In order to fly a drone professionally in the United States, remote pilots must be Part 107 certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Certification lasts for 24 months so a certified pilot must score a 100% to pass a recurrent exam in order to remain compliant. I'm happy to report that I have passed my recurrent exam and will be flying my drone through 2025.

I’ll be delivering my popular presentation, Developing Portfolio Themes, to the San Diego Sierra Club Photo Section on Saturday, May 20th at 2 pm PT. Click on this link for more information.

I'll be presenting a free webinar, Developing Portfolio Themes, for Nature Photographers Network (NPN) on Saturday, December 17th at 10 am PT. This is open to the public.

About: In this presentation, Richard will share several different portfolio themes that he has been developing over the past 20 years. Featuring dozens of images ranging from dramatic landscapes to abstract patterns, he will reveal his thought process during the creation of these images and the stories behind them.

Register here: https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/developing-portfolio-themes-by-richard-wong/31192

One Tree Hill received an Honorable Mention from the 2022 International Photography Awards (IPA).

Fog Waterfall was awarded a Honorable Mention at the 2022 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris. PX3 is one of the top photography awards in Europe with an esteemed jury pool of top editors, gallery curators & photographers.

"Rutherford Trees" is on the cover of the current issue of 57° Magazine, the luxury publication of Napa Valley. I also have several spreads and a feature within the magazine. Print copies will be available starting on February 18th.

Storm Mountain was nominated at the 16th Annual Black & White Spider Awards. The Spider Awards are the premiere black and white photography competition in the industry.

Vineyard Dreams, Top of the Staircase & Dancing Queen received Honorable Mentions from the 2021 International Photography Awards (IPA). One of the most prestigious photography contests for photographers, the IPA Awards are judged by top gallery curators & photo editors. Sometimes referred to as "The Oscars for photographers", I'm flattered to receive recognition from the IPA's for the 3rd year in a row.

I passed the FAA's Part 107 Drone Pilot exam with a score of 95%. The minimum to pass was 70%. This means that I'm going to be a certified drone pilot and will be able to capture some different views in my photos than were previously possible. Thanks to The Pilot Institute for their invaluable training course!

Multnomah Falls is the latest 500 piece puzzle of mine produced by Portland Puzzle Company. Visit the Portland Puzzle website to buy it today.

I'm working with a new company which specializes in high-quality puzzles created here in the USA. My Crown Point Vista House 500 piece puzzle is the first of many puzzles to come for this company. Puzzles can be purchased at retail stores in Oregon and also on their website. Buy the puzzle here.

About the company: Portland Puzzle was created out of an idea that high quality, made-in-the-USA puzzles are extremely hard to find. Most puzzles are printed and die cut in China or beyond and are of inferior quality. Every piece from our company is produced here in the USA, including our dies, which are hand-crafted by the foremost expert in puzzle dies, Robert Kirtley. Robert has been making his signature dies from his shop in Veedersburg, Indiana for over 35 years and his experience brings a knowledge that cannot be duplicated. His dies demand a premium price but Portland Puzzle knows you get what you pay for.

Salt Point was awarded a Bronze at the 2021 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris. PX3 is one of the top photography awards in Europe with an esteemed jury pool of top editors, gallery curators & photographers.

I'll be giving a presentation titled, "Developing a Personal Vision", for the Redlands Camera Club at 7 pm on Monday, July 19, 2021. The event will be hosted both in-person and via Zoom.

http://www.redlandscameraclub.org/

Replacing my Fuji Crystal Archive Matte prints is a higher-end fine art photographic paper that's developed by French paper manufacturer, Canson Infinity. After extensive testing, I've concluded that this is the best paper on the market for loose prints. Learn more on my fine art photography prints page.

Introducing my latest gallery: Black and White Landscape Photography. Though I had a few black and white photos scattered about on my site, this was not a conscious effort on my part until now. I've been enjoying this process as of late and have found this genre to be a satisfying creative outlet for me.

Contemporary framed ChromaLuxe prints are now available. This 2.7" floater frame with 0.5" gap makes a majestic presence with its rich black brushed anodized aluminum finish. It is sturdy enough to support the largest ChromaLuxe prints and comes with an attached hanging system. This framing option is a cost-effective alternative to my framed acrylic prints. Wooden frame options also available upon request.

The 2020 IPA Awards / International Photography Awards were just announced and five of my images received an Honorable Mention.

