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MY NAME IS KIRSTEN

I’m a travel photographer based in Los Angeles! I’ve worked in more than 50 countries on 6 continents but I’m not done traveling yet. The biggest passion that drives me is using my skills to tell visual stories that are socially conscious and environmentally responsible. Learn more…

Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joyous sensualist, for the simple reason that the eye traffics in feelings, not in thoughts.

– WALKER EVANS

Instagram Kirsten Alana

Follow my daily posts to see where I am and what I’m currently working on! I also provide travel tips and historical details in my captions so you can use my feed like your own personal guide book.

[ad] We have a balcony at our home in Los Angeles.

[ad] We have a balcony at our home in Los Angeles. It’s been my refuge during the pandemic and all this time at home. But eventually, in order to get back to work and make a living, I’ll have to trade my balcony for balconies in other places and beds that aren’t mine and places where I can’t control all the variables all the time. Some days I think I am ready for that and other days I honestly don’t know. So when @sonderstays asked if I would check out one of their locations in San Diego to report on all of their enhanced safety + cleaning procedures, I said yes. Everyone will handle this time differently and I am absolutely more cautious than most. But at some point, I knew I would need to actually travel… before I knew if I was ready to travel again or not. Sonder made me feel comfortable with their cleanliness, the contact-free checkin, their app and the space itself. This is me actually relaxing with my morning coffee on the apartment’s balcony before checking out what local businesses I could support during my stay. I’m sharing more details in my Stories along with a link to their micro site going into detail about all Sonder is doing to keep travelers safe.
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How are you feeling about traveling again?
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#travelwell #sonderstays

[ad] My wanderlust is always off the charts and, l

[ad] My wanderlust is always off the charts and, like many of you, I can’t wait to begin exploring again. But I'm also mindful of safety both for myself and local populations. That's why I'm happy to share that when I’m ready to travel on a plane again, @discoverpuertorico is going to be my first choice. No passport is required and there are no additional restrictions for me since it is part of the USA. Can't say that about some of my other favorite destinations right now! The Island’s magical experiences in nature and 300+ miles of coastline make it ideal for a getaway after staying at home this long. Puerto Rico’s responsibility in their measures to fight COVID-19 as they look to their reopening date of July 15 is encouraging, including requiring visitors to demonstrate a negative COVID test, which I’ll of course have in hand when I go. And while in all my previous visits to Puerto Rico, I've stayed pretty much within the walls of a resort, this time I am looking forward to staying more truly adhered to my desire to be as responsible and sustainable as possible. I'll be using the recommendations of locals (leave a comment if that's you! 🙏) and the @diningtraveler Guide to Puerto Rico, produced by my friend Jessica, to plan my itinerary. And I'll be keeping up with developments there as I determine my exact travel dates - with safety in mind - but I know #ItsAlmostTime for Puerto Rico! ☀️🌴🌊 #PRopelTourism #DiscoverPuertoRico

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Franc

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Francophile. So it was important that super early in my career in travel, I finally visited Paris as I’d dreamed of doing for decades. But like most Francophiles, that first trip was an exercise in long beloved clichés. The ones reinforced by the use of the Eiffel Tower’s image emblazoned on everything from mugs to t-shirts in North America and further illustrated by the keeping alive of the myth of “the Parisienne woman.” But luckily for me, during that first trip, I was also able to meet in person a blogger I’d followed online for some time through both of us being labeled as Francophiles: the incredible @lostncheeseland.
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Together years later, we helped our friend @fleurishing birth @thefrancophiles. And little by little every year, Lindsey has been instrumental in my own work to dismantle the Paris I thought I knew and loved, based on the education of youth, to replace it with a deep and abiding love for the real Paris. That led to a discovery of, and love for, France itself beyond cliché. So it was fitting that Lindsey’s first book was called ‘The New Paris’ and that today 🥳💃 is pub day for her second book #thenewparisienne
.
In the pages of her first book, Lindsey brought to life the Paris I want to live in. In her second, she introduced me to the Parisiennes I want to be friends with if I ever get to see that dream become a reality. She also features a few I already admire like @wanderwonders and dear @plus_une_miette who I so loved traveling India with. Frankly, the book also goes beyond Paris to introduce us to a world of women we should all want to know. Women that as the Vogue article about the book says, are “visionaries and agents of change across spheres of diversity, tech, culture, politics and more.”
.
I’ve included just a tiny sample so you can see what I mean. But I hope you will support an independent bookseller today and purchase ‘The New Parisienne’ with its stunning photos of the women of Paris by another colleague, @sliceofpai. This is a book for this moment. And for all the moments to come. 🇫🇷

