Deanna Dikeman

lives and works in Kansas City (USA)

About Deanna Dikeman

Deanna Dikeman (US, 1954) is an American photographer who lives and works in Kansas City.
She holds a degree in biology and management from Purdue University. In 1985, she began photographing her surroundings and daily life in the Midwest. That same year, she left her corporate job to study photography and soon became a full‑time independent photographer.

Dikeman’s work is defined by her interest in the tenderness found in ordinary moments. By documenting her family—especially her parents—she brings forward intimate, universal emotions rooted in everyday life.

Deanna Dikeman’s Photographic Approach

Deanna Dikeman uses photography to document her environment and the people closest to her. She focuses on intimate, understated gestures and small moments, revealing the sensitivity and emotional resonance of daily rituals.

A significant part of her work centers on her parents. From 1986 to 2017, Dikeman photographed their everyday life in their Iowa home, resulting in her long‑term project Relative Moments, which seeks to highlight the intimate details of family life. She believes that this body of work also reflects universal truths about American culture.

Within this project lies her best‑known series, Leaving and Waving. Beginning in 1991, Dikeman photographed her parents waving goodbye to her from their driveway every time she left after a visit. What started as a way to soften the sadness of parting became a ritual repeated for over 25 years, until 2017.

This series has become a deeply moving testimony to family bonds, aging, separation, and the passage of time.

Exhibitions

Deanna Dikeman’s work has been exhibited widely across the world.
Her series Leaving and Waving alone has been shown in 14 different countries, including:

  • Canada

  • France

  • Saudi Arabia

  • Hungary

Her exhibitions consistently draw international attention for their emotional depth and universal themes.

Her work was part of Family Stories at Hangar in 2026.

Art Book Publications by Deanna Dikeman

Throughout her career, Deanna Dikeman has published two photobooks:

  • Leaving and Waving (2021)

  • Relative Moments (2024)

Leaving and Waving received the Prix Nadar from the Association Gens d’Images in 2021 and was also a finalist for the Paris Photo/Aperture Foundation First PhotoBook Award that same year.