Stefanie Kraus is a User Experience Designer who loves photography and has a passion for animal welfare. She is compelled to express the beauty of nature and wildlife through photography, and aims to capture the “true essence” of her subjects. All her animal photos are from sanctuaries around the US, where the residents come first and are not "on display" to entertain the public. With her background in design, she focuses on composition, colors, textures and rarely crops or alters her photographs. Stefanie lives in Berkeley with her husband, Michael, and their rescue cats, Jojo, Simon and Kissy. She also serves as a board member with Berkeley Humane and volunteers at her local shelter in her spare time.