Kraus Grafik Services

Kraus Grafik Services KrausGrafik is a Capital Region company providing communications, PR, design, graphic, photography,

I’m a mature, seasoned professional with a proven record of bringing excellence to the publications I’ve worked for, as well as a knowledge of how to build collaborative relationships with colleagues and the community. The creative products I’ve produced have benefited the Capital Region community every day as part of a comprehensive daily news and graphics package. I can apply the same successful

creative and communications skills for your company in crafting interesting, well-designed content, managing your creative staff or accounts, or representing your clients with the media and the community. Take a look at what I have to offer, then let’s work together to put to work for you the very best in photography, design, writing, and a variety of other creative and management skills. Specialties:
• Twenty years of management experience, 17 at a major daily newspaper.
• Extensive community relations experience producing published content.
• Expertise in project conception, and advance planning on deadline.
• Experience in magazine writing, editing, production, and publishing.
• Extensive experience in a variety of photographic formats, including digital.
• Experience in planning, photography, writing, and page design of a wide variety of publication projects.

This past March I attended my fourth workshop with Muench Photo Tours, this time in Death Valley in far southeast Califo...
07/16/2026

This past March I attended my fourth workshop with Muench Photo Tours, this time in Death Valley in far southeast California. For this tour I flew into Las Vegas far enough in advance to allow me to explore some regional photo opportunities before the start of the formal workshop. Some advance research turned up what I wanted–some great spots to go explore on my own that were definitely not the “usual suspects” of Hoover Dam, casinos, etc. On this second of three days on my own in the area, I drove a bit over an hour east of Las Vegas to visit Valley of Fire State Park north of Lake Mead. It turned out to be a good choice.

With less driving than the other days, I did manage to get to the park when the fee gate opened at 7 am with some morning light. But as often happens, I planned to go straight to the main park attractions that I had researched . . . BUT then got distracted by great photo opps on the way, and so most of my shooting ended up being in full-on pretty harsh midday light. But I was still impressed with what I found and with the incredible variety of striped and wind-carved rock, especially how it contrasted with the plant and animal life that still manages to thrive in this arid area. I managed to see and photograph Bighorn Sheep, lizards, and various colorful flowers that somehow manage to eke out existence in this area that usually gets only 6.5 inches of rain annually.

This beautiful state park, opened in 1934, covers nearly 46,000 acres and derives its name from the red Aztec sandstone formations that formed from shifting dunes 150 million years ago. These features often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays, and there were plenty of those on this cloudless day. It got h*a*w*t out there on this day in March, and I can only imagine what it would be like in mid-summer.

Prehistoric visitors to the area included the Anasazi, who were farmers from the nearby fertile Moapa Valley. Their visits probably involved hunting, food gathering, and religious ceremonies, although scarcity of water would have limited their stay. There are great examples of petroglyphs at several sites in the park that I was able to photograph.

Overall, it was another great day of wandering and shooting in a new, fascinating area. (Photos with Nikon D850 and Nikkor lenses including 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-300mm, and 105mm macro.)

Several years ago, I was in the California mountains doing nature photos and drove this route from Route 89 in Hope Vall...
07/16/2026

Several years ago, I was in the California mountains doing nature photos and drove this route from Route 89 in Hope Valley up to Blue Lake, and thought to myself, “This doesn’t look hard. I’ll have to come back and ride this.” Two days ago, I did just that and found out boy was I wrong! But I was also right!

The wrong part was the altitude. I started at 6900 feet elevation and topped out at 8300 feet. I live at about 300 feet and the difference was stark, first to the start point and then as I climbed. There were multiple climbs at over 8% and toward the top it was pedal as long as possible, then stop to catch my breath. No choice. Ouch! It’s a good thing there was a “right” part to this ride because stopping to shoot photos along the way saved me from total implosion.

But the wrongs were outdone by the rights large and small. The larger scenery was spectacular with views across the peaks of the Sierra Nevada as I looked north toward the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe. It was a crystal-clear day with only a smattering of small clouds, and the sunshine was invigorating. I also enjoyed sharing that larger scenery with quite a few other cyclists who were riding this same road, and with almost no vehicle traffic it was great.

On the small end, the wildflowers were stunning in both color and variety. As I climbed, they got even more numerous and coated the landscape with yellow, red, and lavender until I reached Blue Lake, where the brilliant blue of the lake and sky was overwhelming, and I could see where this lake got its name. Plus, I passed several ponds close to the lake that offered even more green beauty. It was an amazing spectrum of life at this high altitude.

