Kerstin Firmin, (she/her) documents life where city and nature meet. Some of her recent work captures the natural beauty and abundance of Lake Merritt near downtown Oakland, CA, one of the first federal bird preserves. Her current work-in-progress focuses on documenting wildlife in urban edible gardens and farms, an effort to showcase the ecosystem benefits of sustainable methods of food production. Her urban wildlife photography inspires curiosity—seeds that grow into action. Through her lens, Kerstin captures adaptation, resilience, and survival in anthropocentric environments. With a focus on biodiversity documentation, Kerstin’s art practice is place-based, rooted in citizen science, and contributes to the creative commons.

With a background in nonprofit publication and website design, Kerstin’s focus has shifted to food justice and sustainability. She recently completed the Urban Agroecology certificate program at Merritt College and is a 2021 graduate of the Bay Area Farmer-to-Farmer training. Kerstin lives in downtown Oakland, where she tends to her consulting work and is helping to revitalize a garden at the Merritt College Environmental Center. Follow Kerstin on Instagram at @kerstin.firmin and on iNaturalist at @kerstinfirmin.