Ruth Bancroft Garden Community Day, March 19 10AM-2PM

On Sunday, March 19 Lauri and I will head to Walnut Creek as part of the Ruth Bancroft Garden Community Day. Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery boasts a fascinating collection of succulents, cacti, and other dry garden plants. The Community Day vendors will be under cover and will proceed in the event of any passing showers. Admission is free to visit the vendor area but there is an admission fee to visit the plant collections. Lauri will have a stunning selection of washi paper, button, beaded lace, and charm earrings including many new cactus and garden-themed pairs for this event. I will have cards, prints, and magnets for sale. Visit the Community Day link to see the other participating vendors (there will be Girl Scout Cookies!)

Public Exhibit at the El Cerrito DMV

I now have five photos on public display in El Cerrito. This work is part of the current El Cerrito Art Association installation at the EC DMV Office (6400 Manilla Ave). These photos are in the northwest corner of the main room and include this wonderful photo of an oak tree I took in El Sobrante this winter. The exhibit will run until July 12 and is accessible Monday through Friday when the office is open. You may bypass the line if there is one. The photos are for sale too!

New York Times Article!

If you've checked out my bio you know that part of my story as a biologist was studying the behavior of Wild Turkeys for my Ph.D dissertation. Even though we are approaching 20 years since I finished grad school, I still get questions from journalists about wild turkeys.

Earlier this year I was contacted by Anne Readel (www.annereadel.com), a science writer who has written for Audubon and other outlets. I directed her to my post about the wild turkey social system and answered her questions. Well, today her excellent article, "How Wild Turkeys Find Love" came out in the New York Times! (note: it may be paywalled). Not everyday you get a shout out in the New York Times!

December 2022 Events

We have a busy December planned for Alan Krakauer Photography and Lauri La Pointe Jewelry and Gifts! Three great opportunities to shop with us in person.

DEC 4th. Sugar City Winter Market, Crockett. (991 Loring Ave, 11AM-5PM)

Remember the Halloween Market that wasn't? We're excited for a re-do, this time a winter market at the Boy Scout hall across from the historic C&H Sugar Factory. This will be a family-friendly event with food and a Santa for photos with the kids. Dozens of vendors.

Dec 11th. Spirits Alley Makers Market & Bar Hop, Alameda (12-5PM)

We will be set-up inside Dashe Cellars (1951 Monarch St, Hanger 25, Alameda) as part of this combination spirits and art showcase. This looks like a really exciting event with more than 40 vendors spread between four different distilleries and wineries along Spirits Alley. Dashe in particular boasts a phenomenal view of San Francisco.

Dec 18th. Procrastinators Holiday Pop-up Shop, Richmond (1201 Pennsylvania Ave, 10AM-2PM)

Need some last minute gifts and cards before the holidays? We've got you covered. Check out a great bunch of local artists at a workspace in Richmond.

We are currently on the waitlist for this event and will hopefully be there if the weather is ok for outdoor vending.

Where would I be without you? EBPCO Exhibit

I will have a photo in the upcoming East Bay Photo Collective exhibition, Where would I be without you? The theme, along with last year's show Food with a Twist, is a meditation on the important things that helped us get through the last few years. This one emphasizes family.

While I'm sure most of the entries will be people-centric, my photo depicts two young owls I found a couple of years ago in Wildcat Canyon. In a literal sense, these two fledglings, recently emerged from their nest, form a family. Taking a step back, these owls became part of my family too. With everything locked down in 2020, my local open space and its inhabitants became like old friends. The Great Horned Owls in particular focused this feeling. Some of this feeling comes through in an essay I wrote for Golden Gate Audubon Society.

I'll also mention that this photo appears in the 2023 Wildcat Canyon calendar! Get one while they last!

