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Workshop: Fine Art Digital Printing Hands-On


  • Stephen Johnson Photography 1220-C Linda Mar Boulevard Pacifica, CA, 94044 United States (map)

Four Days of Hands-On Printing Instruction

$875
Credit Card Registration online or by phone 650 355-7507

Students from all across the country come in for this class....

Great Teaching
Real World Experience
Individualized Instruction

Work your photographs into a new level of perfection and beauty with fine teaching, print by print problem solving, great viewing and lighting conditions.

With our Digital Mac Photo Lab
each station has it's own:

  • Mac Intel Duo Core computer
  • 21 inch Eizo LCD display
  • 10 13x19 Epson printers
  • 10 Spectrophotometers for Printer Profiling
  • Monitor Calibrator for each system
  • Network Connection to large-format printers
  • 5000K-6500K Print Viewing lights at each workstation

Topics Include

  • Digital Printing Technologies
  • Monitor Calibration
  • Color Management and Profiles
  • Profile Creation
  • Fine-Art Papers
  • Print Aesthetics in a Digital World
  • Fine-Tuning the Print to Beauty
  • Print Lighting

Scenes from the March 2012 class

Special New Workshop Features

The workshop includes a follow-up of two custom profiles made for you and a round of prints sent in (or brought in) for follow up critique.

Featuring Hahnemühle Fine Art Papers

Student Quotes:

Just had a "wonderful four days" in Steve's Printing workshop. "The workshop was satisfying in every way---and real world ---beginning from how annoying and balky digital devices can be all the way to how superb prints are within the reach and the grasp of mere mortals (like me). The recipe is disarmingly simple: add equal parts of education, inspiration, perspiration, frustration mitigation, insight, excellent technical support and equipment; mix liberally (all meanings); season with a generous spirit and humor and out comes a great four day workshop." —George Andros, Los Angeles, California

There is no better teacher than Stephen Johnson. YOU are the reason for the workshop and he is passionate about helping YOU become a better photographer. Honest, kind and always willing to help make a Stephen Johnson workshop a remarkable experience. Stephen Johnson is a great photographer- and a greater friend. His love of nature and its beauty will inspire your work." —Paul Tornaquindichi, Connecticut 

Workshop Testimonials

This workshop focuses exclusively on improving your fine-art digital printing in our fully-equipped Digital Lab, primarily using Epson inkjet printers. Concentration will be on inkjet printing with color pigments and black/gray ink combinations on coated and rag papers. Learn from the digital pioneer how he obtains his impressive results during four days of lectures, printing, and feedback in the studio.

We will cover workflow issues, color management, correcting color casts, adjustment layers, custom profile generation, editing and inspection. There being no magic bullet to making good prints, the workshop will also explore old fashioned testing, careful color judgments and interactive honing in on the best print possible.

Discussions will also include an exploration of print aesthetics in the digital age - what makes for a beautiful print? - do the new possibilities enhance our notion of what photography can be? - are we merely trying to imitate traditional photographic processes? Papers and their printing problems and advantages will be weighed, as well as their visual qualities.

Workshop Workings

You bring your photographs. We help you learn about the details of digital printing, then we help you make prints that reflect your visual aspirations. We'll supply paper, ink, computer, printer, viewing light and some awesome teaching with the conceptual hurdles of color management, color balance and B&W tonal control left in the dust of former lack of confidence and understanding. These four days will make a difference in your printing.

We have chosen not to add a lab fee to the workshop and are trying instead to establish a budget for ink and paper. Each student will be provided with their own workstation and printer, 20 sheets of letter sized paper and 5 of 13x19. We supply Hahnemuhle Museum Etching and Hahnemuhle PhotoRag Pearl papers. Prints beyond those numbers can be charged on a print basis. Arrangements can be made to bring your own paper and adjust ink allocations. You are also welcome to make paper profiles for your own papers during the workshop, but it will eat into your printing time.

This workshop will expand our workshop program's exploration of photography's evolution into a digitally based medium, demonstrating the technology and discussing the implications and opportunities of this dramatic change as it relates to prints. We will then spend 2 days making your prints and working them into as near perfection as we can manage. In that management is the dedication, skill, aesthetics and sensitivity that seems required to make prints of great beauty. 

Learn The Possibilities

The workshop will concentrate on digital photography's possibility as a fine-arts tool using Macintosh computers, Eizo LCD displays, Adobe's Photoshop, and profiling software such as X-Rite Eye-One Match and ProfileMaker, Integrated Color ColorEyes and Colorbyte Software's ImagePrint RIP. All necessary equipment will be provided during the workshop and will be discussed in non-technical terms. Macintosh computer experience definitely helps, but is not required. Enrollment is limited. 

This is an exciting exploration of photography's powerful new digital tools with one of the most knowledgeable artists in the field.

Register

$875
Credit Card Registration online or by phone 650 355-7507

Can't make these dates? Tell us when you can.

Scholarships

A full-time photo student tuition scholarship is available for this workshop. To apply, please download the application form and send it to us by mail or email. Scholarship Now Taken for this session.

Refunds and Cancellation (note changes)

This workshop is financially dependent on adequate class registration. Where minimum enrollment requirements are not met, the class will be canceled, and a full refund given. You will be notified at least one week in advance if a workshop is not going to take place. Student initiated cancellations received prior to one month before the workshop will receive credit for a future workshop of similar value, a 50% credit will be given for notice received at least 2 weeks immediately prior to the workshop (a full credit less a $50 overhead fee will be given if another student is able to fill the spot from a waiting list). No credit will be given if cancelled less than 2 weeks prior to the workshop. Credits need to be redeemed within one year.

Earlier Event: November 14
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Later Event: January 23
Workshop: Death Valley in Winter