Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Images

Picture: Old Grave marker headstone (1891) behind old wooden church, Hornitos, Sierra Foothills, Mariposa County, California
I was brought up believing it’s not polite to dance on the grave of your enemy. Yet, I must admit that news last week had me wondering if I could get away with at least a little jig. [...]

Picture: Overview of the Marin County Watershed as seen from Mount Tamalpais, Marin County, California

I can understand why they’re upset. Marin County is one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s more affluent regions. The normal cursory thought of “Well, they can afford it” would usually draw little attention. Yet my empathy lies totally with the [...]

Picture: High desert sage at sunrise in the Great Basin, near Wells, Nevada
I spent the bulk of last week in Reno, Nevada, attending the 2010 Annual Summit Conference for the North American Nature Photography Association. Considering I had a book deadline coming up this next week, it was a challenge keeping the commitment [...]

Picture: Interior of the Iron Door Saloon, est. 1852; the oldest continuously operating saloon in the state, Groveland, California
I admit my frustration level has been met and exceeded. For nearly a decade working with Galen Rowell, running his stock department, I dealt with clients of every level, including editors at just about every major [...]

File this one under: “The universe ain’t big enough for the two of us…”
Picture: Moving rock at sunrise on the Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California
Twice in the last few trips I’ve taken, I’ve had my personal space invaded when all around me there was nothing but empty space. I guess that [...]

Picture: Morning light on the Battleship USS IOWA (BB 61) as she sits awaiting her fate, moored in the Mothball Fleet, Suisun Bay, near Martinez, California

See the image larger.
Yesterday was a first. It was the first time that I specifically set out to use my boat as a shooting platform for my business, as [...]

Subtitle: How to do a Photo Contest wrong.
Picture: Fall colors on grape vine leaves in autumn, vineyard in Alexander Valley, near Asti, Sonoma County Wine Growing Region, California

Twice in this last week I saw a request related to a Photo Contest for the Verde Valley Wine Trail in Arizona. The reason it caught my attention [...]

Picture: Elk in river during wildfire, Bitterroot National Forest in Montana; credit: John McColgan / Alaska Fire Service

Several times in the last few weeks, I’ve watched as photos have gone ‘viral’. In the Internet age, that means that photos receive immediate and widespread recognition and distribution on web sites across the globe. If you’re a [...]

Picture: Injured sea lion behind cage fence, Marine Mammal Rescue Center, California.
The other day, I took my kids out to the site of the old Sutro Baths, near the Cliff House. After climbing down the stairway toward the beach, we saw a bunch of people gathered in a spot, looking at a baby sea [...]

Another *Really* Horrible Rights Grabbing Contest – Costco
Beware of the 2009 Costco Photo Contest; it’s especially bad considering how they treat you and your entry. Do they assert that they can do what they want with the winning images? No. Do they assert they can do whatever they want with any of your entries? Kind [...]