Four Fools Winery SATURDAY

After feeling the disappointment of the cancellation of the Crockett festival, we are thrilled to announce we have found a new venue! A sincere thanks to Four Fools Winery in Rodeo for fitting us in at their Halloween Vendor Market. This will run from 1-6 on SATURDAY (10/15/22) at 13 Pacific Ave in Rodeo.

We've never been to this venue before so we aren't entirely sure what to expect. We know it's right by the shores of San Francisco Bay and the Rodeo Marina, and it's winery adjacent so you can shop and sip some local wines. There may be food trucks but we haven't received confirmation of this, but you are welcome to bring your own food and picnic in this scenic location. There will be around a half-dozen vendors in total.

El Cerrito Art Association Show

I'm thrilled to announce that my photo Against the Grain, received the 2nd Place prize in the Color Photography category! Thank you El Cerrito Art Association judges and organizers. Not only that, but this photo also was recognized with a Merchant's Award by one of the sponsors of the show. Thank you Olivero Plumbing for the recognition.

I also want to say how much fun Lauri and I had at the reception, and how impressed we were with the quality of the art across all the different artistic categories.

Giving Back Fall 2022

Since 2020, Alan Krakauer Photography donated 5% of sales, totaling over $350, to give back to charities involved with poverty, social justice, and environmental causes. For the first nine months of this year the recipient has been Urban Tilth (urbantilth.org), an intersectional organization that promotes agriculture, food security, training, environmental justice and biodiversity. I've never directly worked with them but I've heard great things and a neighbor of ours, Rudy, worked with them quite a bit. Much of their work deals with urban farming but I've also seen their crews out and about doing watershed restoration in Wildcat Canyon and I believe they've started talking with Golden Gate Audubon, another one of my favorite local orgs. I'm pleased to be able to donate $100 to Urban Tilth.

I'll be switching to a new organization starting this month (not sure yet to what -- stay tuned!).

Sugar City Marketplace SPOOKACULAR

Please see above note: this event has been canceled.

Lauri and I will be venturing a little further afield next month. On Sunday, October 16th, we will join dozens of other vendors at the Sugar City Marketplace Spooktacular in Crockett, California. This is a free harvest market, pumpkin patch, kid-friendly trick-or-treat, and vendor faire across the street from the historic C&H Sugar Factory. There will also be live music, food, face painting, etc. This should be the perfect place to scratch your Halloween (w)itch.

991 Loring Ave, Crockett, CA. 1PM-6PM

The Night is Young

I'm pleased to share I was accepted into a second exhibition organized by the East Bay Photo Collective in Oakland, California. This exhibit follows the theme The Night is Young. My photo appears in the online gallery. This is a photo from Wildcat Canyon that I shot while hiking out of Wildcat Canyon on a New Years Day a few years ago. The owl was perched on a palm frond and silhouetted against vivid sunset colors. I remember thinking at the time that with the interesting shapes from the palm and captivating hues in the scene, this might end up being one of my favorite photos for the whole year (and it was)!

ERH Art And Music Festival Aug 6, 12-5PM

The East Richmond Heights Art and Music Festival is back! Stop by this great FREE event and meet 2 dozen+ talented artists and vendors from our neighborhood. In addition to the vendors, there will be a stage with various musical acts, food trucks, plus a chance to visit the monastery at the Gyuto Foundation. The festival stretches along a couple of blocks of Bernhard Ave between Kensington and Cypress Ave in Richmond (you can plug in 6401 Bernhard Ave, Richmond, for directions). Park in the neighborhood.

This event great event started in 2017, before I had officially started Alan Krakauer Photography. I was captivated by the event and spent the entire day taking photos (if you've seen any of the marketing for this year's festival then you've likely seen some of them!). In 2018, the festival served as the debut of my business. This will now be the third year I've been a vendor and I'm so excited to see you all there this year!

I will be there with a huge selection of cards, plus other gifts like magnets, stickers, and my hot-off-the-press 2023 Wildcat Canyon Calendar. I'll also have a variety of prints available for sale. I accept cash, major credit cards, PayPal, and now Venmo!

