A Lassen/Plumas County native of far Northern California, I grew up with the outdoors playing an important role in my life, and I have developed a deep appreciation for the beauty of the natural world and the things that live in it. My photography emphasis is in wildlife, landscapes, night skies, camera trapping, and general nature and outdoor photography. I am NOT the guy you want taking photos of your wedding.
My grandmother was a photographer for the Press-Democrat newspaper in Fort Bragg, CA. When she passed away, my Aunt gifted me one of her cameras, and I really dove in to learning about photography. My first photography award was a “Best of Show” at the Lassen County Fair when I was 12. The hobby went by the wayside during my college years, as digital photography took over and was out of reach for me financially. My amazing wife forced my hand and bought me my first modern DSLR in about 2018, after several years of watching me dabble with smaller digital cameras and seeing potential that I maybe doubted. I jumped back in with both feet, launching my website in 2018, and my Facebook page in 2020, and it’s been a whirlwind since then. The gallery opened in 2023.
Photographic achievements include being a 5-time finalist in the California Wildlife Photo of the Year contest, with two images selected as finalists in both 2022 and 2023. I won CA Wildlife Photo of the Year in 2019, and was the Sierra Nevada Conservancy winner (2nd place) in 2023. I won the the GoreTex North America "Fear No Weather" photo contest, the 2021 PSREC Photo Contest, the 2019 California Trout Photo of the Year contest, and I was "People's Choice" in the 2020 California Trout Photo of the Year Contest.
I have received “callbacks” multiple times in the prestigious international Wildlife Photo of the Year contest sponsored by the Natural History Museum of London, as well as the annual “Nature’s Best” photo contest, but have not yet been awarded in either of those contests. My work has been featured in Outdoor California magazine, The Journal of Wildlife Photography, Outdoor Photographer magazine, Adventure Cyclist magazine, Bugle (the magazine of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation), The San Francisco Chronicle, and several other local Northern California publications.
Photography is a hobby that has grown into “self sustaining” status, and my gallery is the next chapter in that journey.
It is an honor to add some beauty to the uptown area of Susanville, the hometown that I love so much.
Outside of the photography “side gig,” I’m employed as the Worship Pastor at Community Church of Susanville, where you can find me behind a guitar on most Sunday mornings. I am also a credentialed teacher with a Master’s in Education, and I taught in the Special Ed department at Lassen High School for several years from about 2002-2014. I graduated from LHS in 1995.
My Facebook page is where most people see my stuff, and is where I’m the most active online. I’m also on Instagram, but I’m pretty bad at keeping up with that one. I have a growing YouTube channel, documenting photographic adventures and behind-the-scenes glimpses into how photos were captured. If you want to see photos from me before they wind up at the gallery, Facebook is where it’s at. You can find me at @RandyRobbinsPhotography on both Facebook and Instagram, and my YouTube channel is easily located by searching “Randy Robbins Photography” as well.
