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    "result": {"data":{"contentfulNewsPost":{"title":"Scenes of the Valley taken by local photographer to be featured inside USS Idaho","slug":"scenes-of-the-valley-taken-by-local-photographer-to-be-featured-inside-uss","updatedAt":"Tuesday April 7th, 2026","childContentfulNewsPostPostExcerptTextNode":{"postExcerpt":"5b Gazette - March 6, 2026 -- Steve Dondero has always enjoyed having a camera in his hand. The Wood River Valley native recalls every time he was asked \"What do you want to do when you grow up?\" for school, he would answer he wanted to be a National Geographic photographer."},"childContentfulNewsPostPostContentRichTextNode":{"json":{"nodeType":"document","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"5b Gazette - March 6, 2026 -- By ","marks":[],"data":{}},{"nodeType":"hyperlink","data":{"uri":"https://www.5bgazette.com/users/profile/rgiorgi"},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Raiza Giorgi, Managing Editor","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"text","value":" ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Steve Dondero has always enjoyed having a camera in his hand. The Wood River Valley native recalls every time he was asked \"What do you want to do when you grow up?\" for school, he would answer he wanted to be a National Geographic photographer. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"\"Photography is one of the greatest passions of my life and it has taken me all around the world,\" Dondero told the Gazette. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Several of Dondero's photographs of the Wood River Valley area will be making their way around the world indefinitely, as three of his pictures were chosen to be displayed inside the USS Idaho SSN 799, which officially starts its voyage after being commissioned on Saturday, April 25 in Groton, Conn. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Twin Falls photographer Jim Jenkins also had an image of Shoshone Falls selected to be displayed. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"The USS IDAHO submarine, which will use an innovative technology of \"Magnetohydrodynamic drive,\" a state-of-the-art new technology that allows the craft to move completely silently. This Virginia-class nuclear-powered sub is designed to operate in both deep and shallow waters, according to the Navy.","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"One of Dondero's photos is of wildflowers and sun rays in Colorado Gulch, another is of the Roundhouse at the top of Baldy and the third is of a gal fly-fishing in Hulan Meadows at sunset. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"\"For me it's double sweet as a native Idahoan to see the USS Idaho representing the tip of the spear of the fleet from our home state and that I got to provide imagery from Idaho,\" Dondero said. \"Those (sailors) from here can take a piece of home with them and those who aren't get a better understanding of how beautiful our state is.\"","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Dondero was honored at a recent screening of a new documentary \"America's Sagebrush Navy\" by Idaho Public Television (IdahoPTV), hosted by the Sun Valley Policy Forum on Feb. 26 at The Argyros Performing Arts Center. USS Idaho Commissioning Committee Chair Richard Colburn gave a presentation before the documentary on how Sun Valley will be represented throughout the interior of the submarine. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Photos from the Sun Valley Lodge, which was converted to a convalescent home for soldiers during WWII, will be posted in various places with plaques of informational text, and several spaces have been named for Sun Valley. There is even a space for \"ski storage\" in the back wall of the medical bay, Colburn said. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Colburn added that waters from several lakes in Idaho (including Redfish Lake) were bottled and pressurized to break on the hull of the submarine at the christening ceremony in 2024. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"\"I also have another connection to the military through Admr. Jay Johnson who was at the screening. He was instrumental in getting our family business, Eye Safety Systems (ESS), to be used as one of the military's preferred protective eyewear,\" Dondero said. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"ESS was started by his father John Dondero in the late 1990s as high-performance eye protection for firefighters and grew to supply law enforcement and military personnel. Once he graduated from college, Dondero worked for ESS in marketing, and got to use his photography skills to lead shoots with military units, SWAT teams in Los Angeles, firefighters as they put out burning buildings and product photography. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Dondero said the family business was bought by Oakley (another eyewear brand) some time ago; however the company is still based in Hailey. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"ESS has even been featured in military style Hollywood projects such as \"The Terminal List: Dark Wolf,\" with a pair worn by Tom Hopper who plays Raife Hastings, based on the novel series by Jack Carr. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"\"Our company was the first goggle the Navy has contracted with since 1945, and ironically the Navy is known to be the hardest branch to get product authorization for,\" Dondero said. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"What kicked off Dondero's photography career was a family trip to Africa in 2008. He decided to invest in decent camera gear and he became hooked. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"\"All I could think about was learning all I could about photography. I read books and magazines and watched tutorials. I decided I wanted a goal of shooting all types of photography with the best in each category around the world,\" Dondero said. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"This was when digital photography was beginning to emerge and phase out film processing. He found workshops with top photographers. As print sales were dwindling, the demand to learn from photographers through workshops were increasing. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"\"These workshops led to friendships and to this day I still go out and shoot with them on our own,\" Dondero said. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Dondero now has a studio in Ketchum where he does commercial and product photography, but also loves to do portraits, family photos and action shots. He started his photography business full-time in 2014, and you can often see his work gracing the cover of SVPN Magazine, a local monthly lifestyle publication based in Sun Valley. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"\"I recently took some cool action shots of Miles Fink-Debray (alpine skier),\" Dondero said. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"When Dondero saw the call for photography for the USS Idaho, he submitted a variety of images and was thrilled when three of his were chosen. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"\"The pride I get to help the men and women of our armed forces again is great. I have so much respect for what they do, and they make our lives better by protecting our freedoms,\" Dondero said. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"When asked if Dondero is going to the USS Idaho commissioning event, he said he is seriously considering it but hasn't decided yet. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"For more information on the USS Idaho visit ","marks":[],"data":{}},{"nodeType":"hyperlink","data":{"uri":"http://ussidahocommittee.org/"},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"ussidahocommittee.org","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"text","value":".","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"To learn more about Dondero's photography work, visit ","marks":[],"data":{}},{"nodeType":"hyperlink","data":{"uri":"https://www.stevedondero.com/"},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"stevedondero.com","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"text","value":" or follow him on social media. ","marks":[],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"embedded-asset-block","data":{"target":{"metadata":{"tags":[],"concepts":[]},"sys":{"space":{"sys":{"type":"Link","linkType":"Space","id":"c3y19xtrybxm5","contentful_id":"3y19xtrybxm5"}},"id":"c1MEPaVMK53fX2reSIWegjv","type":"Asset","createdAt":"2026-04-07T02:52:57.330Z","updatedAt":"2026-04-07T02:52:57.330Z","environment":{"sys":{"id":"master","type":"Link","linkType":"Environment","contentful_id":"master"}},"publishedVersion":6,"revision":1,"contentful_id":"1MEPaVMK53fX2reSIWegjv"},"fields":{"title":{"en-US":"Steve Dondero 2"},"description":{"en-US":"Sun Valley native Steve Dondero was thrilled three of his photographs were chosen to be displayed inside the USS Idaho submarine. Photo by Steve