memorial contributions after his death were directed to the workshop in his honor. In Columbia he was also remembered as a deeply devoted husband and father whose goofy humor and eagerness to pack for a spontaneous road trip were as much a part of his reputation as his newsroom leadership.

As assistant managing editor for online and multimedia at the Gainesville Sun, Kratzer helped lead work that earned Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com the Arthur "Punch" Sulzberger Award, described by the Missouri School of Journalism as The New York Times Company's highest honor for innovation and success. At Missouri he held the Donald W. Reynolds Distinguished Faculty Fellow title. His students and the Missourian visuals team earned national recognition in contests including National Press Photographers Association Best Use of Photography competitions, and he was long active in NPPA and major workshop communities including The Kalish and Eddie Adams. After his death, the Missouri School of Journalism invited memorial gifts to support the Missouri Photo Workshop in his name.

Kratzer appeared on KBIA's Daily Blend in September 2025 to explain how the Missouri Photo Workshop brings dozens of international photojournalists to a Missouri town for one week of intimate documentary storytelling. He also spoke for the Reynolds Journalism Institute on using photography and multimedia in election reporting. At the Missourian he co-produced rural youth documentary work with KBIA that premiered at Ragtag Cinema and in several Missouri towns, continuing the rural themes of his master's project. He maintained a YouTube channel with newsroom and teaching videos, and his faculty profile and workshop pages document decades of public teaching and visual leadership.