Stephen Johnson Photography News
February 2020
Just back from Death Valley. Patterns of Salt and Soil. Badwater from Dante’s View. Death Valley. 2020.
Canon EOS 5DS R.
Upcoming Workshop:
Masterful Fine Art Digital Printing Hands-on Workshop
February 27 - March 1, 2020
Welcome to the February 2020 Edition of the Stephen Johnson Photography Newsletter.
A trip to Nashville to lecture for Canon at Imaging USA brought me to a region I did not know, which I then explored with my good friend Ed Stone. A musical and space journey ensued and brought a wide variety of photographic experiences.
—Steve
This month's View From Here column explores my January photographic and musical travels through Tennessee, Alabama and Death Valley. We hope you find the column interesting and will consider sending us some comments. As these Newsletters can cover many subjects, let us know of topics you would like to see addressed.
Check out the workshops we’ve added, including our popular Fine Art Digital Printing in February.
FEATURED PRINT February 2020
Tree, Brush and Fog. Mud Island. Mississippi River. Memphis, TN. 2020
Canon EOS 5DSr. EF24-105mm Lens
9.5x14 Pigment Inkjet Print $195 each
In Memphis we noticed a great bridge upstream over the Mississippi River. When we returned to photograph in daylight, there was an eerie mist floating on the river, obscuring the water. The riverside view from Mud Island Park gave us a great perspective on the bridge, river and fog.
We're offering a 9.5x14 inch print of the photograph for $195, matted to 16x20 inch board. This print at this price is offered through February 29. We'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by March 15.
LATEST NEWS:
After traveling for most of January, it is great to sit down, sort though memories and photographs to write about the month and our complex journey.
As 2020 moves forward, many good plans are developing for the year, including lectures in Salt Lake City, Baltimore and a just added workshop at the Palm Springs Photo Festival. I hope you will stay tuned.
We continue to encourage school class visits to the Space Exhibit. We hope teachers and parents will be in touch to arrange a visit.
Our 2020 Workshop Schedule includes one of my favorites, the Fine Art Digital Editing and Printing and Digital Black and White Printing . See what a great experience students have had on Steve's Workshops by exploring Workshop Testimonials.
Other Worldly is currently showing in our galleries joining the new Space Exhibit with the Life Form Exhibition. On display now at Stephen Johnson Photography.
Agave Bloom. Joshua Tree. From Palm Springs Photo Festival Workshop 2018.
Canon EOS 5DS R.
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:
Black and White Printing Workshop February 2019. Canon EOS 1Dx.
NEW PHOTOGRAPH
Layered Rock Wall and Brush. Titus Canyon. Death Valley. 2020.
Canon EOS 5DSr. EF24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens
Any trip to Death Valley takes me to Titus Canyon. The long road in from Nevada, the climb up to Red Pass and its wonderful vista, and the ride through the canyon itself makes it quite a journey. Just as were entering the canyon, this play of line and texture grabbed my eye. I wondered at the time how it is that I had never noticed this scene before. There is so much to see, and what we manage to see one time and not another is very curious.
Beale Street Neon. Memphis. 2020.
THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson
January has been a crazy full month. A lecture in Nashville at Imaging USA for Canon brought me to Tennessee and a part of America I had never been. My friend and traveling companion, Ed Stone, brought a musical exploration to the trip that was truly amazing.
Memphis and Sun Studios
Our first musical stop was Sun Studios in Memphis. This is the studio where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison all got their start, all following their dreams. It felt as though we were visiting a sacred site of rock and roll, rockabilly and the blues. So much of what I know as music and inspiration was helped into life here. The reality of the funky space, still living in the 1950s, was a real trip to see.
The tour guide played a number of the iconic songs recorded at Sun and some early radio broadcasts from the transplanted WHBQ radio booth upstairs. We found ourselves reluctant to leave and lingered in the coffee/gift shop downstairs where the original adjacent diner had once been.
Thanks, Ed Stone, for snapping the shutter on so many photos.
Steve at the historic Shure Microphone. 2020. Photo by Ed Stone.
Beale Street at Night. Memphis. 2020.
Sun Studios. Memphis. 2020.
According to our Sun Studios tour guide, the very microphone used by Elvis and others for their first recordings. iPhone 7. 2020.
Nashville’s WHBQ radio booth transplanted to Sun. 2020.
Early Elvis radio broadcast.
Historic plaque, home, tomb and graffitied brick wall. Graceland. Memphis. 2020.
Muscle Shoals Sound Studios
While we were having such a good time at Sun Studios, one of the employees suggested that we would likely enjoy a visit to Muscle Shoals Sound Studios a few hours away. So we made a new plan and headed out from Memphis down through northern Mississippi and across to Alabama. It turned into quite an additional adventure.
There is nothing that screams musical history driving into Sheffield Alabama. But that was true of Sun Studios, too. It’s not clear what that would look like anyway. It seems simply small rural town America. But the people that gathered here over the years, and the music that they made had real influence on me musically and on whatever creative spirit was growing inside. It was thrilling to see Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, spend time there, soak up the spirits and play its grand piano.