Dondero"},"file":{"en-US":{"url":"//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/1MEPaVMK53fX2reSIWegjv/6bda88c82114a8785919e633aa4c32fb/Steve_Dondero2.png","details":{"size":3014837,"image":{"width":1774,"height":1169}},"fileName":"Steve Dondero2.png","contentType":"image/png"}}}}},"content":[]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"Raiza Giorgi is an award-winning journalist and publisher. She graduated from Cal Poly SLO in 2008, with her degree in journalism. She founded and operated the Santa Ynez Valley Star from 2015 to 2022 when she sold it to 13 Stars Media. She's received the Spirit of Entreprenuership Award for Emerging Business in 2018, and Service Award by the County of Santa Barbara Women's Commission in 2022. ","marks":[{"type":"italic"}],"data":{}}]},{"nodeType":"paragraph","data":{},"content":[{"nodeType":"text","value":"","marks":[],"data":{}}]}]}},"image":{"file":{"url":"//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/4wvYW7mxsltxb4bPfergRo/26af525ac1bcc6776921988b09fb4012/Steve_Dondero1.jpg"},"title":"Steve Dondero","description":"Wood River Valley native Steve Dondero says he has always had a passion for photography, and thrilled several of his images were chosen to be displayed inside the USS Idaho.  Photo courtesy of Steve Dondero.","fluid":{"sizes":"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px","src":"//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/4wvYW7mxsltxb4bPfergRo/26af525ac1bcc6776921988b09fb4012/Steve_Dondero1.jpg?w=800&q=50","srcSet":"//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/4wvYW7mxsltxb4bPfergRo/26af525ac1bcc6776921988b09fb4012/Steve_Dondero1.jpg?w=200&h=210&q=50 200w,\n//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/4wvYW7mxsltxb4bPfergRo/26af525ac1bcc6776921988b09fb4012/Steve_Dondero1.jpg?w=400&h=420&q=50 400w,\n//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/4wvYW7mxsltxb4bPfergRo/26af525ac1bcc6776921988b09fb4012/Steve_Dondero1.jpg?w=476&h=500&q=50 476w"}},"linkToOriginalArticle":"https://www.5bgazette.com/business/scenes-of-the-valley-taken-by-local-photographer-to-be-featured-inside-uss-idaho/article_b95d0f04-8ed7-4157-8fa8-fecb82843d89.html","createdAt":"Tue Apr 7th, 2026"}},"pageContext":{"slug":"scenes-of-the-valley-taken-by-local-photographer-to-be-featured-inside-uss","prev":{"slug":"Announcing the First and Second Groups of Winning Photographers for the USS IDAHO Photo Contest","title":"Announcing the First and Second Groups of Winning Photographers for the USS IDAHO Photo Contest","updatedAt":"Thursday March 12th, 2026 - 4:17 UTC-07:00","image":{"fluid":{"src":"//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/uh781uHNFYlmkfu99pGJN/5370b6a6d667a8d7027f007d3ef5fd74/Lost-River-Ranch.jpg?w=800&q=50","srcSet":"//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/uh781uHNFYlmkfu99pGJN/5370b6a6d667a8d7027f007d3ef5fd74/Lost-River-Ranch.jpg?w=200&h=197&q=50 200w,\n//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/uh781uHNFYlmkfu99pGJN/5370b6a6d667a8d7027f007d3ef5fd74/Lost-River-Ranch.jpg?w=400&h=395&q=50 400w,\n//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/uh781uHNFYlmkfu99pGJN/5370b6a6d667a8d7027f007d3ef5fd74/Lost-River-Ranch.jpg?w=800&h=790&q=50 800w,\n//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/uh781uHNFYlmkfu99pGJN/5370b6a6d667a8d7027f007d3ef5fd74/Lost-River-Ranch.jpg?w=1200&h=1184&q=50 1200w,\n//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/uh781uHNFYlmkfu99pGJN/5370b6a6d667a8d7027f007d3ef5fd74/Lost-River-Ranch.jpg?w=1600&h=1579&q=50 1600w,\n//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/uh781uHNFYlmkfu99pGJN/5370b6a6d667a8d7027f007d3ef5fd74/Lost-River-Ranch.jpg?w=2400&h=2369&q=50 2400w"}}},"next":{"slug":"eastern-washington-teacher-entered-a-photo-contest-now-her-work-will-be","title":"Eastern Washington teacher entered a photo contest. Now her work will be displayed in Idaho’s newest U.S. Navy submarine","updatedAt":"Tuesday April 7th, 2026 - 3:35 UTC-07:00","image":{"fluid":{"src":"//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/1tZhnmmqXUMkorkHby8y30/b3662c8909f6bb018b7f27dd86fa8d4c/Tracey_Delyea.png?w=800&q=50","srcSet":"//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/1tZhnmmqXUMkorkHby8y30/b3662c8909f6bb018b7f27dd86fa8d4c/Tracey_Delyea.png?w=200&h=135&q=50 200w,\n//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/1tZhnmmqXUMkorkHby8y30/b3662c8909f6bb018b7f27dd86fa8d4c/Tracey_Delyea.png?w=400&h=269&q=50 400w,\n//images.ctfassets.net/3y19xtrybxm5/1tZhnmmqXUMkorkHby8y30/b3662c8909f6bb018b7f27dd86fa8d4c/Tracey_Delyea.png?w=624&h=420&q=50 624w"}}}}},
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