Shmuel Thaler
Verified
I am the 2016 Santa Cruz County Artist of the Year and have been a staff photographer at the Santa Cruz Sentinel since 1987.
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Shmuel Thaler
Photo | Sailboats cut through Monterey Bay beyond Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Sailboats cut through the Monterey Bay beyond the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s Giant Dipper roller coaster in this view from UC Santa Cruz. Built by Arthur Looff and continuously operating in its original location since 1924, the Giant Dipper is the fourth oldest coaster currently operating in the U.S., and one of the top 10 oldest in the world. In 1911, Looff’s father Charles delivered a new merry-go-round with hand-carved horses to the Boardwalk.
Photo | Couple walks across street in downtown Santa Cruz
A couple traverses a crosswalk at the corner of Locust and Cedar streets in downtown Santa Cruz as light from the setting sun creates long shadows.
Photo | Loma Prieta rises through clouds in Santa Cruz Mountains
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Loma Prieta rises through low-lying clouds. The peak received its current name (meaning “dark hill” in Spanish) during the Spanish and Mexican colonial era in the late 18th to early 19th century when local settlers looked up at the mountain from the Mission of Santa Cruz and the Pajaro Valley and named it for its dark, brushy appearance.
Photos | Work continues on housing project on River Street in Santa Cruz
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A six-story, mixed-use affordable housing complex is beginning to take shape at 136 River St. in Santa Cruz — the former site of Outdoor World. The project, being built by San Jose-based nonprofit For the Future Housing, will feature 50 affordable rental apartments and one on-site manager’s unit. It is designed for households earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income, with 20 units reserved for Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) recipients.
Photo | Music, dancing comes to UC Santa Cruz with Fire & Grace & Flamenco
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Fiddle player Edwin Huizinga and guitarist William Coulter have invoked the midnight sun and other motifs in a recent Scandinavian themed collaboration.
Photos | World Elite Sumo brings sumo wrestling to Santa Cruz
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Brazil’s Rui Junior and Paea “Bad News” Tukuafu square off under the watchful eyes of referee Christopher Houghton at World Elite Sumo’s round robin sumo wrestling tournament at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz on Saturday. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan composes himself before entering the Dohyō, the specialized ring and raised platform where sumo wrestling bouts take place.
Photo | Irrigation sprinklers create rainbows in Watsonville
Irrigation sprinklers create rainbows along West Riverside Drive in Watsonville. The effect occurs when sunlight hits tiny water drops from a hose or sprinkler and the water bends the light and splits it into colors. People sometimes call them “lawn rainbows” or “sprinkler rainbows” for fun, but scientists use the same name for these earthbound and human caused phenomena as they do for naturally occurring rainbows in the sky.
Photos | Pride celebrated at Rainbow Conference
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Students head to the Safe School Project Rainbow Conference on Saturday at Watsonville High School. Organizers said the annual free event is a day of celebration, community and learning for young people and the adults who support them in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.
Photo | Up close and personal with sumo wrestlers ahead of World Elite Sumo event
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Spectator Diego Navalos gets an up close and personal introduction to the chest of Brazilian sumo wrestler Rui Jr. during a fun-filled meet-and-greet Friday at Abbott Square in downtown Santa Cruz. The event proceeded a weigh-in for the wrestlers as they prepared to compete in Saturday night’s World Elite Sumo event at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
Photo | Harvest moon illuminates Santa Cruz
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A nearly full moon rises Friday night above Santa Cruz through sunset-tinged clouds. The precise timing of the full moon occurred Saturday morning at 9:49 a.m., known as the harvest moon. The harvest moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox and typically happens in September, although it can occasionally fall in October.
Photo | Jet lands at San José Airport with Santa Cruz Mountains in background
A Southwest Airlines jet lands at San José Mineta International Airport as a vibrant sunset colors the sky over the Santa Cruz Mountains. According to Airportia Flight tracker, the airport has an average of 258 flights per day (total arrivals and departures) and Southwest Airlines operates an average of 77 to 81 daily departing flights with an equal number of arriving flights. The airport is named after Norman Y.
Photo | Sailboats prepare to race on Monterey Bay
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... An armada of sailboats are steered through challenging conditions in the Monterey Bay on Friday during a race at the 50th annual Moore 24 Nationals. More than 80 boats are competing, and sailors include multiple Olympians, professional sailors and amateurs. These vessels are 24-foot ultralight-displacement sailboats designed and first built in 1972 by George Olson and Ron Moore in Santa Cruz.
