Bay Area photographer 'gobsmacked' 7 of his pictures were selected for new U.S. stamps

Photographer Gary Crabbe contributed seven photos to the USPS' new stamp line, "O Beautiful." This photo was taken in Livermore. Photographer Gary Crabbe contributed seven photos to the USPS' new stamp line, "O Beautiful." This photo was taken in Livermore. Photo: Courtesy Gary Crabbe Photo: Courtesy Gary Crabbe Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Bay Area photographer 'gobsmacked' 7 of his pictures were selected for new U.S. stamps 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

"Fruited plain" might soon by synonymous with the natural vistas of Livermore and Orinda, if photographer Gary Crabbe has anything to do with it.

Crabbe, who is based in Pleasant Hill, has made a career of photographing the pastoral scenery of California: the purple hues of a hill under an orange sunset, tangled rows of vineyards, and snowy blue mountaintops. Now, his work will appear on U.S. stamps.

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On Thursday, the U.S. Postal Service announced that picturesque American scenes, like those captured by Crabbe and a handful of other photographers, would be showcased on postal stamps across the country for the agency's new "O Beautiful" stamp line.

The stamp line is inspired by the lyrics of the 1895 "America the Beautiful" poem (and subsequent song adaptation) by Katharine Lee Bates. Five phrases from the work — "Spacious Skies," "Waves of Grain," "Mountain Majesties," "The Fruited Plain" and "Sea to Shining Sea" — were utilized as themed categories for 20 photos. Seven of Crabbe's pictures appear in four of the five categories.

Having that many photos in such a collection is quite unusual, at least as far as Crabbe's own research suggests. He had been solicited for photos by an agency representing the USPS way back in Fall 2016, and for months after had no idea whether they'd select any of his shots. All he knew was that the theme would be related to "America the Beautiful."

"Months later, they said 'we'd like to use seven of your images,'" Crabbe tells SFGATE. "I was gobsmacked, because any given photographer would be lucky to have one (chosen). I know of several that have a couple. But to have seven is unheard of, at least that I've been able to track down."

Among the photos from Crabbe's portfolio is "Sunrise near Orinda," "Pigeon Point near Pescadero," and "Livermore," alongside other snaps of a few other state and national parks in California and Oregon.

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Being from the area, he's been happy to showcase the beauty of an East Bay not widely recognized outside of Northern California. He credits the preservation of that natural beauty to the work of nonprofits like the Greenbelt Alliance.

"You can drop into these places and feel like you've stepped back 100 years in time," he says of the natural landscapes of the East Bay. "I think it's vital that they're kept in place because of the growth of local housing, especially down in Livermore, in the San Ramon Valley, it just keeps growing. It's nice that they have these fenced-off areas that say 'No Growth Here.' (They) keep it for people to connect with nature."

Crabbe will still sell prints of the photos headed for USPS stamps on his site, and will surely continue shooting photos of California.

As he says, "With all the hustle and bustle, there's nothing as wonderful as getting out to the redwoods and the green rolling hills."

See some of Crabbe's pictures above, and order stamps at the official USPS website.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

