Stephen Johnson Photography News

August 2017

Lake Billy Chinook.. Oregon. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Lake Billy Chinook.. Oregon. 2017. Canon 5DSr.



Welcome to the August 2017 Edition of the Stephen Johnson Photography Newsletter.

Just back from eastern Oregon, a final run through before my Crater Lake Eclipse workshop, always finding new places and interesting situations to make photographs.

— Steve

This month's View From Here column recalls last week's trip to eastern Oregon. We hope you find the column interesting and will consider sending us some comments.


Mt. Hood. Oregon. 2017. Canon EOS-5DSr.

Mt. Hood. Oregon. 2017.
Canon EOS-5DSr.

 

Mt. Hood. 2017.
Canon EOS-5DSr

9.5x14 Pigment Inkjet Print on Cotton paper
$195 each.

Looking up to the summit after a ride up on the ski lift.


LATEST NEWS:

I just finished work on a new Pacifica book, a gathering of work from my Pacifica Calendar series over the last few years and other photographs I've made in the course of living here for 30 years. I'm happy to have Ben Pease's great trail map as part of our outreach to bring attention to the natural wonders of Pacifica.

2017 Workshop Schedule is building with these and other great courses coming up. See what a great experience students have had on Steve's Workshops by exploring Workshop Testimonials.

Upcoming Events & Workshops


Custom Workshop Scheduling: We have set up polls for recently requested workshops to see who might be interested and able to make some dates:

Image Editing
Fine Art Printing
Photography Critique Session

Steve with the Fine Art Printing Workshop in early May 2017.

Steve with the Fine Art Printing Workshop in early May 2017.


The Studio, Scholarships and Mentoring

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 Google Blogger.

We hope you can come by the gallery and see the new Panoramic Prints we've added to the National Parks Gallery, and 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.

Workshop Testimonials


NEW PHOTOGRAPH

 

Shasta.. 2017
Canon 1Dx II

Mt. Shasta shrouded in clouds.


Crossing Roads and Lake. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Crossing Roads and Lake. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.


THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson

New printers in the lab, new explorations now to assess. As always, too much to do to actually finish it all, but so much opportunity keep curiosity, learning and exploration going.

Eastern Oregon 

Mt. Jefferson with Clouds. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Mt. Jefferson with Clouds. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

With my Crater Lake/Eclipse workshop coming up I wanted to once again explore the best places to watch the event from and other areas I wanted to be sure to take our class. This led to six days out on the road with my good friend Stuart Worley who had been helping with the workshop.

The light was intense, and it was hot. Heat haze hung in the air. Oregon is far more complex than we normally think of it. The volcanic Cascades may split the state east and west, but there is much complexity and stark beauty to the east than we often remember, with deserts, still more mountains and forests. Most of Oregon lies to the east of the volcanic Cascade range. Most of the people are in Portland and surrounding areas.

Obsidian. Newberry National Volcanic Monument. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Obsidian. Newberry National Volcanic Monument. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

Oregon is full of volcanoes. Although we associate most of the volcanism to the Cascade Range, the lava flows extend all of the way to Idaho and Craters of the Moon. It is a far more dynamic area than we usually understand.

Obsidian Scalpel Trailside Sign. Newberry National Volcanic Monument. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Obsidian Scalpel Trailside Sign. Newberry National Volcanic Monument. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

For years now I've been remarking to my Mono Lake Workshops while on top of Panum Crater about the one molecule thickness of an obsidian break, being sharper than a surgeon's scalpel. It was great to see a graphic, complete with micrographs depicting the difference as we walked along the trail at Newberry.

Stereo Card. Big Obsidian Flow Trail. Newberry National Volcanic Monument. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Stereo Card. Big Obsidian Flow Trail. Newberry National Volcanic Monument. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

The extremely rough terrain of Newberry's lava fields made me make a number of stereo pairs. I love 3D photography, and always have. View masters were part of my youthful seduction into photography. 

I simply make two photographs a few inches a part, then assemble them in Photoshop into my own stereo cards.

Paulina Falls. Newberry National Volcanic Monument. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Paulina Falls. Newberry National Volcanic Monument. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

Newberry's two lakes drain into Paulina Creek which shortly tumbles over Paulina Falls. On the day we were there, people were preparing an excursion over the cliffs, repelling by rope into the cavern below tha falls. It seemed a poor idea to us, but we didn't know their plans.

Flowers and Pines. Ochoco National Forest. Central Oregon. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Flowers and Pines. Ochoco National Forest. Central Oregon. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

East of the Cascades stretches through desert and forested mountains. Even moving through a fair amount of heat, as we drove up Highway 26 near Bandit, we came across a beautiful stand of pines and flowers with insects buzzing and some cooler air near the trees.

The geologic history of this region is very complex, with waves of volcanism and sedimentary mudflows and layers. The fossil record is the region is among the richest we have of north America. The John Day Fossil Bed National Monument is a testament to that fact and the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center near Dayville is amazing.

 

Powerhouse. Bonneville Dam. Oregon. 2017. Canon 5DSr..

Powerhouse. Bonneville Dam. Oregon. 2017.
Canon 5DSr..

Last year I was able to visit the Columbia River and the Bonneville Dam for the first time in decades. Arriving at the dam at dusk, there was only a little time before night fell and the visitor's area closed. This trip I wanted to go back and spend some time.

