The October 2004 issue of National Geographic features Frans Lanting’s coverage of Hawaii’s volcanoes. Lanting also has included his image collection on his website, lanting.com. The images, which cover landscapes, wildlife, people and environmental issues from around the world, can be browsed and licensed online for editorial and commercial use.

Larry Levin (lllevin.com) has been named the Picture Professional of the Year by the American Society of Picture Professionals. The second annual award was presented to Levin at Picturehouse in New York City on Oct. 20, 2004. The award recognizes significant contributions to photography, a single outstanding achievement and longtime service to the association or its members.

A former national president of ASPP, Levin has been involved in the photographic profession his entire life. In the 1990s, he was a major force in organizing the National Press Photographers Association’s Flying Short course around the country.

John Valls (johnvalls.com) recently completed a series of fashion images for designer Magali Corzo, based in Portland, Ore. The photographer and designer collaborated on the thematic series, shot mostly in industrial locations, for the 2005 spring/summer catalog.

Michael Grecco (michaelgrecco.com), based in Santa Monica, Calif., recently finished a campaign for the ACLU that featured Lawrence Bender, Quentin Tarantino’s producer. The Grecco team also has been busy shooting for ESPN (The Magazine), Dr. Pepper, Campbell’s and Accenture.

Craig Aurness, known for his work in National Geographic, died Dec. 14, 2004, in Panorama City, Calif. Aurness had been undergoing treatment for lung and anemia complications. He was 58.

The adopted son of James Arness, Aurness grew up on a ranch in Southern California. In the 1970s, he apprenticed with Look magazine photographer Earl Tyson. His first assignment for National Geographic was published in 1978, and he...

Activist and author Susan Sontag died of leukemia on Dec. 28, 2004, at the age of 71. It was Sontag’s third bout with cancer since 1976, a disease that informed much of her writing in the last few decades.

Sontag was born Susan Rosenblatt in New York City, in 1933. Following the death of her father when she was five, the family lived in Arizona and Los Angeles, where her mother married an Army officer, Capt. Nathan Sontag.

After graduating from North Hollywood High School at 15, she attended...

Seattle’s Wildlands Press, a publishing arm of Art Wolfe, Inc., has been recognized for Wolfe’s most recent book, Edge of the Earth — Corner of the Sky. The book was honored with the Publishers Marketing Association’s Benjamin Franklin Award in the Arts category, and also garnered an IPPY Award in the Coffee Table Book category, presented by Independent Publisher magazine.

Edge of the Earth — Corner of the Sky contains images from seven continents. Robert Redford, a founding member and trustee of the National Resources Defense Council, contributed...

Chris Rainier recently released his latest book, Ancient Marks, which documents traditional tribal tattooing around the globe. Images from the book were displayed this summer on the photo screen in New York City’s Times Square. Rainier’s portfolio also was included in the October 2004 issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine.

Rainier, who specializes in documenting indigenous cultures, is a codirector of the Culture Initiative and...

International Photography Awards recently announced the honorees and nominees for the 2004 Lucie Awards.

The ceremonies will be held Oct. 18 at the American Airlines Theatre in New York City. Special Tribute presentations will honor Helmut Newton and Francesco Scavullo. Gene Trindl and Henri Cartier-Bresson, recipients of Lucie Awards in 2003, will be remembered, and the winners of the IPA Photographer of the Year and Discovery awards also will be...

The North American Nature Photography Association has announced its award recipients for 2005. Tui de Roy has been named the 2005 Outstanding Photographer of the Year, the association's highest accolade.

A Belgian native who moved to the Galapagos Islands at the age of two, Roy first showcased her work in Audubon magazine, and since has appeared in nature magazines in 25 countries. She also has published two books about...