Stephen Johnson Photography News
January 2023
Raven on Beach. Pacifica, CA. 2022.
Upcoming Workshops:
Yosemite in Winter
February 2023
Fine Art Digital Printing Hands-on in Studio
March 2023
Welcome to the January 2023 Edition of the Stephen Johnson Photography Newsletter.
So much rain, needed so badly, but coming all at once is creating a lot of problems for people. I’m thankful my studio and home are fine and the ocean has been wild.
I’m grateful for the wonders I've seen and photographed this year, and have created a special gallery and print sale from the work. I've selected a set of 2022 photographs which are available over 60% off—now extended through January 15.
My Fine Art Printing hands-on workshop January 2023 is full and my second session in March is filling quickly. I’m looking forward to my Yosemite in Winter workshop February 6-8.
— Steve
This month's View From Here column features photographs from 2022.
As I mentioned in the last few Newsletters, a few big framed original finished prints have become available.
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 field and studio workshops. The next virtual Workshop is From Raw to Photoshop Image Editing Feb. 25, 2023.
FEATURED PRINT January 2023
Trees, Tules, and Wetlands. Merced Wildlife Refuge. Merced County, CA. 2022.
Trees, Tules and Wetlands, CA. 2022
Gentle light on a living Earth. Trees, Tules, and Wetlands. A land under gray skies, surrounded by water, filled with birds. Merced Wildlife Refuge last week. Fuji GFX100s.
I’m offering a 14 inch wide print of this photograph for $195, matted to 16x20. This print at this price is offered through January 31. I'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by February 15.
I’m also pleased to report my ongoing Donate to Ukrainian Relief Featured Print option has yielded funds to help victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In one case, my notice of completing the donation prompted the print buyer to donate additional funds.
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Black Point. Mono Lake, CA. circa 1980
Black Point. Mono Lake, CA. circa 1980
A copying project led me back down a path of digitizing old film. In this case, the 4x5 Ekatchrome was very contrasty and dark in the shadows. I recently purchased a 120mm Macro lens for my Fuji GFX100s and used it here to make an HDR set of exposures that was able to capture many of the subtleties of the transparency and bring the original contrast under control.
LATEST NEWS:
I’m bouncing back forth working at the studio and my home office. I generally open the galleries when I’m there. People are visiting more and more, even had about 100 through at an Art Fair here at the Pacific Center for the Arts in early December. Please set up a time to come by and we can walk through the galleries together.
Current Exhibitions
Other Worldly is the name I’ve given to the two current exhibitions, 50 Years of Space Photography Exhibit and Life Form.
Gallery Appointments
The gallery is now open for appointments. Write to inquire or call 650 355-7507 to schedule an appointment. Masks required.
Subscribe to my Blog
As I’ve mentioned in my last few newsletters, I’ve renewed more frequent postings on my blog derived from my newsletters and Facebook posts. I’m gradually moving other blog forums no longer supported to this one central place. You can view or subscribe at: https://sjohnsonphoto.wordpress.com
Stephen Johnson Photography Blog.
Virtual Classes
My virtual classes program, launched in 2020, has allowed me to reach students around the world. The next session is my From Raw to Photoshop Image Editing on Feb. 25.
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.
Upcoming Events & Workshops
View From Here
Highway One. Big Sur. CA 2022.
THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson
Memory Lane
Every January I try to take stock of the photographs I’ve made during the last year. I’m often surprised as there I am frequently out working, and sometimes memories come to mind that had already been filed away. I love the power of photography to take me back, and it many ways it keeps me falling it love with the medium all over again. Photography is nothing short of a kind of magic.
Memories have a way of coming in waves, sometime through a coincidental popping up of a link that reminds me of something In want to post.
I stumbled into this video from the Photoshop 25th Anniversary event in 2015 at the Computer History Museum and made a quick cut from the introduction to where my name comes up. The whole presentation can be found here on YouTube.
Looking Back at 2022
Landscapes
Seal Rocks. San Francisco. CA. 2022. Fuji GFX 100s.
