LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Local photographer has 7 photos selected for U.S. 'O Beautiful' stamp series


Photo provided

Photographer Gary Crabbe, who grew up in Lamorinda, was honored by having seven of his photographs selected by the U.S. Postal Service for its "O Beautiful" series of Forever Stamps. One of the seven selected is a view of the Orinda Hills. "This is probably the first time this area has been featured on a stamp," Crabbe told The Lamorinda Weekly.

The photo was taken, he remembered, sometime in the middle to late part of March. Although he cannot remember the exact year, he thinks it was 1993. He shot it from the Berkeley Hills along Grizzly Peak overlooking the Siesta Valley all the way across, beyond Lafayette Reservoir to Mount Diablo to capture the sun rising over the mountain. Using a Nikon camera, Crabbe said that he probably used a 28-70 zoom lens.

Crabbe grew up in Lafayette. He moved there with his parents when he was in the sixth grade, and attended four Lafayette schools, including Acalanes High School. He grew up on Dianne Court and later lived on Brook Street for 10 years. His parents lived in the Moraga Country Club Area.

Crabbe has been shooting photos for close to 28 years now, he said. The photos chosen for the stamp series probably cover 25 years of his work. More information about his photograph, Spring sunrise over green hills, near Orinda, Contra Costa County, California ID# LMO-1099aM, is available on Crabbe's website: http://enlightphoto.com/usps-o-beautiful-stamps-by-gary-crabbe. The stamps are available for purchase at all U.S. post offices.