Photo | Jet lands at San José Airport with Santa Cruz Mountains in background
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A Southwest Airlines jet lands at San José Mineta International Airport as a vibrant sunset colors the sky over the Santa Cruz Mountains. According to Airportia Flight tracker, the airport has an average of 258 flights per day (total arrivals and departures) and Southwest Airlines operates an average of 77 to 81 daily departing flights with an equal number of arriving flights. The airport is named after Norman Y.
Photo | Sailboat out on the water along Monterey Bay
A sailboat plies the Monterey Bay near the mile buoy as low-lying fog hugs the Monterey County coastline in the distance.
Photos | Halloween decorations start to come out in Santa Cruz County
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Hillary Rucker gets her Gross Road yard ready for the Halloween season with a large display featuring mostly homemade items. This year marks the 6th year Rucker has turned her property into a Halloween wonder. She said, “My whole neighborhood waits for me to do this.” Rucker also decorates for Christmas but said that the Halloween decorations are much more elaborate. A ghoulish head and accompanying hands find the perfect place in Hillary Rucker’s yard.
Photos | UC Santa Cruz reopens running path around Upper East Field
The Santa Lucia Range rises across the Monterey Bay as a runner strides along the newly surfaced half-mile track around the Upper East Field at UC Santa Cruz. The track, which was in dire need of repair, was reconstructed thanks to a $500,000 gift to UCSC's Athletics and Recreation Department. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel) Santa Cruz County spreads out beyond a pair of runners on UCSC's new track.
Photos | UC Santa Cruz reopens running path around Upper East Field
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The Santa Lucia Range rises across the Monterey Bay as a runner strides along the newly surfaced half-mile track around the Upper East Field at UC Santa Cruz. The track, which was in dire need of repair, was reconstructed thanks to a $500,000 gift to UCSC's Athletics and Recreation Department. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel) Santa Cruz County spreads out beyond a pair of runners on UCSC’s new track.
Photos | Preview show for Santa Cruz County Open Studios comes downtown
Open Studios Program Manager Bree Karpavage, right and and m.k. contemporary art co-director Rose Sellery hang work as a preview show for Open Studios goes up at the downtown Santa Cruz gallery. The show, one of three upcoming in the county featuring the work of artists participating in the Santa Cruz County Open Studios, opens on Friday. For three weekends in October, artists throughout the county will open their workspaces to the public for the 41st Open Studios art tour.
Photo | Runner casts long late afternoon shadow at UC Santa Cruz
A runner casts a long late afternoon shadow on the concrete while striding past a bike rack in front of the East Field House at UC Santa Cruz.
Photos | Preview show for Santa Cruz County Open Studios comes downtown
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Open Studios Program Manager Bree Karpavage, right and and m.k. contemporary art co-director Rose Sellery hang work as a preview show for Open Studios goes up at the downtown Santa Cruz gallery. The show, one of three upcoming in the county featuring the work of artists participating in the Santa Cruz County Open Studios, opens on Friday.
Photos | UC Santa Cruz students gear up for new year
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Students head to and from the East Remote parking lot at UC Santa Cruz on Friday during the six-day move-in process for the fall quarter that concluded on Saturday.
Photo | Birds partake in feeding frenzy
Pelicans dive into the Pacific Ocean off West Cliff on a recent afternoon. Typically, these kinds of feeding frenzies, which also include gulls, cormorants and other birds, occur when large schools of anchovies and other bait fish are running. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Photo | Angler casts from a perch along West Cliff in Santa Cruz
An angler casts from a perch along West Cliff in Santa Cruz as a pelican glides northward. Rock cod are the most commonly caught fish in the area although ling cod and cabezon are sometimes hooked as well.
Photo | Cyclist pedals across the bridge spanning Arana Gulch
A cyclist pedals across the bridge spanning Arana Gulch after cycling through the Arana Gulch Open Space. The primary trail route in Arana Gulch provides a connection from Agnes Street to the upper harbor. Dirt hiking trails also encircle the meadow areas, from Hagemann Bridge to the harbor-side entrance and cycling is not allowed on the dirt trails. Visitors are asked to stay on the designated trails.
Photo | Cyclist pedals across the bridge spanning Arana Gulch
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A cyclist pedals across the bridge spanning Arana Gulch after cycling through the Arana Gulch Open Space. The primary trail route in Arana Gulch provides a connection from Agnes Street to the upper harbor. Dirt hiking trails also encircle the meadow areas, from Hagemann Bridge to the harbor-side entrance and cycling is not allowed on the dirt trails. Visitors are asked to stay on the designated trails.