Lauri will be in the next tent over with a great variety of beed, button, beaded lace, Cezch glass, and washi paper earrings and pins.

2023 Wildcat Canyon Calendars are here!

I'm very happy to share that my 2023 calendars arrived from the printers today! This is always one of my favorite projects at Alan Krakauer Photography. It's always fun to dive way into my catalog of photos from my local open space. I'm looking for different seasons, subjects, and aspect ratios to fill out the pages. More than that, every year I get pick images that tell a new story about the area. This is now the fourth iteration of Wildcat Canyon calendar for me!

The calendars are available for sale on my Etsy site. This is currently the only 2023 calendar I have prepared. There may be others before the year is out, but if others happen it won't be until the fall.

Audubon Female Bird Prize!

I am honored and overwhelmed to be able share that a photo of mine was selected as a a winner in the 2022 Audubon Photography Awards! The photo is of a female Greater Sage-grouse that I took in Wyoming several years ago. "Snow Queen" was chosen by the judges as the best in the new(ish) category of Female Birds. There are a lot of amazing photos capturing the spectacle of male sage-grouse but this photo was technically quite nice with the almost eye-level vantage point and beautiful morning light reflecting off the snow. It also captures a lot of the toughness of the birds that spend the winter in such a harsh environment. I'll tell more of the story of the photo in a future post. Thank you National Audubon Society and congrats to all the other photographers.

Community at The Image Flow

I'm thrilled to announce I've been accepted into a juried exhibit at The Image Flow gallery in San Anselmo, California. The theme of the call for artists was Community, and as you'd imagine most of the selected entries had to do with people. Of course community is an ecological term as well, and it doesn't take too much time along the San Francisco Bay to see groups of birds of different species together as a feathered analog to our own mingling towns and cities. I submitted several photos and Against the Grain, my photo of roosting Marbled Godwits and Willets from Arrowhead Marsh. This photo was also recognized in Audubon Photography Awards Top 100 and as an honorable mention in the Outdoor Photographer Nature's Colors contest, but this is will be its first appearance in a gallery.

The exhibit runs from May 23 -July 22, with an opening reception on June 4th.

Art in the Garden event: May 1

We are now about 3 weeks away from our reentry into the world of in-person art! Lauri and I will be joining the Bringing Back the Natives Garden tour as partnering artists. As we did in back in 2019, we will be setting up in the stunning garden of Al and Barbara Kyte in Moraga. 15% of our proceeds from the event will go back to BBtN! We hope you can join us between 10AM and 5PM on May 1.

Tickets are required for entry, but are free with registration. There is a suggested donation of $15.

Although we are only out for the one day, the BBtN tour extends over multiple weekends and includes online video tours on April 16-17 and two days of in person tours at more than 50 different private gardens on April 30 and May 1 (Bayside gardens on the 30th and inland gardens on the 1st). Also watch for events throughout the year such as sales at local native plant nurseries.

Happy New Year 2022! (Giving Back Edition)

Happy New Year from Alan Krakauer Photography! Best wishes to all of you. I'll keep sharing photos and working on new products, projects, and maybe even my long envisioned reorganization of my website in the coming year. We also have tentative plans for in-person events in the spring, so hopefully there will be a return to normalcy.

At the end of December I wrapped up my 5% giving back campaign for Save the Bay. I'm pleased to announce that I was able to make a $50 donation. I made this in memory of our neighbor Marilyn who was a long-time supporter of this organization.

Starting January I will be donating 5% of sales to a new organization: Urban Tilth. This is a local organization that works at the intersection of food security, agriculture, environmental justice, and biodiversity. It was an important organization for our neighbor Rudy. I'll be donating to Urban Tilth at least through the end of March.

No 2022 Calendars This Year

For those of you who are waiting to order your wall calendars ... unfortunately I've made the decision not to produce any calendars for 2022. This was a very tough choice since these are so popular with so many of you.