Me playing "Imagine" at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Alabama today. According to the docent, I was playing the same piano Leon Russell recorded Carney with, in the studio where it was recorded. Very cool. Photo by Ed Stone
The original 24 track 2 inch analog recording system. 2020.
Boz Scaggs recorded his first album at Muscle Shoals, including the song "Loan Me a Dime," the Stones finished and recorded "Wild Horses" here as did Paul Simon with "Kodachrome." Other artists recording in this room included Traffic, Linda Ronstadt, Cat Stevens, Joe Cocker, among so many.
The magic is inside! — at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio 2020..
The old Airstream food truck outside the studio. 2020.
Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. 2020.
Muscle Shoals Recording Studio Albums Gallery. 2020.
The current mixing board at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. Not the original, this one was used by Chet Atkins at RCA in Nashville. It is complete with the mark of his constant coke bottle. 2020.
US Space and Rocket Center. Huntsville, AL
Once we had decided to go to Muscle Shoals Sounds Studios in Sheffield Alabama, it became clear to me that we should drive a little further on down the road to the home of NASA’s Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. I’m always up for anything to do with space exploration.
That's me, tiny me, next to the full sized mock-up of the Saturn V and Apollo moonship at NASA's U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Marshall Spaceflight Center. Huntsville, Alabama. The real rocket is in the Saturn V Hall to the left. Photo by Ed Stone. 2020.
The visit gave me a chance to try to connect with my friend, Saturn V Engineer Eugene Worley, see a bit of Space Camp and the Saturn V Hall museum. I got to go on the MoonShot Lift-off ride and the G-Force Accelerator 3G Centrifuge, as any kid in a candy store would.
Saturn V F1 Rocket engine array. 2020.
Crop from Saturn V vertical. Photo by Ed Stone. 2020.
Saturn V F1 Rocket engine. 2020. Canon 5DSr.
Nashville
Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge. Cumberland River, Nashville, TN. 2020.
Our time in Nashville was split between a quick plunge into the Grand Ole’ Opry at the Ryman Auditorium, the Imaging USA conference at habitat Opryland and back into town.
I had my Canon 5DSr and my iPhone 7 along on the trip. I carry the 5DSr for my landscape/cityscape work, but needed high ISO for many of the interiors which is not its strength. I would normally use my Canon 1Dx II for the interiors, but could only carry one camera on this particular trip. For the quick record images that many of the photos became, the 5DSr still worked fine, even with the greater high ISO noise than faster/newer cameras might have. The 5DSr was my fundamental tool for all of my serious work on the trip.
At the Ryman. Alan Jackson, Riders in the Sky, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill. 2020. iPhone 7 snapshots.
Broadway Neon. Nashville. 2020.
Ernest Tubb Record Store Wall of Fame. Nashville. 2020.
Caleb Rice and Band. Nashville. 2020.
Nashville’s country downtown got most of our attention, but we also spent some time at the Korean War Veterans Bridge and the town’s Greek tribute–the Parthenon.
Athena. Nashville’s Parthenon. 2020.
Nashville included a completely unexpected encounter and visit with my old friend, and new Nashville resident, acclaimed photographer, Lynn Goldsmith. We were delighted to spend time with Lynn, see her new space, so many of her musician portraits and the new special edition book on Patti Smith. Running into Lynn was one of those magical surprises this trip gifted to us.
Lynn Goldsmith in her new Nashville Studio. 2020.
Bob Dylan. ©1983 by Lynn Goldsmith.
Lynn Goldsmith’s Rock and Roll Wall of Wonder. Featuring Lynn’s work and some of her friends photograph’s. See Rock and Roll Photo Gallery. Photo by Lynn Goldsmith.
Aaron Sparling. Nashville. 2020.
Nashville’s Parthenon. 2020.
Built in 1897, as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, this replica of the ancient Athens Greek temple was inspired to be built by Nashville’s nickname as the “the Athens of the South.”
Under the Pedestrian Bridge. Nashville. 2020.
Red Pass above Titus Canyon. Four image panoramic stitch. 2020.
Death Valley
My January trip to Death Valley was once again a great exploration of the valley’s exotic landforms. The winter light lived up to its promise more than once and cast a beautiful soft illuminant on the valley’s remarkable geology and space.
After 4 decades of coming to Death Valley, it might seem as though the beauty of the place would seem old hat. But it never does, and I always see new things. I have never before come across a group of Big Horn Sheep anywhere in the valley, much less in the spectacular Titus Canyon. It was a privilege to watch them.
Going to Death Valley always seems a bit like coming home.
Big Horn Sheep in Titus Canyon. Death Valley. 2020.
Dawn, Manly Beacon, Zabriskie Point. Death Valley. 2020.
Pre-dawn, Mesquite Dunes. Death Valley. 2020.
Big Horn Sheep in Titus Canyon. Death Valley. 2020.
Recently at Stephen Johnson Photography
Previously unseen Life Form photograph in the Canon booth at Imaging USA 2020. Nashville. Photo by Ed Stone..
On the Road
Steve lecturing in the Canon booth at Imaging USA 2020. Nashville. Photo by Ed Stone..