Photo | Cyclist pedals along the Coastal Rail Trail near field of Brussels sprouts
A cyclist pedals along the Coastal Rail Trail between Santa Cruz and Davenport as a field of Brussels sprouts is irrigated. According to the 2024 Santa Cruz County Crop Report, the county's Brussels sprouts crop was cultivated on 448 acres and was worth $8,944,000 – down from $10,538,000 in 2023. The Brussels sprout is a member of the Gemmifera group of cabbages and has long been popular in Brussels, Belgium, from which it gained its name.
Photo | Cyclist pedals along the Coastal Rail Trail near field of Brussels sprouts
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A cyclist pedals along the Coastal Rail Trail between Santa Cruz and Davenport as a field of Brussels sprouts is irrigated. According to the 2024 Santa Cruz County Crop Report, the county’s Brussels sprouts crop was cultivated on 448 acres and was worth $8,944,000 – down from $10,538,000 in 2023. The Brussels sprout is a member of the Gemmifera group of cabbages and has long been popular in Brussels, Belgium, from which it gained its name.
Photos | Deer scamper around in Santa Cruz
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... SANTA CRUZ — A deer scampers across the 18th fairway at DeLaveaga Golf Course in Santa Cruz. There is no official exact count of how many deer live in Santa Cruz County, though our region supports a stable population of Columbian black-tailed deer.
Photos | Bookshop Santa Cruz event celebrates 25th anniversary of Jonathan Franzen’s novel
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Author Jonathan Franzen reads from his novel “The Corrections” at Bookshop Santa Cruz on Sunday. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) A large crowd fills Bookshop Santa Cruz for the Jonathan Franzen event on Sunday. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Sondra Cardullo, right, expresses her admiration for the writing of local author Jonathan Franzen as Franzen, left, signs a copy of his novel “The Corrections” for her.
Photos | Members of Santa Cruz County Jewish community gather for Tashlich ritual
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Members of the local Jewish community gather at Natural Bridges State Beach on Sunday for the Tashlich ritual organized by Temple Beth El and led by Rabbi Shifra Weiss-Penzias. In Hebrew “Tashlich” means to “cast” and the ceremony is held on Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish New Year) beside a flowing body of water where participants symbolically cast away sins using crumbs, seeds, peas or pebbles into the water.
Photos | Community flocks to downtown for Fiestas Patrias
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The dancers of Kalpulli Ehecacoatl bring color, spirit and a sense of community to Watsonville Sunday as they perform at Fiestas Patrias. A large crowd filled Main Street between West Beach and Second streets for the annual Mexican Independence Day celebration. The free family-friendly event included music, dancing, food and children’s activities.
Photo | Cooling off at Natural Bridges State Beach
People cooled off in the Pacific Ocean at Natural Bridges State Beach this week as mid-week temperatures rose to near triple digits. A cooling trend to normal temps kicked in Thursday and the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures mostly in the mid-70s over the next few days.
Photos | Los Lupeños de San José folklórico dancers strike a pose at UC Santa Cruz
Folklórico dancers from Los Lupeños de San José pose for a photo near the base of the UC Santa Cruz campus. The dancers are part of Cashion Cultural Legacy, a nonprofit arts organization based in San José, and came to Santa Cruz for a recent photo shoot. Los Lupeños de San José is a professional dance company that brings Mexico's diverse regional traditions to life through research-based performance, artistic excellence, community engagement and intergenerational cultural learning.
Photo | Down on the farm
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Visitors to the Farm at UC Santa Cruz climb a hill above the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn near the campus main entrance. The farm is part of the UCSC Division of Social Sciences’ Center for Agroecology whose mission is to advance agroecology and equitable food systems through experiential education, participatory research, agricultural extension and public service.
Photo | Cooling off at Natural Bridges State Beach
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... People cooled off in the Pacific Ocean at Natural Bridges State Beach this week as mid-week temperatures rose to near triple digits. A cooling trend to normal temps kicked in Thursday and the National Weather Service forecasts temperatures mostly in the mid-70s over the next few days.
Photos | Los Lupeños de San José folklórico dancers strike a pose at UC Santa Cruz
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Folklórico dancers from Los Lupeños de San José pose for a photo near the base of the UC Santa Cruz campus. The dancers are part of Cashion Cultural Legacy, a nonprofit arts organization based in San José, and came to Santa Cruz for a recent photo shoot.