Magnolia. SF Botanical Garden. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, CA. 2022. Fuji GFX100s.
Santa Cruz Botanical Garden. CA. 2022.
Dappled Hills. Tehachapi Pass. 2022.
Oak. San Pedro Valley Park. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Skies
Reaching Clouds. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Storm Edge over Western Skies. 2022.
Green Flash Sunset. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Spectral Rimmed Clouds. Yosemite Valley, CA 2022.
Fragments in Sky. Pacifica, CA. 2022
Rays over Sea. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Moon and Clouds. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Beings I’ve Encountered this Year
Staring Hawk. Pacifica, CA. 2022.
Bald Eagle , Hayward, CA 2022.
Just Molted Young Peregrine Falcon. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Turtle. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, CA 2022.
Redtail Hawks. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Lunging Humpback Whale. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Tail feathers. Diving Ruddy Duck. Mono Lake, Ca 2022.
Tucked in. Pigeon. Pacifica, CA. 2022;.
What a privilege to witness these strange and wonderful fellow creatures of the earth!
Despite the fact that wildlife photographs are often hard to make, it is rarely labor, as it is such a pleasure to watch, and so remarkable when the photographs work out.
Peregrine Falcon Leaving Nest. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Great Blue Heron. Bodega Bay. 2022
Mama Mallard and Chicks.Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, CA 2022.
Beach Whale Remains. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Western Fence Lizard. San Pedro Valley Park. Pacifica, CA 2022.
Califonias’s Brown Pelicans. Pacifica Cliffs. 2022.
Mustangs. Mono County., CA 2022.
Nesting Swallows and Parent. Pacifica, CA 2022.
2022 Highlights Print Sale Extended
Grateful for wonders I've seen and photographed this year, I've made a special print sale selecting a set of 2022 photographs now over 60% off extended through January 15, 2023
Recently at Stephen Johnson Photography
The Land Nearby
Clouds and Setting Sun. Pacifica, CA. 2022.
Another installment of my setting sun and clouds series. It’s hard to say if I’m on to something, or just can’t resist the always different wonders of our star sinking into the sea.
I wander most everywhere I go and everywhere I go seems to be a bit of a wander. The open spaces of my hometown continue to draw me in. Add morning mist to the mix with the layers of light it creates and a subtle beauty emerges.
Rockaway Wetlands. Pacifica, CA. 2022.
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. Email to discuss pricing.
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. Email to discuss pricing.
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. Email to discuss pricing.
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. Here are the virtual educational opportunities coming up.
Virtual Classes and Lectures. A series of new online live classes on various topics with limited space and Q&A sessions.
From Raw to Photoshop Image Editing February 25, 2023.
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)
The 50 Years of Space Photography Gallery with the five extra Apollo 11 prints.
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. Space and awesome life! A dive into cosmic extremes. Email to book an appointment.
In front of the Apollo 14 Panoramic, 3rd. Graders from Ocean Shore School in Pacifica visiting the Space Exhibit. 2019. Photo by Sheila Gamble.
Links to custom reproductions I’ve created because of my love of the images. I work to make beautiful copies, and to let more people enjoy these photographs and maps.
Life Form Exhibition
Life Form opened in the Main Gallery at Stephen Johnson Photography in July 2018. I’ve had many visitors come by the gallery since the opening. Many have then joined workshops and certainly helped build community. Come see the show by appointment.
Seeking Good Venues for Life Form
I’m 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 my ongoing commitment to photographic education, there is one student scholarship spot in many of my classes. Please pass the word along.
For discounted time studying with me, keep in mind my 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. I want to remind you of my Virtual Online Consulting Program. This service allows all of you out there around the globe to consult online live on technical, aesthetic and workflow issues.
My Essays and Tutorials from the past couple of years can now be found on my Newsletter Archive.
I hope you can come by the gallery 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. I invite you to join me on a workshop, rent lab space, or just say hello and let me know what you are up to photographically and what you might like to see me offer. I 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, my Print Mentoring Program 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 13
Page 41
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: A Photographic Portrait of Land and Sea
Page 7
Page 27
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
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.