Stephen Johnson Photography News
April 2022
Wrapped Trees. Kern County. 2022.
Upcoming Workshops:
Golden Gate Park
May 16-17, 2022
The Icelandic Landscape: A Photography Workshop 2022
September 3-11, 2022
Welcome to the April 2022 Edition of the Stephen Johnson Photography Newsletter.
It seems there is a constant flow of tragedy out in the world that touches my words here each month. From the pandemic, now to the horrors of Putin’s barbaric war on Ukraine. I cannot escape these external events, nor do I want to. But I know that appreciating what life and this earth can offer to strengthen us must also be in our thoughts. In some ways, beauty itself, may be an enemy of evil. At the very least, beauty is a source of life, and for me hope, that gives me the strength to go on, try to inspire the love of the natural world and lend what small support I can to ending violence and helping those in need. Some organizations helping the people of Ukraine can be found here. I will be donating 100% of the Featured Print purchases during April to these organizations helping Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis.
— Steve
This month's View From Here column explores recent photographs from a few outings in March. My Virtual Classes are continuing with my series on Raw and Photoshop with the three hour Raw Processing and Photoshop Editing virtual workshop April 9, 2022. I’m looking forward to my next full field workshop, Golden Gate Park on May 16-17, 2022 and am planning a return to Iceland in September for the Icelandic Landscape Workshop September 3 to 11, 2022. As I mentioned in the last few Newsletters, a few big framed original finished prints have recently become available.
My most recent print set is Many Views: Twenty Photographs, emerging from 18 months of work during very challenging pandemic times is available for order.
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 balanced between virtual classes and field workshops. All workshops currently scheduled are subject to necessary corona virus spread prevention logistics.
FEATURED PRINT April 2022
Dappled Hills. Tehachapi Mountains, CA. 2022
I’ve always loved these hills I see when coming down from Tehachapi towards Bakersfield. I’ve stopped there frequently over the decades, and this pass through brought me dappled light on the terrain, just as the green of winter was being encroached on by the summer drying. The light was changing constantly which led to many photographs. It was one of those situations I drove away from very satisfied by what I had seen and pretty confident about the light I had recorded.
I also knew at the time, that the photographs could easily be color or black and white. Settling on the black and white version was hard, as the reality of the color very much appealed to me. But the black and white touched a deep photographic heart.
Visit my blog: https://sjohnsonphoto.wordpress.com
I’m offering an 11x14 inch print of this photograph for $195, matted to 16x20 inch board. This print at this price is offered through April 30. I'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by May 15.
I will be donating 100% of the proceeds from an matted version of this April 2022 Featured Print to these organizations helping Ukraine’s humanitarian crisis.
NEW PHOTOGRAPH April 2022
Cell Palm under Stormy Skies. Lancaster, CA. 2022
The parking lot of a shopping complex yielded a most unusual tree and helped transform a nature trip plunge into yet further study in Americana. This photograph could easily fit into my Western Artifiacts Series.
LATEST NEWS:
I’ve been spending more and more time at the studio and less working from my home office. People are visiting more and more, still masked of course. Please set up a time to come by and see the exhibits.
Gallery Appointments
The gallery can now be opened for masked/distanced appointments. Please come visit us!. Write to inquire or call 650 355-7507 about a virus cautious appointment.
Blog Restarted and Growing: Subscribe
As I have mentioned in my last few Newsletters, I have renewed more frequent postings on my Blog derived from my Newsletters and Facebooks posts. I am gradually moving other blog forums no longer supported to this one central place. You can view or subscribe at: https://sjohnsonphoto.wordpress.com
Virtual Classes
During the virus, I naturally shifted most of my education programs to online experiences. This was frustrating and rewarding. The new virtual experiences certainly stretched out my geographical reach. I have bee very pleased by our new Virtual Classes Program.
My 2022 Workshop Schedule continues to evolve to accommodate the virus precautions and very limited ability to gather indoors. Now that the vaccine is so available it is a prerequisite for any in-person class.
I remain committed to offering great courses whether in person or virtually. See what satisfying experiences students have had on my Workshops by exploring Workshop Testimonials.
Stephen Johnson Photography Blog.
Workshop Recap
The 2022 Workshop Schedule is evolving, with the virtual seminar My Virtual Classes are continuing with Raw Processing and Photoshop Editing virtual workshop April 9, 2022. I’m looking forward to my next full field workshop, Golden Gate Park on May 16-17, 2022. I’ve now announced my return to Iceland in September for the Icelandic Landscape Workshop September 3 to 11, 2022.
See what a great experience students have had on Steve's Workshops by exploring Workshop Testimonials.
Current Exhibitions
Other Worldly is the name I’ve given to the two current exhibitions, 50 Years of Space Photography Exhibit and Life Form. 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
Road and Clouds. Carizzo Plain. 2022.
THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson
Hitting the Road
I finally got out on another road trip, and without any particular purpose. Ostensibly, it was to look for wildflowers, in reality, I was just hitting the road. The lack of wildflowers this late, and in this dry season, just kept pushing me onwards on this improvised journey to see what I might find. In some ways, that is the definition of a wander to me. And I like to wander.
Much of Robert Dawson’s and my work on the Great Central Valley Project (1983-1986) was about wandering through our homeland and trying to understand it. I like the process.
This trip started March 27, heading south down through the Santa Cruz Mountains on Skyline Highway with a layover at the Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanical Garden. The gardens were bathed in a gentle light that brought a great calming mood to start off the trip.
The next morning I headed down Highway 101 for the Carizzo Plain between Paso Robles and Maricopa. It had been a mecca of wildflowers on my last visit. This time, with very few flowers, the space and stormy skies became my focus. Emotionally, the drive through the wide open vistas were the highlights, and dramatic sky kept pulling me further along. I spent a fair amount of time alone, just watching those skies and listening to the wind. I had originally planned to go back to the coast from there, but as I came to the south end of the plain, I decided instead to head east for the Mojave desert, going though the southern Central Valley on the way.
Without planning to, I was driving through the southern cousin of my Great Central Valley homeland. In the valley I expect kitsch, oddities, and Americana. I am always seeking out the telling evidence of who and where we are. It is the world I was raised in. I was not disappointed.
Oil Derrick. Kern County, CA. 2022
Purple Haze and Ghost Gum. Santa Cruz Arboretum. 2022.
Clouds and Hills. Carizzo Plain. 2022.
Wrapped Trees and Powerlines. Kern County., CA 2022.
Poppies and Rainbow. Antelope Valley, CA. 2022.
Moving toward the Mojave took me over the infamous Grapevine incline where the legendary Highway 99 meets Interstate 5 and climbs toward toward the LA megapolis. I hit wind, rain, and way too fast driving around me. I was grateful my journey on it was short and relieved to pull toward the Mojave where the sun broke through and lit the sky with a rainbow over poppy scattered grasslands.
The next day I found Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve was also past its wildflower glory, but led me to wander the back roads, wind farms and desert of the Lancaster, Mojave to Tehachapi area. Although the area is getting ever more populated, it still carries an air of that open desert feeling like the lands to the east.
After moving on from the idea of wildflowers, the numerous fields of Wind Turbines and Mojave’s Jet Graveyard fueled my photo curiosity. The larger desert beyond and the eastern Sierra to the north were very tempting directions to continue the wander. But I drifted back to my idea of heading back to the coast instead.
Arthur B. Ripley Desert Woodland State Park. Antelope Valley, CA. 2022.
Wind Turbines. Mojave, CA. 2022.
Wind Turbines. Tehachapi Pass. 2022.
Airport Boneyard. Mojave Air & Space Port. 2022. (preliminary edit)
Old Friends near Carmel
Pt. Lobos, CA. 2022.
From the desert, my last turn before home was to swing over to the Carmel region to see some old friends, in the flesh and on the land.
I try to always go the Pt. Lobos when ever I’m nearby. This visit did carry with it a bit of a road weary “done this before” sense as I walked the rocks and surf. Pt. Lobos is so steeped in photographic history, much like Yosemite, that it can sometimes feel like everything possible has already been done there. That is so not true. I always notice something new, the light and sea constantly reshaping my perception. It also reminds me of so much of a period of photographic history I came to know the tail end of, the Westons, Ansel Adams, Morely Baer, Friends of Photography and my dear friend Al Weber. After awhile, I was able to let go of aspirations to say something important about the place, and just enjoy being there. That is always best, and I did end up with a photograph I liked.
I managed to see some old freinds as well, including my friend of more than 50 years, Marsh Pitman, my McGovern campaign county co-chair from 1972. I was also able to spend some time with my friend Suzie Weber and share some stories of her husband, my good friend Al Weber who passed away in 2016. Suzie had recently come across a loose 1992 slide of Al from Finland that she did not recall ever seeing before, which I brought home and scanned for her. The visits were a good wrap up to the trip.
Al Weber in Finland. c. 1992. Photographer Unknown.
Yosemite in Early March
As I mentioned in last month’s Newsletter, the coming of rain to the Bay Area made snow likely in the Sierra and Yosemite. Having missed most of the winter with my falling injury, I leaped at the chance in early March for a quick trip to Yosemite. Along with my dear friend Ed Stone, we hit the road to catch the aftermath of what I assumed might be the last snowfall this season.
Burn and Winter Forest. Yosemite. 2022.
Ice. Merced River. Yosemite. 2022.
Lower Yosemite Falls with Snow Dune. Yosemite. 2022.
There was snow on the ground from the previous morning, but melting fast in Yosemite Valley. We wandered, watched the morning mist on the cliffs, caught some tourist traps and some nice solitude along the Merced River.
Among the most beautiful subjects we found was the morning ice along the river.