Photo | Roaring Camp Beach Train heads toward Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The Roaring Camp Beach Train heads toward the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk after traveling over the crossings at Encinal, Fern and Coral streets and Highway 1.
Photo | Sunset colors the sky above Santa Cruz
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A fiery sunset lights up the sky above the Costco gas station in Santa Cruz this week. Atmospheric conditions lately have been ideal for vibrant sunrises and sunsets in Santa Cruz County.
Photos | Signs of everyday life in Santa Cruz County
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Cyclists pedal past a sign on Bay Street in Santa Cruz that needs a little TLC. TEDx speaker and corporate strategist Julieanne O'Connor wrote, “The world’s so upside down, I’m starting to think gravity is just peer pressure. What’s called normal feels like a costume party where no one admits they’re in disguise — and weird might just be the only honest guest.
Photo | Cyclist pedals up Coolidge Drive hill at UC Santa Cruz
A cyclist pedals up the Coolidge Drive hill at UC Santa Cruz. Cows, horses, oxen and even a small herd of buffalo were kept at the Cowell Lime Works ranch before the land became UC Santa Cruz and cattle still graze on the meadow atop the hill that rises above the cyclist.
Photo | Crosswalks, bike lanes, lane markers, arrows mark road in Santa Cruz
Crosswalks, bike lanes, lane markers and arrows form a cacophony of design in this aerial view of the intersection at Water Street and North Branciforte Avenue.
Photo | Red-tailed hawk lifts off from sign in Santa Cruz
A red-tailed hawk lifts off from a no parking sign on Shaffer Road in Santa Cruz. According to Cornell Lab’s All About Birds website, “This is probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve got sharp eyes, you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings.”
Photo | Great blue heron hunts for its next meal
A great blue heron looks out as it forages on the grass in front of the Santa Cruz County Superior Courthouse. About the bird, Cornell University's All About Birds website says, “Whether poised at a river bend or cruising the coastline with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight. This stately heron with its subtle blue-gray plumage often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps.
Photo | Foundation moves along for 831 Water St. project
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A concrete pour has begun to create the parking garage floor at the corner of Water Street and North Branciforte Avenue as Walnut Creek-based Novin Development builds a four- and five-story residential project called 831 Water St. The Santa Cruz Planning Commission approved the proposal for a 100% below-market-rate building with 140 homes.
Photo | Great blue heron hunts for its next meal
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A great blue heron looks out as it forages on the grass in front of the Santa Cruz County Superior Courthouse. About the bird, Cornell University’s All About Birds website says, “Whether poised at a river bend or cruising the coastline with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight. This stately heron with its subtle blue-gray plumage often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps.
Photo | Ring of light circles sun above Downtown Santa Cruz
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A prismatic halo surrounds the midday sun above Downtown Santa Cruz. According to the National Weather Service website, Earth’s atmosphere sometimes produces “colorful displays when conditions are right.” Among these optical effects are halos, sun pillars and sundogs. The NWS website explains, “A halo is a ring or light that forms around the sun or moon as the sun or moon light refracts off ice crystals present in a thin veil of cirrus clouds.
Photo | Work progresses on joint UC Santa Cruz student housing project at Cabrillo College
A new student housing complex rises next to the Cabrillo College softball field in this view from McGregor Drive across Highway 1 in Aptos. Named Costa Vista, the project is historic as it is the first California Community College and University of California student housing collaboration to be located on a community college campus.
Photo | Work progresses on joint UC Santa Cruz student housing project at Cabrillo College
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A new student housing complex rises next to the Cabrillo College softball field in this view from McGregor Drive across Highway 1 in Aptos. Named Costa Vista, the project is historic as it is the first California Community College and University of California student housing collaboration to be located on a community college campus.
Photos | Santa Cruz County’s Teen Kitchen Project delivers millionth meal
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The kitchen is buzzing with activity as teen cooks and volunteer and paid staff create meals for critically and chronically ill people and their families. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel) Charlie Cross, 18, packages Teen Kitchen Project’s millionth meal last week as the crew watches in appreciation.
Photo | Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation’s Walking Adventure Group stays on their feet
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Judi Cobb is all smiles as she and other participants of the city of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation’s Walking Adventure Group (WAG) make their way up the Laurent Street hill in Santa Cruz during one of their weekly Thursday outings.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with Shmuel
Contact Shmuel, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack