Stephen Johnson Photography News
May/June 2021
Peregrine Falcon in Flight. 2021. Canon R5 with EF500mm f/4L IS USM +1.4x III..
Upcoming Workshops and Print:
Photoshop Selections, Adjustment Layers, Tone and Color Virtual
Saturday, May 22, 2021
Mars Panoramic
40 inch fine art print
Welcome to the May 2021 Edition of the Stephen Johnson Photography Newsletter.
The long haul through this virus may not be over, but so much more now seems possible soon. The vaccine has made me feel more at ease out in the world, even as I continue to mask and be cautious. I feel like I can now plan in-person workshops like Death Valley and Yosemite which are now on the schedule for early 2022, with more to come possibly late this summer or fall as they seem possible.
— Steve
This month's View From Here column explores my recent fascinations with bird photography, springtime in Golden Gate Park and the loss of two good friends. Our new Virtual Classes are continuing to broaden with new offerings including my Virtual Seminars continuing with the Photoshop Selections, Adjustment Layers, Tone and Color Seminar. May 22, 2021 and the Masterful Fine Art Digital Printing: Virtual Workshop June 5-6, 2021. 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 class and field workshops starting again next year. All workshops currently scheduled are subject to necessary corona virus spread prevention logistics.
FEATURED PRINT May 2021
Robin on Oregon Grape Bloom. Strawberry Hill. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. 2021
Canon R5 with RF600mm F11 IS STM lens
Wonder is often so momentary. I turned around from gazing at Stow Lake, saw this bird perfectly perched, and tripped the shutter only a moment before the bird took flight. I was very grateful to see the moment held.
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 May 31. We'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by June 15.
NEW PHOTOGRAPH
Snowy Egret. Merced Wildlife Refuge. 2021.
Canon EOS R5, RF600mm lens.
The grace of Snowy Egret is impossible to put into words. The photographs have to tell the story. I was privileged to be able to study them, be so nearby without disturbance, and have a lens about to hold the image.
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.
Blog Restarted and Growing: Subscribe
As I have mentioned in my last few Newsletters, I have renewed frequent postings on my Blog derived 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 2021 Workshop Schedule includes one of my favorites, the Fine Art Digital Printing class as a virtual lecture, multi-session follow-up June 5-6, 2021. My Virtual Seminars with Photoshop Selections, Adjustment Layers, Tone and Color Seminar. May 22. I have now scheduled the first of my post-pandemic field workshops, Death Valley in Winter and Yosemite in Winter for 2022.
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
Male Mallard Preening. Stow Lake. Golden Gate Park. 2021. Canon R5.
THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson
Wildlife Springtime
I am not by training or deep experience a wildlife photographer. But I have had my moments with whales, hawks, herons and now falcons.
To no one’s surprise, good wildlife photography is hard. I remain impressed with those that get what seem to be consistently good results with birds mid-flight or any number of animals mid-gesture.
The wonder of spring does join with the camera for some compelling experiences. Even when a string of flying falcon photographs result in a flurry of blur, just the wonder of watching the flight is magical.
Scrub Jay. 2021. Canon R5.
Scrub Jay Taking Flight. 2021. Canon R5.
Mallard Ducklings. Ed Levin County Park. 2021. Canon R5
Hawk and Streetlight. 2021. Canon R5
Great Blue Heron. Golden Gate Park. 2021. Canon R5
Great Blue Heron. Golden Gate Park. 2021. Canon R5.
Young Great Blue Herons. Golden Gate Park. 2021. Canon R5.
I do wonder if I’m obsessing over bird photography of late. Seeking the opportunity had only been an occasional flirtation, but since last spring with the herons in Golden Gate Park, and since Canon introduced their lightweight 600mm lens, birds have been ever more a subject of curiosity.
I am interested in becoming competent in anything I pursue, and this avian fascination has been challenging. From the beginning of this recent indulgence, it has also been very satisfying.
