www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 5-11, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 37 ART Erica Kraft’s photography career was launched by the beauty of Monterey County. “It’s very easy to get inspired in this area,” says the Monterey resident. Kraft grew up in Salinas and has been hiking around the county for years, iPhone in hand. But the pictures were “not doing justice” to spectacular reality. So she picked up a camera and soon learned that it would take years of work and experience to become a professional photographer. It also took time before she decided her photographs were good enough to enter a contest. When she did, her photos of Yellowstone National Park won second and fourth place in April 2025 at the 2024 Wiki Loves Monuments photography competition, organized by Wikimedia, the movement behind Wikipedia, and announced this April. Wiki Loves Monuments wasn’t on Kraft’s radar, but when she learned about it, the photos from her trip to Yellowstone came to mind. She uploaded them to Wikimedia Commons—and then waited. The second-place photo shows a sunset by Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn, framed by a plume of steam rising from one of the nearby geysers. Kraft photographed it with the backdrop of dark woods and silver sky. With new confidence after the strong showing, Kraft is developing her local photography business, with a focus on interior designs, hoping to combine commercial and art photography. This spring she has a headshot session for graduating students at Hartnell College. Despite her interest in interior design, Kraft cannot resist working with landscapes. “No design ever took my breath away as landscapes do,” she says. That’s due to constant changes in the outside experience. Light, air or color can create a different atmosphere within seconds. She recently photographed northern lights, which were on her photographic bucket list. She caught them in Nevada and the experience was jaw-dropping. Until now Kraft has been showing— on her website and Instagram—color photography, but she hopes to pursue black-and-white photography in the future. As mentors, she lists pastor/ photographer Charles Stanley and Christy Odom from San Diego. View Erica Kraft’s photography online at fotokraftmedia.com. See the winning contest photos at commons. wikimedia.org. ’Scape Artist Erica Kraft thought she might be ready to show her work. Then her photos won two awards. By Agata Popęda All kinds of landscapes attract Erica Kraft and her lens, including this one at Grand Teton National Park. “You never know what you’re going to get,” she says. INDOOR AND OUTDOOR DINING AND TAKEOUT Eat + Drink Wood Fired Pizzas, Burgers, Pasta, salads, sandWiches and more 11:30am mon-Fri, 10am Sat & Sun melvilletav.com 484 Washington St., Downtown Monterey 831.643.9525 haPPY hour Food & drinK sPecials Sun-Thurs 4-6pm WEEKEND BRUNCH WITH BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS Fisherman’s Wharf’s Newest Restaurant Serving Fresh Seafood, Pasta, Steaks, Sandwiches Open Daily at 11:30am Great views at the end of the Wharf #1 www.rockfishmonterey.com • 831.324.4375 BEACH HOUSE RESTAURANT + BAR @ LOVERS POINT ★ CASUAL CALIFORNIA DINING INDOOR & PATIO DAILY AT 4:30PM 620 OCEAN VIEW BLVD. PACIFIC GROVE 831-375-2345 • BEACHHOUSEPG.COM LOVERS POINT BEACH CAFE OPEN DAILY, 9AM–4PM ’24 Best Restaurant in Pacific Grove ’24 BEST RESTAURANT IN MONTEREY! JOIN US NIGHTLY FOR DINNER AT 4:30PM TWO HAPPY HOURS DAILY 5-6PM & 8-9PM Call or go to sardinefactory.com for details, reservations. 701 Wave Street, Monterey, 831-373-3775 Indoor and Outdoor Dining on the Dog Friendly Patio Tapas (Happy) Hour 4:30–6pm Nightly Saturday & Sunday Brunch 9am–1:30pm 700 Munras Ave., Monterey | 831-375-0176 | estebanrestaurant.com ’24 Best Appetizers/ Small Plates OPEN EVERYDAY for DINNER at 4:30pm Offering all your favorites plus wine, cocktails, bottle and draft beers. 763 Wave St., Monterey 831.373.3778 thewhalingstation.com ’24 Best Steak Monterey’s MOST Recommended Pizzeria Open at 4pm Mon-Thurs • Open at 3pm Fri Open at 12pm Sat.& Sun. 725 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey giannispizzamonterey.com 831-649-1500 Best Pizza ’98-’24 57 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey 831-373-1851 www.abalonetti.com ’24 LUNCH & DINNER SERVED DAILY from 11:30am-8:30pm Monterey County’s Best Calamari
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