On the first day that @thehuntingtonlibrary re-ope

On the first day that @thehuntingtonlibrary re-opened to the public, @dante.vincent bought us timed tickets to visit their gardens right when they first opened. In the pre-pandemic days this would have been an imperative detail because any public place is best for photographers *right* when it opens and there are hopefully less crowds. As they are limiting the number of visitors period and requiring all to have advance reservations, crowd-wise it wasn’t that big of a deal. Still it was nice to see that — and so many more — restrictions in place to keep us safe during our first time leaving the house to do something other than run an errand since.... March! From temperature checks with thermometers to mandatory mask wearing and more, it was a peek at the new reality. One designed to keep us safe.
.
But it’s not just safety that’s on my mind as the world begins to re-open, along with the question of whether or not it even should here in the USA since new spikes and even a second wave (and is it airborne?) dominate what I’m reading from scientists and health professionals.
.
Along with safety in my mind is this notion of how do I accurately represent and champion a world that is fair and just for ALL? Black Lives Matter has changed how I look at my responsibility as someone with a following who works in travel. Some of my favorite countries have been amongst those with the worst records of human rights abuses in the collective history of humanity. Some of my favorite cultural things to celebrate are glaringly white. I can visit beautiful Chinese and Japanese gardens like the ones in these photos but how much do I really know about those cultures and how many Chinese or Japanese people can I claim to know intimately? I may have Black friends but how much do I know about — or share of — their cultures? Have I ever traveled to where they live for the purposes of seeing it through their eyes?
.
I have a lot to work on still. This is only the beginning. And perhaps that’s one positive out thing to come from what has been a hugely damaging time for so much of humanity, this chance to reset. And do + be, better. ❤️

Don’t mind me, just over here at home — where

Don’t mind me, just over here at home — where it looks decidedly different from the situation in this photo — wondering if I will ever feel safe enough to leave the house for more than a grocery run ever again?! Never mind to get on a plane.
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I mean no wonder we can’t get enough people to agree about equality or care about racism, we can’t agree on wearing masks or doing the absolutely bare minimum to keep ourselves and others safe! It doesn’t even seem like we all believe we’re still in the midst of a pandemic. I don’t know if I’ve ever taken a good look at my own country and seen it more divided than I do right now. I also know who I’m fighting with though and what we’re fighting for. In my friend circle, there’s been a renewal of connection around social justice and all this learning. That’s something.
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Still, I don’t have all the answers. I really don’t. I’m reading and listening and feeling like I know even less than when I began. I feel like a lot of you in the comments of my last post. Torn. In many directions. Confused and tired of my own four walls but also.... not ready to leave them without more safety in place, whatever that looks like.
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And as I think back on all the traveling I was able to do in the past, it’s with a renewed sense of gratitude for the privilege of it all. It wasn’t a right or something I was owed, it was a gift. And while I sometimes had to worry about the safety of some aspects of it as a female traveling alone, I never ever had to ask the question, “is this country safe for me as a white person to travel in?” Acknowledging and owning my privilege is just one of the many things I’m working on as I continue to stay home. And if that’s you too, you’re not alone. ❤️

