Katrin Ulmen was born in Essen, Germany in 1975. After she had finished school, she went to Boston for a year, where she worked as an au pair girl. After that, she trained in a joinery for two years. She studied architecture, then changed to the subject of design. She completed her studies in photography in 2007. From 2006 to 2007 she lived in Antwerp. In 2017 she received her Master of Education from the University of Wuppertal. 
Ulmen is based in Bielefeld