Stephen Johnson Photography News
April 2021
Rock and Wave. Mussel Rock. 2021. Canon EOS R5.
Upcoming Workshops and Sales:
Masterful Fine Art Digital Printing Virtual Workshop
April 17-18, 2021
No Gallery Print Sale ends this Month
40% off all prints during shutdown
Welcome to the April 2021 Edition of the Stephen Johnson Photography Newsletter.
Normal is not here yet, but the vaccine starts to open up careful, in person workshops, such as the Flora and Form class April 22-24. I am now accepting appointments for masked and distanced Gallery visits. Slow progress, careful respect for everyone’s health is my goal.
— Steve
This month's View From Here column collects work from my wanderings last month and explores the visual engagements that keep me fascinated. Our new Virtual Classes are continuing to broaden with new offerings including my Virtual Seminars continuing with the Practical Problem Solving in Digital Photography Seminar. May 1, 2021. 9am to 12 noon PST. I hope you find the column interesting and will consider sending me some comments. As these Newsletters can cover many subjects, let me know of topics you would like to see addressed.
Workshops are currently moving to virtual where possible. All workshops currently scheduled are subject to necessary corona virus spread prevention logistics.
FEATURED PRINT April 2021
Anna’s Hummingbird. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. 2021
This little miracle hung out for awhile as I kept holding moments along the way. He perched there displaying a wonderland of color change, creating a constant state of amazement as I kept watching through the lens. It was hard to walk away, but after 162 photographs, I did finally and reluctantly realize there was more I wanted to yet see in the park on this outing.
We're offering an 11x11 inch print of the photograph for $195, matted to 16x20 inch board. This print at this price is offered through April 30. We'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by May 15.
NEW PHOTOGRAPH
Puddle Refraction. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, CA. 2021.
Canon EOS R5, RF24-105mm lens.
floating oil as art…
LATEST NEWS:
As anti-virus recommendations continue to tell us to avoid unnecessary exposure to others, masks and social distancing remain in order, and our general gallery masked/distance appointment policies are now allowing some visitation.
Gallery Appointments
The Covid-19 restrictions that have kept the gallery mostly closed, do allow me to open for special limited viewing appointments. Write to inquire or call 650 355-7507 about an appointment.
Sale Ending
With our closed gallery, I have been offering a print sale reducing prices to what I would normally earn from a gallery sale, 40% off my normal prices. This sale will end April 15. It has been a good contribution to my business continuing and keeping the studio. Thanks to all of you who have taken advantage of the sale and your words of appreciation on having the prints in your hands.
Blog Restarted
I have renewed postings on my Blog devised from my Newsletters and Facebooks posts. You can view or subscribe at: https://sjohnsonphoto.wordpress.com
Virtual Classes
During the virus, I have naturally shifted most of my education programs to online experiences. This is frustrating and rewarding. The new virtual experiences are certainly stretching out my geographical reach. I am certainly excited by our new Virtual Classes Program.
My emerging 2021 Workshop Schedule is being modified to accommodate the virus precautions and very limited ability to gather indoors.
Some plans are being now made on the assumption that the vaccine is ever more available and will then become a prerequisite for the class.
I remain committed to offering great courses whether in person or virtually. See what a great experience students have had on my Workshops by exploring Workshop Testimonials.
Stephen Johnson Photography Blog.
The early 2021 Workshop Schedule includes one of my favorites, the Fine Art Digital Printing class as a virtual lecture, multi-session follow-up April 17-18, 2021. My next virtual/field workshop combo is the Flora and Form Workshop April 22-24. I will also continue with my Virtual Seminars, the next being Practical Problem Solving in Digital Photography Seminar. May 1, 2021. 9am-12 noon PST.
See what a great experience students have had on Steve's Workshops by exploring Workshop Testimonials.
Other Worldly is up in our galleries having joined the 50 Years of Space Photography Exhibit with the Life Form Exhibition. Hopefully you can visit soon by appointment, socially distanced, masked and limited to two people. I hope to be able to open the galleries to general visitation in the not too distant future so you can see what is on display at Stephen Johnson Photography.
Upcoming Events & Workshops
Cherry Blossoms. Golden Gate Park. 2021. Canon R5.
THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson
Random Creatures and Visual Phenomena
I’ve been bouncing around with camera in hand of late, trying to keep my heart engaged and my eyes sharp.
My Newsletters sometimes resolve themselves into particular points of view or experiences. This month’s News really is more a collection of my impressions and some of what I happened to have had the privilege to see and record.
Most of that looking has been local still. But with both vaccine shots now more than a month behind me, I am finally starting to wander a greater distance from home again.
These small outings have taken me down the Highway One coast many times, along the baylands of San Francisco Bay, up to Marin County and certainly for many visits to Golden Gate Park.
A photographic collection from these almost random outings might seem a bit schizophrenic, but they eventually find their ways to their sister and brother images making more sense in those contexts. For me, the Newsletter is a good venue for starting the sharing.
Green Onion Bloom. 2021. Canon R5.
Male Mallard. Golden Gate Park. 2021. Canon R5
Swallowtail. Palo Alto Badlands. 2021. Canon R5.
Driveway Mustard. 2021. Canon R5.
Farallon Island Mirage and Double Sun. Pacifica, CA. 2021. Canon R5. RF600mm F11 IS STM lens.
Some Spacey Stuff
Checking in with the Nearly Full Moon. March 26, 2021. Canon R5. RF600mm F11 IS STM lens
PIA24264: Mastcam-Z's First 360-Degree Panorama. NASA/JPL. 2021.
My rearranged crop for purely landscape panoramic with no lander.
The arrival of the Perseverance Mars Rover brought me back to my love of space exploration and the amazing photographs made along the way.
NASA/JPL released a large panoramic spacecraft self-portrait, which I immediately downloaded as a high resolution TIF file, PIA24264_hires.tif (36952 x 11570 pixels, 640 MB).
As I wanted a landscape view and any 360 pano has an arbitrary start and stop point, I cropped out the spacecraft, added the righthand landscape side of the of the 360 to the left side of the photo, leaving me with only the landscape scene I wanted.
I then sharpened the image on a new layer. The sharpening created overwrought panoramic stitch artifacts which I in turn removed by blocking the sharpen in those areas with a mask. The resulting 100 inch print on my Canon ImageProGraf 4000 has been a delight to see and share.
And now on to my next Mars Pano…
The new Mars panoramic print in my 50 Years of Sapce Photography exhibition. 2021.
Wildflowers. Hound's tongue Cynoglossum grande and Redwood. Golden Gate Park. 2021. Canon R5.
Cherry Blossoms, Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, 2021. Canon R5.
Spring in Golden Gate Park
Sometimes continuing to build on a new body of work is hard. That is particularly true of a single place. I often encounter a sense that I’ve already explored the place, doing battle with the sure awareness that I will always see something new.
My Golden Gate Park project continues to broaden and grow my own notions of what the park actually is. I’ve deeply enjoyed getting to know it better and am still amazed at all I find there. The journey continues.
A little bit of everything. Stow Lake. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. 2021. Canon R5.
Recent Work
Local Hillside View. Pacifica, CA. 2021.. Canon EOS R5, RF600mm.
Mostly Local
The shutdown made everything local, so where I can drive to on day trips, or whatever I can find in my coastal town, became my subject matter. Sunsets from the beach cliffs are a constant, and the reach of what seems local slowly expands.
Birds or buildings, human created or wild, from a trail or street corner, my general love of the image and innate curiosity continues to drive a wide variety of images forward.
Palo Alto Baylands, CA. 2021. Canon R5.
Sun and Reflection. Pacifica Cliffs. 2021. Canon R5.
Cliffs. San Mateo Coast. 2021. Canon R5. RF600mm F11 IS STM lens.
Redtail Hawk. Mussel Rock. 2021 Canon R5.RF600mm F11 IS STM lens.
Coastal Treks
My normal activity during the pandemic of getting out to the ocean just half mile from my house continues. As I said last month, I often squeeze in such a visit at the end of the day, the coming sunset being the kicker to make sure I get out. I remain surprised how many of the resulting photographs have engaged me.
My normal practice is to do a Facebook post, just to get the photo experience out there. It has been nice to have so many people encouraging the posts.
As I mentioned above, I have started using my WordPress Blog again and my goal is to always post to my Blog whatever I put on Facebook. This allows any of you not on Facebook to still follow my posts.
Driftwood Shack Memorial 2021. Canon EOS R5
Recently at Stephen Johnson Photography
Lectures and Photo Chats
My lecture program continues in with the Virtual Seminar Practical Problem Solving in Digital Photography Seminar. May 1, 2021. 9am-12 noon PST.
I have also been doing weekly virtual Photo Chats with groups of photo friends to keep everyone encouraged to keep working, share and problem solve. Let me know if you would like to join us.
Featured Print Deal and No Gallery Print Sale
This month’s Featured Print offers another original print for $195.
Our 40% Off Sale Original Signed Prints ends April 15. Back in April, virus income shifting and our closed gallery suggested we offer a big print sale. Thanks to those of you who have taken advantage of the offer. Prices have been reduced to what would normally be earned from a gallery sale, 40% off normal prices.
Steve at the Pescadero Marsh. 2020. Photo by Holly Grant.
Virtual Experiences
I have now added Virtual Classes and Lectures to the schedule. Critiques are now virtual. In fact, as you might imagine, most all teaching is virtual at the moment. To flush that out, here is a list of the virtual educational opportunities we are offering.
Virtual Classes and Lectures. A series of new online live classes on various topics with limited space and Q&A sessions.
Masterful Fine Art Digital Printing: Virtual Workshop. Saturday and Sunday April 17-18, 2021. 9am to 5pm PST.
Practical Problem Solving in Digital Photography Seminar. May 1, 2021. 9am-12 noon PST
Come Visit the Exhibitions (after the shutdown)
Check out my 50 years of Space Photography Exhibition joining with my Life Form Exhibition as Other Worldly for a mind-blowing journey from the living world close-up to the depths of space.
Although the gallery is not open to regular visits with the corona virus regulations, limited visitation can be arranged by appointment.
Come see the shows when you can. Space and awesome life! A dive into cosmic extremes.
The 50 Years of Space Photography Gallery with the five extra Apollo 11 prints.
In front of the Apollo 14 Panoramic, 3rd. Graders from Ocean Shore School in Pacifica visiting the Space Exhibit. 2019. Photo by Sheila Gamble.
Class Visits
Post-virus, when school is back in classroom, we will again welcome teachers bringing their classes by, kids and college students. The kid’s reactions have been inspiring to me, both for the space exhibition and Life Form.
Workshops Coming Up
The next class is an additional offering of our Mastering Fine Art Digital Editing and Printing on April 17-18 and has gone virtual with after-class online sessions. All workshops listed are open for enrollment now but subject to virus driven changes. We are exploring more virtual classes.
Please consider joining us on one of our upcoming workshops. Enrollment is the key to continuing to offer these classes and keep the studio running. We hope to hear from you.
I’ve always been drawn to historical photographs and maps. I’ve been collecting 19th century books, engravings and now making scans of photos and maps. Printed on just the right paper and sheen, the reproductions are often vey special in their own right. So I’ve decided to make some of these prints available as I print them and discover more.
The first few are from the San Francisco Bay Area, local to my home in Pacifica, We’ll make them both available as 8x10 ($35-$45) and 11x14 ($75-$85) with larger sizes available for quote. The Gallery of current offerings where you can place orders can be found here.
Life Form Exhibition
Life Form opened in the Main Gallery at Stephen Johnson Photography in July 2018. The show has been extended into 2021. We have had many visitors come by the gallery since the opening. Many have then joined workshops and certainly helped build community. Please come see the show after the virus. Pass the word.
Seeking Good Venues for Life Form
We are seeking good venues to show the Life Form Series. The series is now available for museum and gallery exhibition.
Life Form Announcement. 2018
Don't forget to Check out our next workshops
Next Virtual Workshop
Next Virtual Seminar
The Studio, Scholarships, Mentoring and Tutorials
As part of our ongoing commitment to photographic education, there is one student scholarship spot in many of our classes. Please pass the word along.
For discounted time studying with Steve, keep in mind our Mentoring Program.
With all of our busy schedules and limited budgets, destination workshops or classes become a challenge, but many of you still have questions you need answered, or feedback on some new work. We want to remind you of our Virtual Online Consulting Program. This service allows all of you out there around the globe to consult online live with Steve on technical, aesthetic and workflow issues using Skype and your webcam.
Our Essays and Tutorials from the past couple of years can now be found on our Newsletter Archive and some on my neglected Blog.
We hope you can come by the gallery after the virus and see the original prints in the new Life Form Gallery and its new Life Form Portfolio, the Exquisite Earth exhibition with its accompanying very special Exquisite Earth Portfolio 1. We invite you to join us on a workshop, rent lab space, or just say hello and let us know what you are up to photographically and what you might like to see us offer. We value your input.
Print Mentor Program
Many of my mentoring students have wanted help with their printing, often to make sure they can produce a specific print. Consequently, I am starting a Print Mentoring Program that sets up a 2 hour time slot and the production of a finished print, all with the tutorial video of how we did it together. Prints can be up to 16x20 and on either Hahnemühle Museum Etching or Photo Rag Pearl paper. Fee is $500. Email for more information and to set up times.
Free and For Sale
Free Stuff (a few items still left)
I have been printing out nice copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights on rich cotton paper. You are welcome to a copy when you can come by the gallery.
Additionally, I rescued a few Beseler Enlargers, a 23c and 4x5, hoping to find good homes for them. Make an offer.
Equipment for Sale
None at this time.
New Space Photography Products
Apollo 11 Collectors Portfolio
A suite of photographs from Apollo 11 including twelve pigment inkjet prints on letter-sized paper selected, edited and printed by photographer Stephen Johnson, in a portfolio box. The set includes a Mission Summary book, original US Postal Stamp commemorating the Mission, the Mission patch and a schematic of the Lunar Module. $250
Apollo 11 Collectors Portfolio examples.
50 Years of Space Photography Exhibition Catalog
The Exhibtion catalog featuring photograhs from Planetary probes, the Hublle Space Telescope, Lunar explorations, the Apollo program and Space Shuttle/Space Station images. Includes an exploration of the imaging technologies emplyed by the spacecraft.
68 pages, 8.5x11 inches
Other Worldly Exhibition Catalog.
Apollo 11 Photography Book
A 96 page 8.5x11 inch collection of Apollo 11 photographs from launch to recovery including contact sheets for every surface Hasselblad photograph.
It’s the collection I wish I could have bought, so I made it.
-96 pages
-7 sections, Lunar Photo Equipment, Preparation, On the Way, Lunar Orbit, Tranquility Base, Heading Home, Relics
-Film Magazine proofs
Life Form Folio
The Life Form Folio
When we premiered the Life Form Exhibition, I wanted to have a collectible item and record of the show prior to the full book I plan. So, now available is the 36 page 11x17 wire bound book, 5 years of work from 2013 to 2018 exploring these magnificent lives.
Photographs from 2013-2018
36 pages
11x17 wire-bound book
$40
Exquisite Earth Exhibition Catalog
Page 41
page 13
The Exquisite Earth Exhibition Catalog
As I've been on a roll on fixing bodies of work into POD books, I decided before the Exquisite Earth show could come down for new upcoming show, I wanted to create a printed record. So, now available is the 56 page 11x17 wire bound book, 5 years of work from 2005 to 2010 traveling this wondrous planet.
Photographs from 2005-2010
56 pages
11x17 wire-bound book
$40
Pacifica Book
A collection of photographs in and around Pacifica California. Include a trail map.
74 pages
11x17 wire-bound book for full lay-flat opening and enjoyment
Pacifica Trail Map
32 years in Pacifica
10 years of calendars
$50
Page 7
Page 27
Pacifica Trail Map by Pease Maps special to the Pacifica Land Trust.
11" x 17" folded
$10 (free shipping) proceeds go the Pacifica Land Trust a non-profit 501c3.
Gift Certificates for Prints and Workshops!
Emailed or shipped with beautiful gift note card.
Life Form Note cards
5x7 inches (sold-out, on backorder)
$25
12 image Note card set with envelopes featuring photographs from Steve's new Life Form work.
Printed by Steve in his studio in very limited numbers on a color laser digital press
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After a few years of working intensely on my Urban Eden Golden Gate Park project, I am excited to offer a two-day photographic workshop in this complex and beautiful landscape. Now 150 years old, this park symbolizes parkland engineering and the earth itself taking its own course of life and fecundity. The park will be explored over two days with a blend of photographic opportunity, assistance, and my growing knowledge of its own back woods. This springtime weekday workshop will avoid some of the weekend crowds.