Rainbow Edged Cloud. Yosemite Meadow. 2022
On the way out of the park, we stopped to look up at Yosemite Falls, and immediately noticed an amazing huge cloud with a spectral breakout along its entire length. I photographed quickly, thinking the rainbow could disappear at any moment. Although it evolved, it stayed for over 30 minutes.
Hawk at Dusk, Pacifica, CA. 2022.
Recent Photographs
Another sunset at the oceanside cliffs here in Pacifica treated us to two Hawks flying together in the sky.
The light was falling fast, challenging the photographs with ISO and shutter speed concerns. I opted for pushing down the shutter speed (1/50) for the Canon RF 800mm fixed f11 lens to avoid excessive pushed ISO (1600) noise even on the Canon R5. This decision did rely on camera and lens image stabilization to help the sharpness. I got a little blur, even some shadow on the sky, but with less noise.
I was intrigued by the artifacts of the blur and shadow casting on the sky. It almost looks like a selection outline in Photoshop, which was very amusing. There are many to explore.
Hawk at Dusk, Pacifica, CA. 2022.
Irresistible Pretty Seashore Photo. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Recently at Stephen Johnson Photography
Around Town
Out on a mid-March foggy evening in Pacifica.
Taqueria. Pacifica, CA. 2022.
Night Fuel. Pacifica, CA. 2022.
From the Film Archives
A chance meeting with Joan Baez led me into the archives to dig out some old negatives that I had intended to get to her for many years. Of course, that took me to the concert archives and led to digitizing a few other of the “Rock and Roll” and festival files. Here’s a few.
Mimi Farina and sister Joan Baez singing together at the Bread and Roses Festival. Berkeley, CA 1977. Copyright ©2022 by Stephen Johnson.
Bread and Roses Festival Poster. 1977
Bread and Roses is an organization founded in 1974 by Mimi Farina designed to produce free, live music and entertainment for Bay Area children, teens, adults, and elders— who don’t have the ability to easily experience the uplifting power of the arts in any other way. The Festival was an annual fundraiser for the non-profit. The shows I attended in 1977 and 78 were an amazing collection of talent and good will.
Marlon Brando. SNACK Benefit, Kezar Stadium. San Francisco, CA. 1975. Copyright ©2022 by Stephen Johnson.
The 1975 SNACK Benefit Concert was designed to raise money for after school activities for San Francisco public school students.
Neil Young. SNACK Benefit, Kezar Stadium. San Francisco, CA. 1975. Copyright ©2022 by Stephen Johnson.
Collector Framed Prints Available
Trees, Fitzgerald Reserve. 1994.
Trees, Fitzgerald Reserve. 1994. 40x50 inch pigment inkjet print in 53x62 inch maple frame. Original price $5900. Make offer.
Framed Prints Available
Steve with 50 inch Fitzgerald Reserve print in his Gallery. 2018.
A collector is downsizing and is trading in a few very large framed prints for smaller versions. This means I suddenly have an inventory of a few very custom prints available for sale. The prints are all framed in beautiful solid maple with a sturdy back brace constructed by San Francisco Art Framing Services.
Alluvial Sweep. Haleakala National Park.. 1996
Alluvial Sweep. Haleakala National Park. 1996. From With a New Eye: The Digital National Parks Project. 27x34 inch pigment inkjet print in 39x47 inch frame. Original price $4200. Make offer.
Drying Staghorn Fern. 2013. From the Life Form Project.
Drying Staghorn Fern. 2013. From the Life Form Project. 27x34 inch pigment inkjet print in 39x47 inch frame. Original price $4200. Make offer.
I am proud to offer for sale a boxed set of original pigment prints from 2020 through May of 2021. A view of my photographic endeavors and fascinations just before and during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Twenty 14 inch prints in boxed set. Signed and sleeved. $4500.
Virtual Educational Experiences
Steve in his Life Form Gallery. April 2021.
Virtual Classes and Lectures have now become a regular part of my workshop program. 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.
Raw Processing Strategies and Opportunities March 30, 2022. 6pm-8pm PST.
Raw Processing and Photoshop Editing April 9, 2022.. 9am-12pm PST.
Photo Chats
I’ve been doing weekly virtual Photo Chats with groups of photo friends to keep everyone encouraged to keep working, creates a forum to share and problem solve. I’ve now built a webpage on the chats. Let me know if you would like to join us.
Come Visit the Exhibitions (masked visits by appointment)
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.
Links to custom reproductions Steve has created because of his love of the work, with the skills to make beautiful copies, and to let more people enjoy these beautiful photographs and maps.
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, by appointment (masked), or 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 Field 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. Free to anyone who will use them.
Equipment for Sale
Previously owned, but pristine, visually unused.
Canon Lenses
Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM lens $475
Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM Lens $425
Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM Lens $625
Gift Certificates Available for Prints and Workshops!
New Space Photography Products
Apollo 11 Collectors Portfolio examples.
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
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.