Last month I received an email with the news that “Storm Brewing at Badwater” won 2nd prize in the Ansel Adams Gallery National Park Photo Contest. What makes this award so special is that it’s not coming from John Doe’s gallery, it’s the gallery that bears the name of the MOALP (Mother of all Landscape Photographers). (Yes, I know he’s male-but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s the MOALP.) (Also, no slight intended towards John Doe if someone with that name indeed does have a gallery.) (I know this is the fourth parenthetical clause in a a row. I’m a photographer, not a grammarian.)

You can see the other beautiful winning photos at the Ansel Adams Gallery website. If you can’t live another day without “Storm Brewing at Badwater” hanging on your wall, you can order a print on this page.

Earlier this month I mentioned that a photo I shot in China Camp State Park won California State Parks Foundation July Photo of the Month. They sent me a nice prize package including a gift certificate for a one year Frequent Visitor Membership, a Lowepro camera bag and a $25 credit at Adolph Gasser Photography Online Imaging. I already have a CSPF membership and plenty of camera bags, so I’m auctioning the entire prize package on eBay, with all of the proceeds going to the CSPF. The entire amount of the winning bid will be given to the State Parks Foundation.

With the current economic situation and budget crisis, it appears that the Governor is going to follow through on his threat to close over 100 of our beautiful state parks. While we’re all feeling the pinch these days, it would be tragic to see these parks close, so every dollar helps. For more details and to place a bid, please see the auction page at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170373930739.

A photo I shot last month in China Camp State Park was selected as July Photo of the Month by the California State Parks Foundation. Although it is not available for purchase yet, I’ll be adding it to the gallery later this month.

I was recently notified by Digital Photo magazine that one of my photos won first prize in their Great Escapes Photo Contest. With over two thousand entries, it was a long shot, but “Twilight in Vernazza” was selected along with four other fantastic winning shots. You can see it along with the other winning photos at the Digital Photo Great Escapes Photo Contest page. It may also be published in the September issue of the magazine…details to come when I find out more. Prints can be purchased in the gallery here.

There are places you go to get away from the crowds, and then there are places you go despite the crowds. Feather Falls in the Plumas National Forest belongs in the latter category. This magnificent torrent of water draws throngs of visitors willing to trek 9 miles round trip to marvel at the sight of the Feather River cascading 640 feet on its way to Lake Oroville.

On an outing last weekend, I decided to take a different approach in shooting the falls. As I was on the observation platform taking it all in, I began to notice the patterns formed by the falling water as it plunged down to the riverbed below. Rather than capture the grand vista of the waterfall and surrounding forest, I used a telephoto lens to isolate small areas of the falls and capture these fleeting patterns as they appeared and then disappeared.

Three of my favorites are now uploaded in the Abstract gallery. While they don’t show the overall grandeur of Feather Falls, they show a little of the falls within the falls.

For a while I thought this day might not come. Somehow I always forget that a website makeover means more time, more frustration and more headaches than I could ever imagine. Well, the frustration and headaches seem to be dissipating and the time has come. After wrestling with more code than I ever expected to deal with in my lifetime and a bit of help from an expert programmer, we’re going live.

Not that the old website was so bad. Actually, I kinda liked it if I may say so myself. But the back end was getting a little unwieldy and the old format was difficult to expand, so it was time to make some changes. First and foremost, I updated the layout and navigation within the gallery and added a brand spanking new shopping cart. That’s right—when you see something you like, just select the size you want and click the add to cart button. Doesn’t get much easier than that.

I’m also going to be sending out a monthly newsletter beginning this summer. Sign up without fear: I won’t spam you or share your information with anyone.

Oh, one other thing: If you’ve got your eye on something but on the fence about hitting the add to cart button, maybe a 20% discount might help get you off the fence. Between now and May 15th use the coupon code RELAUNCH2009 to get 20% off your entire order (not including tax and shipping). Just click the Add a coupon link in the view cart window.

There’s more planned for later this year, so watch this page for updates. Thanks for stopping by!

It’s 2009 already! Photos from the Safari are finally uploaded into the Wildlife and Landscape galleries. Happy New Year!

One of my photos was chosen for the cover of the California State Parks Foundation 2009 Calendar. The calendar isn’t for sale, so you’d need to contact CSPF at their website if you want one. Become a member while you’re there and support our beautiful parks.

Photos from the April Southwest trip have been posted in the Abstract and Landscapes galleries.

Photos from the Death Valley trip last month are now up in the Landscapes gallery.