US Geological Survey, Branch of Printing and Map Reproduction,
United States Department of the Interior, Reston, Virginia (I’m 1st from left)
The United States Geological Survey, abbreviated USGS and formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is under the Department of the Interior, and is that department’s sole scientific agency.
The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization’s work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.
The USGS employs approximately 8,670 people and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. The USGS also has major offices near Lakewood, Colorado, at the Denver Federal Center, and Menlo Park, California.
The current motto of the USGS, in use since August 1997, is “science for a changing world”. The agency’s previous slogan, adopted on the occasion of its hundredth anniversary, was “Earth Science in the Public Service”. -Wikipedia
How It All Began
My interest in photography started when I was thirteen years old through a family friend who worked as a photographer for the US Government and outside as a freelancer. Photography was a progressive step for me from a graphic arts background that started with offset printing while a junior in high school. After military service, I took a position with the USGS as a lithographic apprentice. Through on-the-job training and experience, outside education, and internal position assignments I would achieve the highest classification as “Journeyman Offset Photo-lithographer for Map Reproduction (seen here as 1st person on the left).
Employed by the US Geological Survey, I produced topographic, geologic, and hydrologic maps. I was hands-on involved with the LANDSAT program, Vietnam mapping, the first official US national map project, and the moon topography project, among several others. I was employed by USGS for approximately 12 years.
My time as a freelance photographer was an aside to my regular job. This saw me being engaged to photograph weddings, national and international conferences, social events, special occasions, photo-journalism, and as a volunteer photographer for various organizations.
Offset Cameras for Map Reproduction (ca. 1938)