Stephen Johnson Photography News

April 2025

This summer I am teaching a black and white class for the Los Angles Center for Photography July 19-20.

— Steve

As these newsletters can cover many subjects, let me know of topics you would like to see addressed.

Scholarships

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.

Drying Autumn Leaves. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, CA. 2011.

As I’m gathering photographs together for an initial preview of my Golden Gate Park show, I again came across this simple one of drying fall leaves. I was pleased to be reminded of leaning over this blanket of color wonder. so many years ago

I’m offering a 14-inch-wide print of this photograph for $195. Larger prints can be ordered. This print at this price is offered through April 30. I'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by May 15, 2024. The image reverts to its normal price after that, $800 for an 11x14, $1500 for a 16x20 print.

Clouds, Sun and Sea. Pacifica, CA. 2025

As I’ve mentioned many times, the chance to see the sun sink into the sea is an opportunity I try not to miss. Admittedly, it sounds as though it would be repetitive after many years. But it is a connection I cherish, it puts the day into perspective and has yielded ample evidence that every sunset is different, particularly when done as solar portraits. This one is from April 7.

Urban Eden: San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. A Preview

April 11 through June 1, 2025

Urban Eden: San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park

As I build the exhibition from my Golden Gate Park Project, I am mounting a temporary preview on my Guest Wall to move the selection process forward. Join us for this peek into the project.

Urban Eden explores San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park combining Stephen Johnson’s new original photographs with his work made over the past 30 years.

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is 1017 acres of human transformed sand dunes and rocky hills made into an expansive urban park, offering refuge to one of the great cities of the world. The park is owned by the City of San Francisco and maintained by the San Francisco Department of Recreation and Parks.

Considered un-plantable by early consultants, the engineering, dedication and vision brought to bear to create this park is impressive. It is an amazing history in and of itself.

Now celebrating 150 years of existence, the park is home to forests and lakes, a major science and art museum, a world-class arboretum and historic flower conservatory, sports fields, a Bison Sanctuary, complex water system and many miles of footpaths. It draws 24 million visitors a year, contains a great variety of trees and plants while supporting many animal populations.

The park was born in the 1870s of pride and recreational needs of a growing young city. Its creation was steeped in political aspirations and controversy and the park has endured those same dichotomies throughout its history. From issues of funding, intended audiences, commercial development and water needs. The park is a thoroughly human idea benefiting from nature’s fecundity, while battling back it’s natural state which was at odds with the goals of its engineers.

Golden Gate Park is a unique constructed landscape, designed to be a garden and refuge, making it a visually dynamic place. In many ways it mimics ideas of Eden in its sanctuary-like experience. Urban Eden is a photographic exploration of the beauty, diversity, and sheer power of will in planning and creating spaces.

Standing Up

for Our Parks

Since Saturday March 1st, people have been gathering to protest funding cuts and layoffs at our National Parks on Highway One at Mori Point Road here in Pacifica. We have been welcomed by a scores of honking support. We will try to grow the group and come out on every Saturday at noon until funds are restored. See Resistance Rangers for more and continuing information.

On the Road, Here and There

News from the Studio and Galleries

Urban Eden Preview

I am previewing the first gatherings of display prints from my work in Golden Gate Park April 11 through June 1.

Recent Prints in the Gallery

There are always new prints available to see in the gallery, from the Hale Telescope, to the Golden Gate Park Project, to the evolving Animal Series and new selections in the discounted print bins. Selections from With a New Eye remain up.

Current Exhibitions

The current exhibitions in the gallery include my Golden Gate Park project preview. Continuing in the gallery are my Life Form exhibition and With a New Eye selections.

Visiting the Gallery

My galleries and studio are generally open by appointment, but I am often there 10am–5pm on weekdays. Write to inquire or call 650 355-7507 to schedule an appointment.

I hope you can come by the gallery and see the original prints in the Life Form Gallery and its Life Form Portfolio. 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.

Virtual Educational Experiences

Virtual Classes and Lectures, online live classes on various topics with limited space and Q&A sessions, are now a regular part of my workshop program. Critiques are now virtual.

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. 

Virtual Mentoring

Set up time for me to help with your photographic work, remote or in-person. Mentoring Program.

Virtual Consulting

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.

Virtual Mentoring/Consulting

Existing Online Tutorials

My Essays and Tutorials from the past couple of years can now be found on my Newsletter Archive.

Photo Chats

I’ve been doing weekly virtual Photo Chats with groups of photo friends to keep everyone encouraged to keep working, creating 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.

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, guest presentations, demos, and photo feedback. Let me know if you would like to join us.

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 produced the print 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. 

Recent Print On Demand Book Projects

Click on the book covers above to learn more and purchase.

I finished three new books in 2023. Water: A Photographic Portrait launched the winter, and the new Cliffside Peregrines and Fauna books were finished at the end of the year.

I sold out of the first run of the Fauna book and have reordered all three of the new books for the studio stock.

The links here go to my printer Magcloud, where you can order them directly.