The other “right” on this route was the almost endless downhill as I headed back down to Hope Valley. There was a short climb to get out of the lake basin, then ten miles of wonderful windblown descent. A stop in Placerville for dinner on the way back to Sacramento completed another great day on the bike! (Photos with Panasonic Lumix ZS200D and iPhone 15 Pro.) (Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/55987381)

This past March I attended my fourth workshop with Muench Photo Tours, this time in Death Valley in far southeast Califo...
07/16/2026

This past March I attended my fourth workshop with Muench Photo Tours, this time in Death Valley in far southeast California. For this tour I wanted to fly into Las Vegas far enough in advance to allow me to explore some regional photo opportunities before the start of the formal workshop. Some advance research turned up some great spots to go explore and on my first of three days on my own in the area I drove two hours northwest of Las Vegas to the iconic ghost town of Rhyolite.

Rhyolite, named for a mineral, sprang to life in early 1905 as one of several mining camps that sprang up after a prospecting discovery in the surrounding hills. During an ensuing gold rush, thousands of gold-seekers, developers, miners and service providers flocked to the Bullfrog Mining District, named for the site of the first gold strike. Many settled in Rhyolite, which lay in a sheltered desert basin near the region's biggest producer, the Montgomery-Shoshone Mine. Fueled by proceeds from the mines, the town grew like a w**d, and within two years the town boasted concrete sidewalks, electric lights, water mains, telephone and telegraph lines, daily and weekly newspapers, a monthly magazine, police and fire departments, a hospital, school, train station and railway depot, at least three banks, a stock exchange, an opera house, a public swimming pool and two formal church buildings. Whew!

But the gold gave out, and the Montgomery-Shoshone Mine closed by 1911. By this time, many out-of-work miners had moved elsewhere, and Rhyolite's population dropped well below 1,000. By 1920, it was close to zero. After 1920, Rhyolite and its ruins became a tourist attraction and a setting for motion pictures. Most of its buildings crumbled, were salvaged for building materials, or were moved to nearby Beatty or other towns, although the railway depot and the Tom Kelly bottle house –made entirely of empty glass bottles–were repaired and preserved.

The town also had the inevitable red-light district of dance halls and pr******tes who practiced their trade out of ramshackle cabins near the clubs. The most (in)famous, Sarah "Sadie" Isabelle Peterman, working under the name Mona Bell, operating a tent saloon and dance hall in town. In 1908, she was shot and killed by her boyfriend. The proper townswomen refused to allow a pr******te to be buried in the main cemetery, leading to a separate grave site on the edge of town that is heavily decorated by tourists today. Ironically, Mona isn’t even buried there. Her remains were sent back to her hometown, but her local grave plot continues to accumulate trinkets and tributes.

Today, Rhyolite's most famous "residents" are a striking collection of permanent art installations created by Belgian and international artists for the Goldwell Open Air Museum situated on the edge of town. Its artworks are a striking contrast to the town ruins nearby. “The Last Supper,” created in 1984 by Albert Szukalski, is the centerpiece of the museum, featuring ghostly, life-sized plaster figures arranged in a shroud-draped rendition of Da Vinci's famous fresco.

I spent an entire day in Rhyolite, wandering among the ruins and walking up the hill west of town to peek into one of the mines. I also visited the town’s cemetery nearby and marveled at the desolation. It’s definitely not where I would want to spend eternity! As the sun sank toward the horizon, I hightailed it out of town and back to nearby Beatty for a delicious dinner at a local BBQ joint before heading back to my hotel in Vegas. A great day! (Photos with Nikon D850 and Nikkor lenses including 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-300mm, and 105mm macro. Selfies with iPhone 15 Pro.)

This past Tuesday some friends and I journeyed north to the heart of the New York Adirondacks, north of Saranac Lake, to...
06/11/2026

This past Tuesday some friends and I journeyed north to the heart of the New York Adirondacks, north of Saranac Lake, to ride a challenging but beautiful 30.8 mile gravel road route. The Kushaqua and Sable Highlands areas are sparsely settled and laced with old logging roads in this northern reach of the Adirondack State Park.

Eight of us started into the forest on very rough gravel roads, laced with baby-head rocks and leading into the heart of the woods. We didn’t see much wildlife, but there were black flies galore and some fur-filled, fresh-looking s**t that I assume was from a bear. There were also flocks of tiger swallowtail butterflies that would gather on moist spots in the road, and you never knew when you might suddenly be enveloped by a cloud of yellow wings fleeing your bike.

The first half of the route was very rough and included a climb of almost five miles, then as we began the second half the climb over Loon Lake Mountain loomed ahead. But after that we enjoyed over 14 miles that all trended downhill, and we eventually were riding along the shore of Mud Pond, source of the Saranac River. By this point my pauses for photo had left me dropped by everyone except Gary, who kindly stayed with me, riding along the river until we finally reached the cars to find everyone else had already left! So, we headed back into town for a celebratory beer and lunch. Another great day on the bike! (Photos with Panasonic Lumix ZS200D and iPhone 15 Pro.) (Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/55318525)

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