• Sleepy Hollow Farm - Professional, Nature, Seasons Category
• Black Tears - Professional, Fine Art, Abstract Category
• Smugglers' Notch - Professional, Nature, Seasons Category
• Historic Alameda Theatre - Professional, Architecture, Buildings Category
• Ansel's Playground - Professional, Nature, Landscape Category

The International Photography Awards™ conducts an annual competition for professional, amateur, and student photographers on a global scale, creating one of the most ambitious and comprehensive competitions in the photography world today. IPA is a sister-effort of the Lucie Foundation, 501(c) 3 non-profit, charitable foundation whose mission is to honor master photographers, discover and cultivate emerging talent and promote the appreciation of photography worldwide. The annual programming of Lucie Foundation is funded largely though the International Photography Awards, including the signature event, the Lucie Awards.

Choosing an appropriate size is one of the most important decisions to make during the art buying process. Check out the Wall Art Size Calculator!

As the corporate world and education system has transitioned to video conferencing tools during the COVID-19 pandemic I've decided to start leveraging these tools as well. I just launched online photography classes, tutorials and services that are bookable on my website. I've always enjoyed giving presentations so this is a great way to share knowledge safely and connect without having to travel.

For interior designers and collectors seeking specific color artwork, I've created some new galleries to help in your search for fine art photography prints. Check out my new color theme galleries!

Two of my Alameda photos received accolades at the 2019 ND Awards. Lonesome Cypress Tree received an honorable mention within the Professional, Nature Trees category and Bryce Canyon's Inspiration Point received an honorable mention within the Professional, Landscape category.

I've added a new gallery of New England Fine Art Photography from my recent travels to Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Check it out!

My Alameda Beach abstract landscape photo, "Puddles", has received an Honorable Mention from the 2019 IPA Awards (International Photography Awards). The IPA Awards is the most prestigious award show & contest in the photography industry. It's been described as "The Oscars of Photography".

July 25th, 2019

I'll be a guest lecturer for the Contra Costa Camera Club in Pleasant Hill on Thursday, July 25th starting at 7:15 pm. My presentation is titled: Developing A Personal Vision. There are 97 slides! Come by and say hello if you're in the area.

2590 Pleasant Hill Road
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

7/9/19

I've recently listed some camera gear for sale available to purchase via shopping cart on my site. My Sony A7R camera, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens and brand-new Rode Videomic Pro are all available.

8/1/19 Update

The Sony A7R camera, Canon 35mm f2, Canon 400mm f5.6L lens, Sony A7R RRS L-bracket and Rode Videomic Pro have sold.

I've added a new gallery from my 17-day road trip in April through Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Check out my Southwest Photography.

I've recently published six art buyer resource articles to my blog. These articles explain the key benefits for you when investing in my fine art prints. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

• Artwork For Home - Why & How To Choose Fine Art
• Hospital Artwork - Why & How Art Is Chosen
• Office Art Boosts Employee Morale & Productivity
• 10 Reasons To Buy Art Online Directly From Me
• Art For Home Staging
• Art Galleries Near Me - Where To Buy Fine Art Photography

After 15 years of managing my own web development, I decided to hire Jack Brauer of Wide Range Galleries to rebuild my website from the ground up with cutting-edge code. My old website was starting to look like Frankenstein under the hood and I had been becoming increasingly dissatisfied with its limitations. I'm excited by the work that Jack and his designer, Raza Durrani, did on my site and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Thanks Jack & Raza!

I was asked to shoot panoramic photos for the new kitchen remodel project at a corporate office in Berkeley. The original concept came from the graphic designer who photographed this magnolia tree with her cell phone and then with a DSLR but given the high resolution demands it was necessary to photograph this as a multi-image panoramic.

For the photo shoot, I was given directions the night before to this magnolia tree which was located in an old cemetery in Oakland. With a short deadline to pull this off I arrived around sunrise and scouted around while waiting for the sun to rise high enough in the sky so I could make “high-key” backlit exposures favoring the tree branches and pink flowers while blowing out the sky. I shot several hundred photos then whittled them down to two panoramic sequences for the production team to work from. I’m not sure which sequence they ended up using or how many frames were used on this but they did an awesome job with post-processing. There is lots of detail when viewed up close.

I have the cover photo on the current VIA Magazine, July/August 2016 Oregon edition. VIA is AAA’s travel magazine for Northern California & Oregon members. One of the first photos I ever sold was to VIA more than ten years ago so it’s a great feeling to have the cover photo this month.

21 of my California Missions pictures were featured in an article on SFGate titled, “Visiting California’s missions: Which one is your favorite?“. SFGate is the website for the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper so it’s a great honor to have been quoted in the article and to have them run my photos.

Though I have photographed all of the California Missions, there are a few that I would like re-visit such as the San Diego Mission because there was a wedding on the day of my visit so I wasn’t able to photograph the chapel.