A Citrus County amateur photographer is about to have one of his photos seen by millions.

  • John Funderburk's photo of a great blue heron to appear on Forever stamp
  • Stamps will be available early next month
  • Photo one of 16 selected to celebrate 100th anniversary of National Park Service

John Funderburk's photo of a great blue heron has been selected to appear on a U.S. Postal Service Forever stamp.

He took the photo at the Gulf Islands National Seashore in north Florida. When the 84-year-old photographer heard the news, he couldn't believe it.

"Actually when I was contacted, with all the scams going around, I thought it was a scam," he said.

Funderburk fell in love with photography decades ago. Over the years he has taken thousands of pictures with his wife, Mary. They have been all over the U.S. snapping photos of mostly nature scenes.

Funderburk’s photo is one of 16 selected to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.

"I'm proud of him," said his wife, Mary. "He has taken some beautiful pictures, but I'm glad it was singled out."

"When I read their stats they get over 40,000 requests for stamps a year and of that they only pick about 25, so that really blew my mind," he said.

Funderburk’s picture was discovered on the photo sharing website Flickr. The stamps will be available early next month.