Today I’m just curious: where are you from? And

Today I’m just curious: where are you from? And are you planning to travel again anytime soon?
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As I balance activism and advocacy long term with travel and photography, I want to better understand YOU my audience. Because you are truly the reason I’m here. ❤️

Statements like the one on the sign in this photo

Statements like the one on the sign in this photo make it all seem so simple. And in a certain way, it is. It seems to me that Black people want to be treated as others are treated — not subjected to systemic racism that makes going to bed at night or going for a run or sleeping off a hangover in your car, a possible life or death scenario, but — with humanity, decency, the same level of respect that has never been in question because of the color of my skin. As @kimberlylatricejones pointed out in the video you’ve surely seen via Trevor Noah or John Oliver, Black people are not asking for revenge. Just equality. And as Kate of @deareverest shares: “It seems worth saying that equality is not finite, someone else having more doesn’t mean you get less. With that in mind, supporting it shouldn’t be a choice, but instead a civil imperative.”
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photo by @samkesslermedia, re-posted with permission #blacklivesmatter #4ajustworld

These weeks of protest have begun to see the wheel

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[ad] We have a balcony at our home in Los Angeles.

[ad] We have a balcony at our home in Los Angeles. It’s been my refuge during the pandemic and all this time at home. But eventually, in order to get back to work and make a living, I’ll have to trade my balcony for balconies in other places and beds that aren’t mine and places where I can’t control all the variables all the time. Some days I think I am ready for that and other days I honestly don’t know. So when @sonderstays asked if I would check out one of their locations in San Diego to report on all of their enhanced safety + cleaning procedures, I said yes. Everyone will handle this time differently and I am absolutely more cautious than most. But at some point, I knew I would need to actually travel… before I knew if I was ready to travel again or not. Sonder made me feel comfortable with their cleanliness, the contact-free checkin, their app and the space itself. This is me actually relaxing with my morning coffee on the apartment’s balcony before checking out what local businesses I could support during my stay. I’m sharing more details in my Stories along with a link to their micro site going into detail about all Sonder is doing to keep travelers safe.
.
How are you feeling about traveling again?
.
#travelwell #sonderstays

[ad] My wanderlust is always off the charts and, l

[ad] My wanderlust is always off the charts and, like many of you, I can’t wait to begin exploring again. But I'm also mindful of safety both for myself and local populations. That's why I'm happy to share that when I’m ready to travel on a plane again, @discoverpuertorico is going to be my first choice. No passport is required and there are no additional restrictions for me since it is part of the USA. Can't say that about some of my other favorite destinations right now! The Island’s magical experiences in nature and 300+ miles of coastline make it ideal for a getaway after staying at home this long. Puerto Rico’s responsibility in their measures to fight COVID-19 as they look to their reopening date of July 15 is encouraging, including requiring visitors to demonstrate a negative COVID test, which I’ll of course have in hand when I go. And while in all my previous visits to Puerto Rico, I've stayed pretty much within the walls of a resort, this time I am looking forward to staying more truly adhered to my desire to be as responsible and sustainable as possible. I'll be using the recommendations of locals (leave a comment if that's you! 🙏) and the @diningtraveler Guide to Puerto Rico, produced by my friend Jessica, to plan my itinerary. And I'll be keeping up with developments there as I determine my exact travel dates - with safety in mind - but I know #ItsAlmostTime for Puerto Rico! ☀️🌴🌊 #PRopelTourism #DiscoverPuertoRico

