Photo Chats

Most every Tuesday morning since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have been doing weekly virtual Photo Chats on Zoom with groups of photo friends. They are casual, virtual get-togethers, and have created a little community, with regular sharing, guests presentations, demos, and photo feedback. Let me know if you would like to join us.

New Prints in the Gallery

There are now new prints available to see in the gallery from the Golden Gate Park Project and the evolving Animal Series.

Current Exhibitions

The current exhibitions in the gallery include 50 Years of Space Photography and Life Form—a collection I call Other Worldly.

Visiting the Gallery

My galleries and studio are generally open 10am–5pm. 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 

Virtual Classes

My virtual classes program, launched in 2020, has allowed me to reach students around the world. 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. 

THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson

Lasers in the Night Sky

Capping Pride Weekend in San Francisco was a dramatic laser light show projecting across the night sky. Six colors projected across the city from the Ferry Building on the bay to San Francisco’s highest spot, Twin Peaks. Another matched set of six colors pointed straight up into the night.

The evening mist created a kind of anti-shimmer of dark areas flittering the bold light. It was almost a sub-rhythm to the dramatic light stretching across the city.

The display was organized by the nonprofit Illuminate, designed by Karl the Fog, and titled Welcome.

A Walk of Reconnection

Forest sounds, the rustling of trees in the breeze, the distant sounds of birds singing, the faint buzz of insect wings, the rushing water of a distant creek, these experiences are among the best in life. Being alive in a forest alive.

A branch falls from a tree a hundred feet away, dried leaves flutter through the air, drifting, wafting clear over to where I sit adding to the forest floor of dirt, flora, and drying leaves subsumed back to the earth. It feels right and proper.

The scent of eucalyptus is in the air, and the subtle smell of decay. The forest is never silent nor empty. Today it is my companion.

I’ll take a quiet forest walk. Remember why I’m alive. Breathe deep in the real. Allow my body to earth feel.

A monarch butterfly flitters past while ivy clings to a tree trunk in the breeze. Forest sounds overwhelm any sound of the gentle breeze, while it still moves the swaying leaf-filled branches. The forest is in constant motion.

A vulture circles over the next ridge line, floating through the air. Watching, always watching. Very different than a hawk.

Horsetail ferns rise primitively from the forest floor amid their more modern evolved companions.

Walking out, I came across small rabbits and a family of quail with tiny, fluffy chicks. They darted about so fast they were hard to see, much less photograph.

It was good to be in the woods.

When I stumble into something unusual, or in need, I photograph. It’s an instinct and a tool. When we came upon these trapped baby pigeons, it was only natural to use photography to help document the situation. I thought the photos might be needed to help lobby for their rescue.

From my friend Holly Grant about our mutual experience.

Fixing a Light Fixture Trapped Baby Pigeons and Nest. 

In mid-May, at the Linda Mar Shopping Center in Pacifica, between Safeway and Rite Aid, I noticed two pigeons frequently flying in and out of a hole in the outdoor walkway ceiling where a recessed light fixture had apparently been removed for replacement. Local pigeons made a nest up inside of that ceiling alcove. They were coming and going, feeding and tending to their babies quite often.

I felt concerned that someone would put up new light fixtures which would then seal up the pigeon’s access to their babies in the nest. So on May 19th, I called the shopping center's management company, Kimco Realty. I spoke with a woman about my concerns, and asked her to please leave the space open so the pigeons can get to their babies.

On June 15th, I was shocked to see that there were new light fixtures installed, making it now impossible for the pigeons to get back inside to their babies. The pigeons were frantically flying all around the light fixture trying desperately to get inside to tend to their babies. It became impossible for them to feed their babies. 

We called everyone we could think of, the Pacifica Police, Humane Society, the fire department, all offered much sympathy, but no one was able to help on private property. We were finally able to talk to someone at the property management company Kimco, and they came and took down their newly installed fixture. We watched and saw the two birds we knew were trapped fly away free. 

The fixture was left open for about an hour, then out of concern birds might fly back in, we asked Kimco to come back out and seal it up. That was apparently a mistake, as there is still at least one baby trapped.

It seemed the only solution is to open up the fixture again and leave it open for the week Kimco had offered and hope the remaining baby flies out and no others go in to nest. With a holiday weekend though, the third baby no longer could be seen trying to get out. By Tuesday morning when the fixture was opened up, there was no baby able to be located. We presumed the week in a half had been too much for it. Two flew free, one seems to have perished.

The Ansel Adams in Our Time exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco is worth seeing. It features over 100 photographs by Ansel, and other historical images by some of his inspirations like Carleton Watkins and Eadweard Muybridge. The show was curated by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston working with the de Young.

The exhibition seems designed to recognize the importance of Ansel’s work and his influences, but also place it in context with contemporary work that the curators contend has been influenced by him and reactions to his work. Some of these newer works seem splendidly on-target, others not so much. Some of the contemporary work is dead-on relevant, some left me really scratching my head.

The exhibition is well worth seeing. It’s up through August 6.

Corpse Flower Blooms

Corpse Flower. Conservatory of Flowers. Golden Gate Park.

In bloom right now! Go see it! It bloomed the evening of July 3 and only lasts 2 or 3 days.

https://conservatoryofflowers.org

Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MW96uQgHL8

Photograph was assembled from multiple images, repaired a bit, and faces blurred as a gesture of privacy.

The City of Pacifica’s commission continues to be a focus of the work this month as I finish up the project with the Canon Pro-4000 printer.

Most of the prints have been done with the ImagePrint software rather than my normal workflow through Adobe Photoshop. There were a number of reasons for this, primary among them was the accuracy of ImagePrint’s built-in profiles and the ability to nest more than one image together on the roll paper for maximum efficiency.

Colorbyte Software, which created ImagePrint, has been around for a long time, and have a very interesting model of providing wide support for Epson and a few Canon printers, building in custom support and profiles for a huge variety of papers and printers.

Prints through ImagePrint are the best black-and-white inkjet prints I’ve made since I did my four black-plate black-and-white prints on my Iris Realist.

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.

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.

Workshop Testimonials

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.

The Life Form Folio

When I 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-inch, wire-bound book, featuring five years of work from 2013 to 2018 exploring these magnificent lives. 

• Photographs from 2013–2018

• 36 pages

• 11x17-inch wire-bound book

• $40

Emailed or shipped with beautiful gift note card.

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