I do expect to design calendars next year for 2023, and I may have some alternative formats that could even appear mid-year as 18-month editions. I'll have more to say about that when they get closer to production.

My Etsy store is still open for card orders!

Food with a Twist!

I'm pleased to announce I had a photo accepted into Food With a Twist, an exhibition organized by the East Bay Photo Collective in Oakland. This is particularly exciting since it marks my first juried show and because it's actually the first one that I provided the framed print rather than having the show organizer print from my digital file.

The image is something a little different for me. It is the walrus from my "Fruit Faces" series. To read more about this check out the Birds for Breakfast entry below.

The instructions from EBPCO stated we could do what we wanted with the framing, so my wife stepped in to add something special to the project. She painted the frame a navy blue to accent the blue bowl and blueberries, and for a particularly unique touch, decorated the interior edge of the frame with different patterns of washi paper. I love how it came out!

Unfortunately we don't have a firm date for the opening of this exhibit. Just weeks after moving into their new space one of our unusually strong fall rainstorms flooded the building and the gallery is currently being repaired. EBPCO anticipates maybe a January opening. Stay tuned!

Giving Back Summer 2021 (pt. 2)

We're into July and I'm pleased to announce the next recipient for Giving Back at Alan Krakauer Photography. From July through September, I'll donate 5% of all sales to Save the Bay, the largest regional organization working to protect, restore, and celebrate San Francisco Bay. A quick look at their website is all you need to see the long (60 year!) and successful track record of this organization.

There is also a more personal reason that I've selected Save the Bay -- they were a favorite organization of our dear friend Marilyn Muenchow. Marilyn passed away recently. She was a lover of nature and the outdoors. She, along with her husband John, kept a spectacular garden filled with lots of native plants. They'd sometimes have 4 or 5 different species of birds nesting in their East Bay yard. Not only will your support go to a fantastic organization but it will be in tribute to a wonderful person.

(July 2021)

Giving Back, Summer 2021

It's the end of June. What does this mean, besides the fact that the 4th of July is right around the corner? My Spring quarter donation period is ending! I've now kept this pledge going for a full year, with over $200 going to great organizations including The Innocence Project, Golden Gate Audubon Society, and The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties.

In April I announced a fourth organization, and I'm happy to announce that thanks to the generous supporters of Alan Krakauer Photography, we raised $20 for Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa County.

What cause will we be supporting in July, August, and September? I haven't decided yet, but stay tuned!

(June 2021)

Point Molate

If you've been following me on social media this spring, you may have seen a post or two from the northwestern portion of the Richmond shoreline called Point Molate. I was invited to help Golden Gate Audubon Society to learn more about the development plans for that poorly visited part of the East Bay. This is a really special area with lots of history and a surprising amount of rugged beauty. A version of one of my photos was used for the cover of the summer issue of The Gull to set up an article talking about the region and its future. You'll likely see more about this issue (and my photos) in the months and years to come.

(June 2021)

Mt. Diablo Audubon Photo Contest

Another contest update! Mt. Diablo Audubon Society recently held their second annual photo contest for California birds. I submitted photos to several of the contest categories and was excited to learn I received honorable mention in two catorgies – Bird Portrait and Female Birds. The recognition was particularly nice since the two photos that were recognized were two in which I put a lot of attention to the artistic components of the photo (rather than something technically sound but not very original). Hearty congratulations to all the other photographers who participated in this growing contest.

Mt. Diablo Audubon Society is one of my two "home" societies. For maybe 15 years I've participated in the Central Contra Costa Christmas Bird Count circle that they organize, plus I have given two talks on my research at their monthly meetings.

Photo Winner

I am thrilled to announce I received the People's Choice winner in the 2021 California Rangeland Conservation Coalition Photo Contest! I received word earlier but only recently got the official acknowledgement (it's not yet on their website either).