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Franc

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Francophile. So it was important that super early in my career in travel, I finally visited Paris as I’d dreamed of doing for decades. But like most Francophiles, that first trip was an exercise in long beloved clichés. The ones reinforced by the use of the Eiffel Tower’s image emblazoned on everything from mugs to t-shirts in North America and further illustrated by the keeping alive of the myth of “the Parisienne woman.” But luckily for me, during that first trip, I was also able to meet in person a blogger I’d followed online for some time through both of us being labeled as Francophiles: the incredible @lostncheeseland.
.
Together years later, we helped our friend @fleurishing birth @thefrancophiles. And little by little every year, Lindsey has been instrumental in my own work to dismantle the Paris I thought I knew and loved, based on the education of youth, to replace it with a deep and abiding love for the real Paris. That led to a discovery of, and love for, France itself beyond cliché. So it was fitting that Lindsey’s first book was called ‘The New Paris’ and that today 🥳💃 is pub day for her second book #thenewparisienne
.
In the pages of her first book, Lindsey brought to life the Paris I want to live in. In her second, she introduced me to the Parisiennes I want to be friends with if I ever get to see that dream become a reality. She also features a few I already admire like @wanderwonders and dear @plus_une_miette who I so loved traveling India with. Frankly, the book also goes beyond Paris to introduce us to a world of women we should all want to know. Women that as the Vogue article about the book says, are “visionaries and agents of change across spheres of diversity, tech, culture, politics and more.”
.
I’ve included just a tiny sample so you can see what I mean. But I hope you will support an independent bookseller today and purchase ‘The New Parisienne’ with its stunning photos of the women of Paris by another colleague, @sliceofpai. This is a book for this moment. And for all the moments to come. 🇫🇷

On the first day that @thehuntingtonlibrary re-ope

On the first day that @thehuntingtonlibrary re-opened to the public, @dante.vincent bought us timed tickets to visit their gardens right when they first opened. In the pre-pandemic days this would have been an imperative detail because any public place is best for photographers *right* when it opens and there are hopefully less crowds. As they are limiting the number of visitors period and requiring all to have advance reservations, crowd-wise it wasn’t that big of a deal. Still it was nice to see that — and so many more — restrictions in place to keep us safe during our first time leaving the house to do something other than run an errand since.... March! From temperature checks with thermometers to mandatory mask wearing and more, it was a peek at the new reality. One designed to keep us safe.
.
But it’s not just safety that’s on my mind as the world begins to re-open, along with the question of whether or not it even should here in the USA since new spikes and even a second wave (and is it airborne?) dominate what I’m reading from scientists and health professionals.
.
Along with safety in my mind is this notion of how do I accurately represent and champion a world that is fair and just for ALL? Black Lives Matter has changed how I look at my responsibility as someone with a following who works in travel. Some of my favorite countries have been amongst those with the worst records of human rights abuses in the collective history of humanity. Some of my favorite cultural things to celebrate are glaringly white. I can visit beautiful Chinese and Japanese gardens like the ones in these photos but how much do I really know about those cultures and how many Chinese or Japanese people can I claim to know intimately? I may have Black friends but how much do I know about — or share of — their cultures? Have I ever traveled to where they live for the purposes of seeing it through their eyes?
.
I have a lot to work on still. This is only the beginning. And perhaps that’s one positive out thing to come from what has been a hugely damaging time for so much of humanity, this chance to reset. And do + be, better. ❤️

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Get social by following me on these platforms but make sure to engage so I can get to know you back!

Black Lives Matter [and more] Resources thumbnail

June 16, 2020

Black Lives Matter [and more] Resources

Earth Day 2020: Tips and Advice thumbnail

April 22, 2020

Earth Day 2020: Tips and Advice

7 Reasons to Visit San Francisco in 2020 thumbnail

January 30, 2020

7 Reasons to Visit San Francisco in 2020

Small Business Saturday: What and Where to Buy thumbnail

November 30, 2019

Small Business Saturday: What and Where to Buy

Dia de Muertos: what it is and how to experience it in Los Angeles thumbnail

November 6, 2019

Dia de Muertos: what it is and how to experience it in Los Angeles

See where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m going next…

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DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY | WEBSITE BY FURTHER BOUND | Portraits of Kirsten by Danté Vincent | COPYRIGHT © KIRSTEN ALANA 2008-2020