Photography
Lisa Kristine
New to Spring 2025!
Sonoma, CA
Booth 419
Featured Artist
For more than four decades, I have traveled to over 150 countries, photographing humanity with a deep reverence for dignity, resilience, and our shared human spirit. My work lives at the intersection of fine art and advocacy, inviting viewers into intimate encounters with cultures and individuals often unseen.
I work primarily with large-format film, a process that requires time, patience, and presence. I do not take photographs quickly. I build trust. I listen. I wait. Each image is created in collaboration with the person before my lens. The result is work that is both aesthetically powerful and emotionally truthful.
Over the years, I have become internationally recognized for documenting modern slavery and human trafficking. Through my photography, I seek to bring visibility to exploitation while restoring humanity to those affected. My TED Talk, Photos That Bear Witness to Modern Slavery, has reached millions and continues to amplify awareness of this urgent global crisis.
In 2017, I founded the Human Thread Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to ending human trafficking and promoting human dignity through ethical visual storytelling, education, and global dialogue. Through international exhibitions and partnerships, I have shared this work at the United Nations, the Vatican, Nobel Summits, and the World Economic Forum in Davos, engaging leaders across sectors in conversations about responsibility and systemic change.
My photographs have been exhibited in museums and institutions worldwide and have been endorsed by figures including Pope Francis and The Dalai Lama. I am deeply honored to have received the Lucie Humanitarian Award, the IUTP Award from the Photographic Society of America, and the Global Sustainability Hero Award presented at the Dubai World Expo.
Through the sale of my limited-edition fine art prints, I transform art into direct impact, with proceeds supporting the mission of the Human Thread Foundation.
At the heart of everything I create is a simple belief: when we look into the eyes of another and truly see them, we begin to recognize ourselves. And in that recognition lies the possibility for profound global change.
What Inspires My Work
View a Sizzle Reel on My Work
My inspiration begins with human dignity.
I am drawn to the quiet strength in a gaze, the wisdom carried in a face, the story written in posture and gesture. Whether I am working alongside indigenous communities preserving ancestral traditions or documenting the realities of modern slavery, I am continually moved by resilience and by the profound capacity of the human spirit to endure, protect culture, and reclaim identity.
My process is rooted in presence. I work primarily with medium and large format cameras, which require patience, precision, and intention. Nothing about the process is rushed. I spend time building trust, listening carefully, and allowing space for authenticity to emerge. The camera becomes a bridge, but the human connection comes first.
Light guides me. The way it shapes a face, reveals texture, and transforms a moment into something timeless continues to inspire me. In every image, I seek both visual beauty and emotional truth.
At its heart, my work is about dissolving the illusion of separation. When we truly look into the eyes of another, we begin to recognize ourselves.
The Work I Will Be Exhibiting
At this show, I will be presenting a curated selection of limited edition fine art prints drawn from several long term bodies of work.
You will see luminous portraits honoring indigenous wisdom and ceremonial life. These images celebrate cultural continuity, sacred adornment, and humanity’s enduring relationship with the earth. They speak to identity, reverence, and ancestral strength.
I will also be exhibiting select works from my series documenting modern slavery. These photographs are created through collaboration and deep respect. They are not meant to sensationalize suffering, but to restore dignity and visibility to individuals whose lives are too often hidden. A portion of proceeds from these specific works supports the Human Thread Foundation and its mission to end human trafficking and modern slavery.
Each photograph is produced as a museum quality, limited edition print. I personally oversee the printing process to ensure tonal depth, archival integrity, and extraordinary detail.
My hope is that those who encounter these images feel a sense of connection and reflection. Art has the power to open the heart. When the heart opens, change becomes possible.