The torrent of water through the Powerhouse, the fish ladders and the underwater view of eels sucking on the glass gave us quite a variety of visuals to take in. Not to mention the wild blackberries so big and ripe that it was hard to walk away.

The Quirks of the Road

Bigfoot at Nursery in Bend, OR. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Bigfoot at Nursery in Bend, OR. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

From Bigfoot to power pole osprey nests, this road trip around the West was peppered by the quirks that make the West so uniquely its own place. 

It is interesting how a sense of the West can permeate everything from rain-forest to stark high desert. There is a broad sense of the rural West, a sense of place, a sense of space, and a value placed on uniqueness, not just the expected. I like that about my homeland.

I am a child of the west. I know it is where my heart is most at home. I seem to need all of its different environments to sustain the whole man I've become. The desert, alpine expanses, deep forest and magnificent coastline of the western United States. –all of these places are part of me, and I have long been part of these places. It is emotional, seems physical, and sounds spiritual.

Bigfoot at Nursery in Bend, OR. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Bigfoot at Nursery in Bend, OR. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

Young Osprey on Power pole Nest. Oregon. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Young Osprey on Power pole Nest. Oregon. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

We build for us, to serve our needs. But occasionally we see add-ons to our constructions attempting to mitigate or enhance our constructs for other beings. Two such examples caught my eye on this trip.

Sage and Rabbit Brush. Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Sage and Rabbit Brush. Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

The heat, the dusty brush and sage created a scented wave of hot air. I felt present under the sun, connected to it. This as we wandered through potential eclipse viewing sites. The connection felt real, despite my sunscreen, long sleeve shirts and constant hat.

Highway Junction. Antelope, Oregon. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

Highway Junction. Antelope, Oregon. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

What would any trip through the west be without road junctions and the communites that spring up around them. Antelope has been around since 1871 resting along side a wagon road connecting gold mines to the Columbia river. A religious group flooded the township in 1984 and renamed it Rajneesh. The name reverted to Antelope a little over a year later. Stories are everywhere.

My Oregon trip companion Stuart Worley with a Lego model of the Apollo/Saturn V his brother helped build. 2017. Canon 5DSr.

My Oregon trip companion Stuart Worley
with a Lego model of the Apollo/Saturn V his brother helped build. 2017.
Canon 5DSr.

On my first trip to Antarctica in 2005, I was privileged to meet a pair of brothers along on our photo journey together. As I recall, early in the voyage, we were chatting when one brother, Stuart, remarked that I seemed interested in the space program. I presumed I mentioned that interest in one of my presentations. Naturally I said yes, very interested, at which point Stuart introduces me to his brother Eugene Worley, one of the builders of the Saturn V rocket that took us to the moon. Eugene and Stuart have joined me on workshops over the years including their brother Jim on a trip to Death Valley.

When we were out on the road last week in Oregon, this Lego Saturn Apollo model came up in conversation." Both Eugene and I built one" he said. It sounded like such a great thing to do I was pleased to photograph Stuart with the model he and his daughter Laura built. In my imgination, there is now also an image of Eugene building the model of the spacecraft he helped actually build. I'd like to make a photograph of Eugene and his Saturn/Apollo someday.


Recently at Stephen Johnson Photography

We've done a few printing courses over the last month or so and seen some very dedicated students and and some fine photogaphs. Thought I'd share a few reviews from Yelp:

I was extremely fortunate to have attended Stephen's digital printing workshop this past weekend. The breath of knowledge and care shared with the class was absolutely wonderful....inspiring and exciting. Stephen is a wonderful teacher and master printer. He is exceptionally patient and articulate in Making sure to all questions are answered and provides and exceptional road map to successful confidence in printing that one can take home with them when they leave. If you have been thinking of attending this workshop...stop, and just sign up. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from a genuine teacher.

David S. from Danville, CA. 7/19/17

 

I took my digital inkjet printing to a whole new level after spending four days in Stephen's teaching studio learning about color management, consistent workflow across my devices & software, software printing controls, intricacies of various color spaces, viewing light, and most importantly - the making and managing of paper-specific printing profiles.

Also, Stephen is just a very nice person to work with. The course was very well structured and he kept to his learning outcomes, while also managing student questions and requests. You won't be disappointed.

Pablo K, Cherry Hill, NJ 7/31/17

Some of the Fine Art Print ng Class from June 2017.

Some of the Fine Art Print ng Class from June 2017.



Featured Products


New Exquisite Earth Exhibition Catalog

Page 41

Page 41

page 13

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

  • $50


New Pacifica Book

Page 27

Page 27

Page 7

Page 7

  • 74 pages

  • 11x17 wire-bound book

  • Pacifica Trail Map

  • 32 years in Pacifica

  • 10 years of calendars

  • $75


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.

20 scenes in and around Pacifica, California where Stephen Johnson Photography is located. Full page trail map included. Printed on a color laser digital press.

11" x 17" $25.00

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

flora-notecards.gif

National Park Note cards

National Park Color Note Card Set

Stephen Johnson
12 cards/envelopes $20 set

From "With a New Eye" Beautiful 300 line screen offset reproductions with envelopes in clear box. A great gift.


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