Stephen Johnson Photography News
February 2022
Pelican above Afternoon Surf. Pacifica, CA, 2022.
Upcoming Workshops:
Golden Gate Park
May 16-17, 2022
Flora and Form: from Orchid Gardens to Virtual Digital Lab
March 10-12, 2022
The Icelandic Landscape: A Photography Workshop 2022
September 3-11, 2022
Welcome to the February 2022 Edition of the Stephen Johnson Photography Newsletter.
This Newsletter comes after I took a bad fall running too fast after some equipment blowing away. That was mid-January and I fractured a rib in the process. Much pain and weeks of healing followed with small steps back out into the world. My first camera outing was 10 days after the fall on a slow, no tripod, single lens walk around North Lake in Golden Gate Park. Thanks to my friend Holly for helping me heal over the weeks and driving me to the park for a beautiful walk on January 26. Almost ready to hit the road again!
— Steve
This month's View From Here column features recent photographs and the story of a stupid fall. As I mentioned last month, a few big framed original finished prints have become available. My Virtual Classes are continuing with the combo field and virtual Flora and Form class on March 10-12, 2022. I’m looking forward to my next full field workshop, Golden Gate Park on May 16-17, 2022. My virtual series on Raw and Photoshop begins again on March 30 with Raw Processing Strategies and Opportunities and continues with the three hour Raw Processing and Photoshop Editing virtual workshop April 9, 2022. I am just now announcing my return to Iceland in September for the Icelandic Landscape Workshop September 3 to 11, 2022
In case you missed it, check out my most recent print set 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 February 2022
Eucalyptus over Trail. North Lake. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, CA 2022
From my first real outing after fracturing a rib in a bad fall. 10 days after the fall I went on a slow, no tripod, single lens walk around North Lake in Golden Gate Park. Thanks to my friend Holly for helping me heal over the weeks and driving me to the park for this beautiful walk on January 26.
Visit my blog: https://sjohnsonphoto.wordpress.com
We're offering an 11x14 inch print of the photograph for $195, matted to 16x20 inch board. This print at this price is offered through February 28. We'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by March 15.
NEW PHOTOGRAPH
Afternoon Clouds, Sun and Sea. Pacifica, CA 2022
Views over the Pacific Ocean mixing with dramatic clouds and blocked sun challenged the dynamic range of the camera, but the HDR file gave me much of the shadow and highlight detail I saw.
LATEST NEWS:
After I fractured a rib in mid-January, my main activity was resting to heal. It was hard to stay still, but I got frequent reminders that it was a good idea. As I felt better, my passion for being out in nature had me cautiously venturing out, and I think promoting my healing. This period was the same time a new camera arrived which was a challenge as it was hard to get out to use it. After three weeks now, I’m basically healed and am planing my first road trips.
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 now gone to this one central place. 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 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 a great experience students have had on my Workshops by exploring Workshop Testimonials.
Stephen Johnson Photography Blog.
The 2022 Workshop Schedule is evolving, with the virtual seminar My Virtual Classes are continuing with the combo field and virtual Flora and Form class on March 10-12, 2022. I’m looking forward to my next full field workshop, Golden Gate Park on May 16-17, 2022. My virtual series on Raw and Photoshop begins again on March 30 with Raw Processing Strategies and Opportunities and continues with the three hour Raw Processing and Photoshop Editing virtual workshop April 9, 2022. I am just now announcing 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.
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
Shadows and Light. Devil’s Slide. Pacifica, CA 2021.
THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson
An Injury, and Appreciation
I lost my balance running too fast after some camping gear that blew out of my hands and down the street. I met the pavement with real force, fracturing a rib. Despite the pain, I rescued the gear, got back in the car, drove to the sunset as I had intended, then came home and crashed. I later passed out and was rescued by my dear friend Holly who caught me as I was falling. Very humbled, I ended up in the ER and now have many body scans to explore. The last three weeks have been mostly about recovery.
The pain aside, the most frustrating part of the injury was not being able to really be out, to wander, to photograph. Two trips were cancelled and practice with a new camera system was greatly minimized.
I appreciate my good health and physical capabilities. When some of them are stripped away, even temporarily, that appreciation redoubles. My tripods are heavy, opening them requires some force, equipment bags are heavy, bending over constantly to fine tune camera needs is a given. These last weeks, nothing is a given.
As I heal and the pain subsides, I remain so grateful for the gift of moving around this world and the privilege of good equipment to hold the amazing sights I see.
Thanks so much to my friend Holly Grant for helping me through the injury and healing.
Sunsets, Light Rays and Natural Abstraction
My fascination with the local seaside cliffs at sunset persists.
We have all taken scores of sunset photographs. I have always thought of them as poor imitations of the sight. Mine have usually been far less impressive than watching the actual event.
After spending so many evenings out on our local cliffs for last light above the sea, I’m finding the variety of what I am seeing when viewed with longer optics, rivals or exceeds that variety of most any classification of subject matter.
So, without even intending it to be, the sun setting into the Pacific now looks to be a serious series of photographs that I continue to work on. There are so many.
It’s still a wonder to me that the sea doesn’t boil as our star sinks into it.
Pacifica. CA. 2022.
Hawk taking Flight. 2022.
The Pleasure of Seeing Wildlife
They are all around us, the creatures of this earth. They are living, breathing, decision making, learning beings. Even at almost 8 billion humans, we are the minority even as we now reshape the planet.
I continue to photograph my fellow creatures of this earth as I happen onto the privilege of a view.
Hawks, Doves, Squirrels and Ravens are the most common here and about. California Gulls, and Brown Pelicans often fill the skies near the beach. Seals and sea lions are common in many places. Occasionally we get coyotes, whales and dolphins.
Wildlife photography is not my specialty, but skills are building, and I can’t help but try to capture these moments I glimpse of these amazing and complex animals.
Anthropocene Hawk. 2022.
Recent Photographs
Seal Rocks. Lands End. San Francisco. 2021.
Laguna Salada. Pacifica, 2022.
Strolls Through Golden Gate Park
North Lake Trail. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. 2022.
Ten days after my accident, my first real outing with a camera was a careful stroll around North Lake in Golden Gate Park. No tripod, No camera bag. A single camera, a single lens, a short zoom, and the wonder of being out. It was only an hour, but so precious.
Calla Lillies Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. 2022.
Recently at Stephen Johnson Photography
Refraction (distorted). Pacifica, CA 2022.
After my accident, I was tuned into what i could see around the house. Ordinary circumstances created some extraordinary patterns. I was simply having lunch on the deck in the sunshine and this pattern formed from my water glass. I grabbed a piece of white paper and a camera.
Jxx
In Town
Another look at the human geography around me.
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. Make an offer.
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.