Stephen Johnson Photography News

December 2025

Hello to my subscribers and guests. Thanks for visiting this December 2025 newsletter..

This month's View From Here column explores my expansion of the Urban Eden Golden Gate Park show into a 50 print version, with a new catalog. The Lighscape installation in the SF Botanical Garden is featured, and the ongoing process of my studio move out is discussed.

The preview of my Urban Eden Golden Gate Park has expandied to a much fuller exhibition now growing to fully occupy the Hallway Gallery. The Opening Reception for Urban Eden Selections was December 6 2-5pm This collection has been many decades in the making and I am pleased with the expansion from the summer preview into a more full representation of the work.

With my studio/gallery closing at the end of January, my existing exhibitions I have created are available for loan to museums and galleries. They include With a New Eye: The Digital National Parks Project, Exquisite Earth, selections from The Great Central Valley Project and the 50 Years of Space Photography. You can check out the exhibit loan possibilities here.

I have scheduled a Fine Art Digital Printing class for March 7-10, 2026 and is now half-full. If you want to join me, register soon.

The Gallery will be open Saturday December 20 from 2-5pm and most Saturday’s 2-5pm into January 2026, also when I am here working, and by appointment. Call or email to set up a time to visit 650 355-7507.

— 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.

Flowering Trees. Golden Gate Park. 2020.

After using this as my Archive Photograph last month, there were inquiries as to whether I could make it the next month’s Featured Print, so here it is.

These flowering trees next to Blue Heron Lake were magical in the soft light early in the Urban Eden project.

I’m offering an unmatted 14-inch-wide print of this photograph for $195. Larger prints can be ordered. This print at this price is offered through December 31. I'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by January 15, 2025. The image reverts to its normal price after that, $800 for an 11x14, $1500 for a 16x20 print.These flowering trees next to Blue Heron Lake were magical in the soft light early in the Urban Eden project.

I’m offering an unmatted 14-inch-wide print of this photograph for $195. Larger prints can be ordered. This print at this price is offered through December 31. I'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by January 15, 2025. The image reverts to its normal price after that, $800 for an 11x14, $1500 for a 16x20 print.

Sky and Reflections. 2025.

A quick trip to the big valley sent me to a Sand Hill Crane Reserve just to check in. Only a few cranes were in the air, but the sounds from them, and the Geese were wonderful, as was the sky and reflections. The only wide angle I had on me was the iPhone, the longer views were with the Fuji GFX100s and my Canon R5.

THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson

Moving Forward

Expanded Golden Gate Park Exhibition, New Exhibit Catalog, Animal Sanctuary visit all in this month’s column.

Even with everything else going on, a lot of my attention is now focused on closing down the studio, moving to a smaller workspace and preserving prints, work options and needed equipment. This is a significant effort, is not fun, very physically taxing, and consequently I have to stay dedicated to the task. It is true that much gets uncovered and rediscovered in the process and the definition of what is “needed” keeps getting refined. But until this is done, I am not thinking much about getting out to photograph, which is contrary to my nature.

Building the Expanded Urban Eden Show

I’ve spent the last weeks curating and printing my expanded Urban Eden exhibition. It was a challenge of thousands of photographs, limited gallery space, a huge and diverse park, and blending what appears natural with the human structures.

I’m pleased to put together an expanded exhibition of my Urban Eden Golden Gate Park work. In April I decided to start showing samples of my photographic project on Golden Gate Park with a 20 print preview of the work. It was a way of getting the process started on this complex curatorial challgenge of thousands of photographs over decades of time.

The second phase of that exhibition is now up on the walls with my expanded selections from the project, numbering around 50 pints in all, filling my Hallway Gallery. Unsurprisingly, it’s already clear that even the 90 linear feet of the Hallway Gallery is not big enough to hold the prints I want to show. So, reluctantly, I must also call this a deeper view, but still not a full representation of the work. Come by and see the show! It will likely be up until the Gallery closes in late January.

Closing the Big Studio/Gallery

The big move-out is underway. I’m first tackling the obvious stuff, old shipping boxes, styrofoam, furnature I clearly won’t need going forward. But it doesn’t take long before another obvious stack becomes complex.

Long ago decided that the really big prints should just be leaned against a shelf with board and paper separating them. It was away of protecting and preserving access to the prints. Now its time to unwind that, and there were 75 prints of various projects and sizes where I would guessed there were about 20. Most of them were from With a New Eye: the Digital National Parks Project and Life Form, but there were many others.

The first task was to sort, inventory and roll, all in process now. The better outcome would be to sell some of these now. All are now rolled and inventoried.

Large Print Inventory pdf

Now Four New Books during 2025

Catalogs from the recent exhibitions are now available in my gallery and online.

Opening December 6, 2-5pm

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

Through January 2026

A Sanctuary Visit

Animal Place Mission: To provide refuge for unwanted farmed animals, to further their welfare through education of the public and to foster ethics of compassion and responsibility towards nonhuman animals by advocating a vegan lifestyle.

Recent Outings

Lightscape at the Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park is a magical, beautiful and engaging place. Visiting can be a serene experience. Occasionally special events or intallations are brought in to transform the experience, the Piano Gardens and now Lightscape are such events.

Nighttime wandering the garden paths through eerie psychedelic lights, fog machines, space music and dancing laser displays…it was indeed a “trip.”

The Lightscape lightshow in the Golden Gate Park’s San Francisco Botanical Gardens was certainly an experience. I understand it is an intrusion into the gardens, its flora inhabitants and its animals. Despite my enjoyment of the experience, I can see why many argue that this is not appropriate. But still, I could have spent many more hours walking the path. The installation is up through January 4, 2026.

Across the Valley

Late in November I wandered across the valley and around the foothills above Sacramento.

Gallery Hours for November

The Gallery is open some Saturdays 2-5pm. weekdays when I am here working, and by appointment. Call or email to set up a time to visit 650 355-7507.

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.

Current Exhibitions

The current exhibitions in the gallery include the Golden Gate Park project expanded now to 50 Photographs and continuing in the main gallery is my Life Form exhibition.

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. 

Print On Demand Book Projects over the last few years

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.