On March 31st, I signed a contract with WDG Communications in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to publish my fourth book, "Harker's Iowa Courthouses" and a 2010 calendar of the same title. Both will be available in November and are black and white phot0graphs from my documentary on Iowa's County Courthouses.

Loren Horton, who is Iowa's formost historian, is writing the introduction.

I will be taking orders for the book and calendar in late October and will post the prices then.

Today I was pleasanlty surprised to discover that the average visits to my Blurb Bookstore self-published books has gone from an average of twenty per week sine January 2008 to almost five hundred this week alone. I want to thank everyone who has taken time to view my work and I hope you will feel comfortable in dropping me an e-mail with your comments.

Harker@Harkerphotography.com

The latest on-line issue of "The New Yorker" magazine has a very nice review by Andrea Walker on my book, "Harker's One-room Schoolhouses". (April 13, 2009 issue)

I am pleased to see the East Coast Establishment showing interest in my work and hope more good follows.

I need to draw attention to a group of people in San Francisco who have decicated both time and resources over many years to support photographers world-wide in their efforts to gain recognition. TCB-Cafe Publishing has held international theme-based competitions for photographers that have the lofty goal of publishing the selected works in a book published by TCB-Cafe Publishing.

My connection with these people began in September 2006.

The event was titled "A Smile is Worth a Thousand Words" and anyone could enter up to three images. Out of the large amount of submissions entered, fifty-three individuals were selected to have their images published. I am honored that all three of my submissions were accepted.

Now the book has been published. I will receive my copy in a few weeks and will for the first time see the final result of my work and the others. It is indeed an honor and privledge to have my work in this collection, especially so because the deepening recession in America has made this the last book of this nature that TCB-Cafe Publishing will be doing.

I guess no one really appreciates something until it is gone.

Kudos to their committment and I hope you will take a moment to visit their website. Please send them an e-mail of thanks on my behalf.

While people like Patrick Killelea think it is okay for them to raid other websites to steal images for their right-wing fanantacism, without recognizing intellectual property rights and federal copyright law, other people show both courtesy and respect for photographers.

I'm talking about individuals like John Scanlan from Verve Gallery in Santa Fe, who complimented me for the quality of my submission images to the gallery and, though he couldn't offer me represntation of that specific portfolio, has invited me to submit more images.

Or people like Mark, editor of "Film and Foto Magazine" in Barcelona, Spain, who has commissioned me to do a cover story portfolio assignment for his magazine in October, based on his review of my website and by the content of my e-mails to him alone.

I am going after the thieves who think they can steal my images; specifically Mr. Killelea.

I am going to continue to grant publication rights to honorable gentlemen and women who understand the hard work I do to make my images and develop my reputation.

I am willing to give people permission to use my images on their blogs, providing they contact me, politely ask permission and give me a photo credit below the image.

And I am always ethical in the way I use the power of photography - I do not exploit anyone in doing my work, I do not steal other people's images, and I always encourage people to take up the good work of photography for themselves. And if they ask for my advice on technical issues, I am always willing to help out.

The world can be a better place - my goal as a photographer is to do just that.

On January 13, 2009 I posted a stern warning to anyone stealing my copyrighted images from my website that this is illegal and that I will bring criminal charges against them. I have discovered that a search engine, Patrick.net, has used one of my images without my permission.

Today I sent them an e-mail expressing my outrage. They have seven days to pay me my standard rate for the use of my image ($500). If I do not receive payment by then, I will file criminal charges against them with the Attorney General's office in Des Moines.

If anyone thinks that my posting of 1-13-09 is a bluff, you better think again.

Every photograph posted on my website is one of mine. I do not post other people's photographs. All of my images are for your viewing enjoyment only.

Remember that!