Carole Topalian is a critically acclaimed photographer whose work has been exhibited in museums and galleries including the Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, California; the Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, Texas; The Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, California; and the Jan Kesner Gallery, Los Angeles, California. Her photographs have been exhibited in nearly 70 shows throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Topalian has traveled extensively while photographing on assignment including locations in North Africa, Spain, China, South America and Indonesia.

Carole Topalian completed her undergraduate degree in Art at California State University at Northridge, attended the Brooks Institute of Photography and participated in the Masters program at Pacifica Graduate Institute near Santa Barbara. She cites her studies in mythology and literature at Pacifica as having a strong influence on her work. Among photographers who have influenced her - having not so much to do with the style of work, but more with how to go about being an artist - Topalian lists Dorothea Lang, Ruth Bernhard and W. Eugene Smith.

Ms. Topalian has received critical recognition for her work from many organizations and publications, including a partial NEA grant through the West Virginia Arts and Humanities and a Silver Award from San Francisco photographer Ruth Bernhard for a show in San Mateo. She has been commissioned for a number of works and her photographs have appeared in a variety of publications including Photometro, Shots, and reviewed in the Los Angeles Times.

Today, Carole Topalian lives in Ojai, California with her partner, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and a very large garden that she tends daily (when she's not traveling to another assignment).