There is something about birds. They are magical, floating through dreams and flight fantasies, goading us on to make flying machines, taking us to wild aerial perspectives. Photography has long sought a bird’s perspective, from mountaintop views, hot air balloons, pigeon cams, aerial work from aircraft, to drones. I have long sought aerial views. I love seeing even the slight elevated vista from my drone, feeling it’s bird’s eye view.
Watching birds take flight pulls on all of those perspective imaginings, but there is something more. Making detailed photographs of them take me on a journey into an entirely different perspective on being alive. They are warm blooded, caring parents of their young, but their eyes don’t let us in like our fellow mammals do. Looking close, a kind of cold distance can be inferred, harkening back to our notions of their dinosaur ancestry. The detailed close views give me the visual leisure to explore my notions of who they are. The sheer complexity and wonder of their feather structure, its coloring, the incredibly complex movement of wings in flight, or even stretching, are details almost without parallel in my experience of the natural world. I am continually surprised at the detail I have managed to capture, and the in-flight form and gesture. I continue to be awed at their wonder.
Peregrine Falcons. 2021. Canon R5.
Peregrine Falcons
The Peregrine Falcon nest near my home on the seaside cliffs of Pacifica have drawn me deeply into the challenges of wildlife photography, and the pleasure of watching them.
The challenges of very rapid movement, autofocus controls and greater distance than ideal, proved daunting. I kept adding focal length, raising the ISO, learning more about focus tracking and eye detection, and even an out of view sighting device the EE-1 made by Olympus.
This gradual learning and information all helped. However, most all of the challenges remain focus, distance and movement. Practice helped. Luck is clearly a major contributor to success.
Peregrine Falcon . Pacifica, CA. 2021. Canon R5
The Falcon babies are wonders of their own. Growing fast, still covered in down, flight feathers have already grown on the undersides. Wing stretches reveal how complex their flight structure already is. It is amazing to stand cliffside, watching them from afar, breeze and earth noises abounding, and still hear their chirping. Then, in another moment, to hear the cry of the adult as it pulls through the sky. I did not fully appreciate how much the sound of the experience contributed to being there.
The Merced Wildlife Refuge
White-faced Ibis. Merced Wildlife Refuge. 2021. Canon R5 RF600mm lens.
Snowy Egrets. Merced Wildlife Refuge. 2021. Canon R5. RF600mm F11 IS STM lens.
As I struggled and gradually got better with the coastal Falcons nesting near my home, I wanted to get down to one of the Central Valley Wildlife Refuges. So my first real outing during the pandemic turned out to be a late in season visit to the Merced Wildlife Refuge. I was not disappointed as the Egrets and Ibis gave me quite a show of intensity, grace and sheer beauty.
Flora. San Luis Wildlife Refuge. 2021. Canon R5.
Meanwhile, Back at Mars
Mars Panorama. Mars Sol 68. Perseverance Rover. NASA/JPL. Stitch and BW conversion by Stephen Johnson. April 30, 2021.
left image: Mastcam-Z. NASA/JPL. 2021.
right image: Mastcam-Z. NASA/JPL. 2021.
The Perseverance Mars Rover continues to delight me with new views of our sister planet.
Most any of the panoramic photos released are stitched together from much smaller files made by re-aiming the cameras. I often come across raw files that have yet to be released as stitched images.
I was delighted to find these two, and despite the fact that there was color available, it seemed the tonality could make a beautiful black and white image. It did, and I had to make a print right on seeing its beauty.
I liked the print so much I’ve decided to offer 40 inch copies for sale as a beautiful landscape photography print on Hahnemühle PhotoRag Pearl paper.
The new Mars panoramic print in my 50 Years of Sapce Photography exhibition. 2021.
Cherry blossoms. Golden Gate Park. 2021. Canon R5.
Yellow Iris, Stow Lake., Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, 2021. Canon R5.
More Spring in Golden Gate Park
I keep returning to the park, for the growing baby herons, for the springtime bloom. There is so much to take in that it is hard to feel that my photographs provide the summation I might desire.
I continue to get satisfaction from seeing the individual beauties, and try not to worry if some larger truth is being told.