I was in Nashville, at PPA's Imaging USA, in mid-January. A 50 inch print from my Life Form series was featured in the Canon booth. Thanks again to my friend, Ed Stone, for the photos from my talk on High Resolution Imaging and Printing.
Come Visit the Exhibitions
Check out my new 50 years of Space Photography Exhibition now joined with my Life Form Exhibition as Other Worldly for a mind-blowing journey from the living world close-up to the depths of space.
Come see the show when you can. Space and awesome life! A dive into cosmic extremes.
The 50 Years of Space Photography Gallery with the five extra Apollo 11 prints.
In front of the Apollo 14 Panoramic, 3rd. Graders from Ocean Shore School in Pacifica visiting the Space Exhibit. 2019. Photo by Sheila Gamble.
Class Visits
We welcome schools to bring their classes by, kids and college students. The kid’s reactions have been inspiring to me, both for the space exhibition and Life Form.
Workshops Coming Up
The Mastering Fine Art Digital Editing and Printing class is coming up, with Black and White Printing following on. All are open for enrollment now. Enroll while there is time and space!.
Please consider joining us on one of our upcoming workshops. Enrollment is the key to continuing to offer these classes and keep the studio running. We hope to hear from you.
I’ve always been drawn to historical photographs and maps. I’ve been collecting 19th century books, engravings and now making scans of photos and maps. Printed on just the right paper and sheen, the reproductions are often vey special in their own right. So I’ve decided to make some of these prints available as I print them and discover more.
The first few are from the San Francisco Bay Area, local to my home in Pacifica, We’ll make them both available as 8x10 ($35-$45) and 11x14 ($75-$85) with larger sizes available for quote. The Gallery of current offerings where you can place orders can be found here.
Life Form Exhibition
Life Form opened in the Main Gallery at Stephen Johnson Photography in July 2018. The show has been extended into 2020. We have had many visitors come by the gallery since the opening. Many have then joined workshops and certainly helped build community. Please come see the show. Pass the word.
Seeking Good Venues for Life Form
We are seeking good venues to show the Life Form Series. The series is now available for museum and gallery exhibition.
Life Form Announcement. 2018
Don't forget to Check out our next workshops
Next Studio Workshop
Next Field Workshop
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 original prints in the new Life Form Gallery and its new Life Form Portfolio, 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.
Print Mentor Program
Many of my mentoring students have wanted help with their printing, often to make sure they can produce a specific print. Consequently, I am starting a Print Mentoring Program that sets up a 2 hour time slot and the production of a finished print, all with the tutorial video of how we did it 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.
Free and For Sale
Free Stuff (a few items still left)
I have been printing out nice copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights on rich cotton paper. You are welcome to a copy if you come by the gallery.
Additionally, I rescued a few Beseler Enlargers, a 23c and 4x5, hoping to find good homes for them. Make an offer.
Equipment for Sale
nothing at this time.
New Space Photography Products
Apollo 11 Collectors Portfolio
A suite of photographs from Apollo 11. 12 pigment inkjet prints on letter-sized paper selected, edited and printed by photographer Stephen Johnson, in a portfolio box. The set includes a Mission Summary book, original US Postal Stamp commemorating the Mission, the Mission patch and a schematic of the Lunar Module. $250
Apollo 11 Collectors Portfolio examples.
50 Years of Space Photography Exhibition Catalog
The Exhibtion catalog featuring photograhs from Planetary probes, the Hublle Space Telescope, Lunar explorations, the Apollo program and Space Shuttle/Space Station images. Includes an exploration of the imaging technologies emplyed by the spacecraft.
68 pages, 8.5x11 inches
Other Worldly Exhibition Catalog.
Apollo 11 Photography Book
A 96 page 8.5x11 inch collection of Apollo 11 photographs from launch to recovery including contact sheets for every surface Hasselblad photograph.
It’s the collection I wish I could have bought, so I made it.
-96 pages
-7 sections, Lunar Photo Equipment, Preparation, On the Way, Lunar Orbit, Tranquility Base, Heading Home, Relics
-Film Magazine proofs
Life Form Folio
The Life Form Folio
When we premiered the Life Form Exhibition, I wanted to have a collectible item and record of the show prior to the full book I plan. So, now available is the 36 page 11x17 wire bound book, 5 years of work from 2013 to 2018 exploring these magnificent lives.
Photographs from 2013-2018
36 pages
11x17 wire-bound book
$40
Exquisite Earth Exhibition Catalog
Page 41
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
$40
New Pacifica Book
Page 27
Page 7
A collection of photographs in and around Pacifica California. Include a trail map.
74 pages
11x17 wire-bound book
Pacifica Trail Map
32 years in Pacifica
10 years of calendars
$50
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.
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
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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After a few years of working intensely on my Urban Eden Golden Gate Park project, I am excited to offer a two-day photographic workshop in this complex and beautiful landscape. Now 150 years old, this park symbolizes parkland engineering and the earth itself taking its own course of life and fecundity. The park will be explored over two days with a blend of photographic opportunity, assistance, and my growing knowledge of its own back woods. This springtime weekday workshop will avoid some of the weekend crowds.