I've never worked directly with this organization – the contest was organized by partners at Point Blue Conservation Science, a great organization working globally to protect nature. More than that, I have benefitted greatly from working lands. My doctoral research took place in part on ranches near my research station in upper Carmel Valley, and my postdoctoral work took me to multi-use land in Wyoming managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

May 2021

Giving Back -- April 2021 Update

It’s no April Fools, but we are heading into April and that means it’s time to Give Back. From January through March I set aside 5% of sales to give to a group doing good in the world, and for this period I had selected The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties. I’d like to thank all my customers, and in particular those who offered to round up or supplement their orders to pass on even more money to this important organization. We gave a total of $40 which helps get 80 meals to people in need! Given that so many here still face food insecurity, for the period of April though June, I will be donating 5% to Meals on Wheels.

Calendar Sale! Card Boxed Sets Are Back!

With a twist... These are Press Print cards I ordered some time back. Two designs only, so each box contains 10 cards of a single design. Limited quantities! What's different with these cards compared with my inkjet cards?

-Cardstock is heavier and not glossy

-Slightly larger (full 5x7 A7 size rather than the slightly smaller A6 size)

-Envelopes less "green" (sorry!), no post-consumer content or sustainable forestry certification

Comes in a kraft box with clear plastic lid.

Available on Etsy!

And if you haven't picked up a calendar yet, they are now 40% off on my Etsy Site (now only $12 each).

Giving Back -- Jan 2021 Update

Several months ago I started a giving back program here at Alan Krakauer Photography (you can read more about this in my archived updates). In brief, I will donate 5% of all sales to an organization doing something good for the world.

Due to the wonderful support for Alan Krakauer Photography over the past 3 months I was able to make a $150 donation to Golden Gate Audubon Society! So thrilled to have been able to make this impactful donation.

Starting January 1 I am shifting to a new charity -- The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties. There is such dire need for food security right now, and monetary donations to food banks are one of the most efficient ways to do this.

Alan Krakauer Photography

Welcome to Alan Krakauer Photography!

LATEST NEWS BELOW

Ruth Bancroft Garden Community Day, March 19 10AM-2PM

Public Exhibit at the El Cerrito DMV

New York Times Article!

December 2022 Events

DEC 4th. Sugar City Winter Market, Crockett. (991 Loring Ave, 11AM-5PM)

Dec 11th. Spirits Alley Makers Market & Bar Hop, Alameda (12-5PM)

Dec 18th. Procrastinators Holiday Pop-up Shop, Richmond (1201 Pennsylvania Ave, 10AM-2PM)

Where would I be without you? EBPCO Exhibit

Four Fools Winery SATURDAY

Crockett Spooktacular is CANCELED

El Cerrito Art Association Show

Giving Back Fall 2022

Sugar City Marketplace SPOOKACULAR

Please see above note: this event has been canceled.

El Cerrito Art Association

The Night is Young

Great Horned Owl

ERH Art And Music Festival Aug 6, 12-5PM

2023 Wildcat Canyon Calendars are here!

Audubon Female Bird Prize!

Community at The Image Flow

Art in the Garden event: May 1

Wholesale Catalog Update.

Spring Events Update

Food with a Twist! (Now actually happening!)

Happy New Year 2022! (Giving Back Edition)

No 2022 Calendars This Year

Food with a Twist!

Giving Back (Fall 2021)

Birds for Breakfast!

Bewick's Wren

Giving Back Summer 2021 (pt. 2)

Giving Back, Summer 2021

Point Molate

Point Molate Shoreline

Mt. Diablo Audubon Photo Contest

Crow (Point Reyes, CA), Hen Turkey (Richmond, CA)

Photo Winner

Pale Calf, Wildcat Canyon Regional Park

Giving Back -- April 2021 Update

Calendar Sale! Card Boxed Sets Are Back!

Giving Back -- Jan 2021 Update

Archived Updates, 2018-2020