It’s hard not to feel that some of the bloom photos are just a collections of “pretty flower” pictures, which perhaps they are, but irresistible nonetheless.
I do not want to segregate my “fine art” from my many visual seductions, but it is an ongoing thought process.
Great Blue Heron Nest. Stow Lake. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. 2021. Canon R5.
Two Friends Gone
I lost two close friends over the last few months. As it turns out, both were writers, even if from very different perspectives, one a literal truth teller, the other an artistic truth teller. I’ve lived a richer life because I got to share some of my life with Gerry and Brian.
Gerald Haslam
Saying goodbye in our hearts to a friend is very hard. I knew my friend Gerry Haslam was ill. We had talked about his cancer many times, and his remarkable longterm victories over it. I was very aware of the impact his loss would have on so many.
I came to know Gerry Haslam as the co-editor of a great compilation of literature from the Central Valley, California Heartland. As my friend and project partner Robert Dawson and I were in the midst of our big project on our homeland The Great Central Valley Project, and researching the subject, Gerry and Jim Houston’s Heartland book stood out as a unique inspiration.
Gerry became an academic advisor to our project, became a friend and volunteered to write the text for our book on the work. Years of collaboration and a 70,000 word manuscript resulted, making The Great Central Valley: California’s Heartland book that is among the proudest accomplishments of my life.
Gerry was a prolific author, scholar of western literature, professor of literature at Sonoma State University and a genuinely good and interesting fellow.
Gerry was a character. He grew up in rough Oildale, on the northside of Bakersfield, a schoolmate of Merle Hagged. He knew valley fights, independence, and the hard scrabble world of his native valley. He would write about such characters with the understanding of not only knowing them. but in part being one of them, both amused, in empathy and bemused. Gerry was much more than his upbringing, and more than his college education and professorship. He was husband to a wonderful woman Janice and father to five children and many grandchildren. He was a beer drinking humanitarian, a product of my valley homeland, and like me, someone who left the valley behind but always thought of those home roots.
Most profoundly Gerry was my friend, and I will always feel his loss.
Gerry was 84 years old when his long battle with cancer was lost.
The Great Central Valley: California’s Heartland. University of California Press. 1993.
Gerry Haslam at home with dogs. Penngrove, CA. 2019.
Me and Gerry. 2019. Canon 5DSr.
Brian Barger out with me photographing just past dawn near the Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC. 2016.
Brian Barger at his volunteer photography class for challenged kids. Washington DC. 2016.
Brian Barger
Brian Barger showed up in one of my Maine Media Workshop classes in 2009 and had been a friend ever since.
Brian was a journalist, a husband, father and son of enormous heart and depth. We bonded almost instantly over his journalistic career, but became friends as fellow lovers of the photographic image and great desire for our country to live up to its best aspirations.
As a journalist, Brian did groundbreaking work exposing the Iran/Contra affair in his work with the Associated Press, CBS and for the Washington Post. Some of Brian’s work can still be seen on HBO Max.
We spent most of our friendship in and around Washington DC where Brian lived, but he came to multiple workshops and visited here as well. I would often stay with him when I was in DC. He helped me with many lectures there and we knocked around town a fair amount including a great day at the US Botanical Garden in 2013.
Brian had a great smile, big heart and was a genuinely good friend whose loss has left another hole in my heart mended by the warmth of my love for him and the privilege it was to be his friend. We lost Brian at 68 years old to cancer in February 2021.
Recently at Stephen Johnson Photography
Lectures and Photo Chats
My lecture program continues in with the Virtual Seminar Photoshop Selections, Adjustment Layers, Tone and Color. May 22, 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.
Virtual Experiences
Steve at Nolas Iris Garden with new friend. May 2021.
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.
Photoshop Selections, Adjustment Layers, Tone and Color Seminar. May 22, 2021. 9am-12 noon PST
Masterful Fine Art Digital Printing: Virtual Workshop. Saturday and Sunday June 5-6, 2021. 9am to 5pm 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.
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.