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Mendocino and the North Coast


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

Mendocino. 2017.

A Photography Field Workshop

$750. Enrollment limited to 8 people

Russian Gulch State Park.

Join me for this dive into the lush seascape and iconic architecture of California's North Coast on this three-day photographic class to Mendocino and the north coast.

We will explore dark, musty redwood rainforests pierced by sunbeam shafts, spectacular rocky cliffs with the tumbling surf below. The north coast architecture will often drive design and composition to the forefront of our seeing as we wander this beautiful little township. The soft light, nearby headlands and constantly moving water will fill our days with remarkably varied photographic experiences.

The fishing port of Noyo will add even more man-made subject matter to our weekend. And, of course, we will find time to sample a few of Mendocino's good eating establishments.

The misty north coast light will likely be as much our subject matter as the landforms. This special quality of light is part of what makes this area so visually interesting and dynamic. Come prepared for rain, fog and sun.

Trails, town streets, and beaches will all be more rewarding because we will take the time to see them slowly, on our own two feet. Walking will be our main mode of exploration during the weekend.

From the trails of Russian Gulch State Park, to the delights of the Mendocino Arts Center this class is a classic..

The Class

Field instruction will concentrate on

  • seeing this unique township and coastline

  • composition

  • exposure and historgrams

  • individual photographic problem solving.

The workshop will be a dynamic combination of a traditional landscape photography workshop while diving deep into the digital age. Technical and aesthetic considerations will be discussed in detail. Our concentration will be on controlling your camera's operation to achieve your desired technical results, while building composition and visual skills to make the photograph what you want it to be. Digital exposure and dynamic range, composition, emotion and amazement-all will be part of our 3-day excursion into the evolving world of digital photography. I hope you can join us on this immersion in photography on California's spectacular North Coast.

Cliffs and Surf. Mendocino Headlands. 2017.


 Stephen Johnson

Steve at Pebble Beach. Photo by Fiona McDonnell.

Steve at Pebble Beach. Photo by Fiona McDonnell.

A photographer, educator and designer, Stephen has been teaching and working in photography since 1977. His books include At Mono Lake, the critically acclaimed The Great Central Valley: California's Heartland and Making a Digital Book. He runs his own photography, publishing and design company--scanning and designing his photographic books, pioneering the transition into digital photography including the field use of a Macintosh laptop and digital view cameras in the early 1990s. Stephen founded his Photography Workshop Program in 1978.

His work has included With a New Eye, his groundbreaking and historic all digital national parks project, the 2006 book Stephen Johnson On Digital Photography for O'Reilly, ongoing portfolio development and extensive lecturing. Current work features a concentration on the abstract and sensual qualities found in flora for his new project, Life Form.

Stephen's pioneering work in digital photography, desktop color and digital imaging has included software and product development for clients such as Apple, Adobe, Epson, Kodak, HP, Leaf, Ricoh and SuperMac. His work with Adobe includes the creation of the duotone curves shipped with their Photoshop software.

His photographic clients have included the Ansel Adams Publishing Trust, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and the Friends of Photography. Johnson's photographs have been widely published and collected internationally.

In 1999, Folio Magazine declared the publication of Johnson's digital photographs in Life Magazine to be one of the Top 15 Critical Events in magazine publishing in the twentieth century. Stephen Johnson was named as a 2003 inductee into the Photoshop Hall of Fame, recognized for his achievements in Art. Canon named Steve as one of their Explorers of Light 2006-2021.

In 1997, Life Magazine described Stephen Johnson as an artist that "...applies science to nature and creates art." His images create "...an intimacy that brings subject and viewer close in ways conventional photographs cannot." 

The Photographer’s Gallery wrote in 1998: “Stephen Johnson's photography rides on the "bleeding edge" of photography's transition to a digital media. Schooled in the traditions of fine-art western landscape photography, Johnson has taken his understanding of traditional photographic processes and brought those skills to bear on the emerging technologies and aesthetics of digital photography. He has pushed technology companies to rise to the best of what imagemaking can be, and pushed his own vision of how we see and record light in the natural world. This has led him to conclude that the way we have traditionally captured images with silver-based photography has been a poor and distortive view of the real and rich world before our eyes. His photographs look almost "unphotographic" in their clarity and purity of color. He shows us a world we know, but rarely see on paper. His is a truly remarkable vision.”

Stephen Johnson Biography
Workshop Testimonials

Stephen has received numerous awards and grants for his photographic work, including an NEA for At Mono Lake, awards from the Bay Area Book Reviewers Association, the Commonwealth Club of California and the Golden Light Award for the Great Central Valley. The New York Times named the Valley book as one of the eight best photography books of 1993.

 

 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.

We recommend that you purchase refundable airline tickets as we cannot guarantee adequate enrollment to conduct the workshop.