I have to admit, I didn’t expect to find my new favorite photographer while browsing in touristy downtown Sonoma. Free wine tastings, useless trinkets, and gourmet cooking utensils, yes. Arresting images, stunning subjects, and a gorgeous color palette? Not exactly.

And yet… there it was. Sandwiched between a wine bar and a boutique, the Lisa Kristine Gallery features world images that will have you itching to add more pages to your passport. I wandered through the gallery for the better part of an hour, mouth agape, stunned by each image.

Lisa Kristine is a San Francisco based photographer who focuses on  “capturing the essence of indigenous people.” For the past twenty-three years, Lisa has traveled to more than sixty countries, working closely with translators to earn the trust of the subjects featured in her photographs. The bulk of the photographs on her website and in the gallery were shot using a K.B. Canham 4X5 field view camera with Nikkor lenses. She never uses telephoto lenses, as she “prefers to be intimate with [my] subject.” According to the gallery owner in Sonoma, none of her photographers are digitally enhanced.

If, like me, you can’t afford to own your own Lisa Kristine piece, you can still find amazing world art right here on Zatista. Type your country or international city of interest in the search box in the upper right corner  to find your next great photograph, painting, or mixed media piece.  Here are a few of my personal favorites: