Stephen Johnson Photography News
June 2020
Great Blue Heron. Stow Lake Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, 2020. Canon 5DSr.
Upcoming Workshop:
Digital Black and White Vision and Printing Hands-on Workshop
August 1-2, 2020
No Gallery Print Sale
40% off all prints during shutdown
Prelude: The virus and shutdown continue to be deeply troubling and isolating. And now, with the call for greater social justice also being heard, our hearts need strength and hope. My best wishes to you all.
Welcome to the June 2020 Edition of the Stephen Johnson Photography Newsletter.
Serendipity can play a large role in what we think about and do. An invitation from a new friend to walk around Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park in mid-May reignited my interest in spending some time there, looking around again and digging out old photographs. Who knows where an idea or curiosity will lead? We all know there is life beyond this virus and for me, photography is one of those pathways.
— Steve
This month's View From Here column explores some new parks work and reflects on photography inciting adventure. Our new Virtual Classes are also being announced. 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.
Workshops are all postponed, including the Highway One Coastal Journey class that was scheduled for early June. All workshops currently scheduled are subject to necessary corona virus spread prevention date changes.
FEATURED PRINT June 2020
Seadragon. California Academy of Sciences. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. 2013.
Canon EOS 1Dx. EF24-105mm Lens
9.5x14 Pigment Inkjet Print $195 each
Weedy seadragon. Phyllopteryx taeniolatus
Aquariums provide a window into mystery and another world. Despite my opposition to capturing animal for our amusement, I do occasionally succumb to looking and photographing. This photograph of these beautiful creatures sat in the archives for 8 years and I am pleased to share it.
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 June 30. We'll be taking orders until then, and shipping them out by July 15.
LATEST NEWS:
Virus income shifting and no gallery visitation suggested we offer a big print sale reducing prices to what I would normally earn, 40% off my normal prices. This sale will only last through the shutdown. Naturally we are shifting all of our education programs to online experiences. This is frustrating and rewarding. The new virtual experiences are certainly stretching my geographical reach. We are certainly excited by our new Virtual Classes Program.
2020 Workshop Schedule has naturally been modified to accommodate the virus shutdown and likely ability to gather later in the year. I remain committed to offering great courses whether in person or virtually. See what a great experience students have had on Steve’s Workshops by exploring Workshop Testimonials.
Our 2020 Workshop Schedule includes one of my favorites, the Digital Black and White Printing, now set for August 1-2. 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.
from the Exquisite Earth Opening video. 2011.
Upcoming Events & Workshops
NEW PHOTOGRAPH
Sea, Sky and Fog Bank. Pacifica, CA. 2020.
Canon EOS 5DSr. EF24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens
My little evening walks along the cliffs here in Pacifica often offer very special visual experiences.
Flowering Trees. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco, CA. 2020. Canon 5DSr..
THE VIEW FROM HERE
by Stephen Johnson
Staying Safe and Engaged Continued
As our caution on virus transmission continues, I am mostly staying at home, but I am venturing out for earth encounters with nature. Those ventures out continue to include the cliffside vistas and trails near my home. It has almost become ceremony, getting out to see the sun sink into the sea (or clouds). Such rituals have long given us both connection and direction. As I think of last month’s full moon, I think of taking the time to notice, getting out my image stabilized binoculars, and being amazed once again at the craters and mountain ranges visible on the moon. I imagine its 3000 mile radius, visualize the 8x factor of tis 250,000 miles distance and am once again reminded at the wonder of it all. Photography has led me to stay connected. My curiosity keeps me reaching for visual reminder of who were are and where we are.
There is plenty to do during this shutdown. I really haven’t shutdown at all, just closed the gallery temporarily to the public and postponed in-person workshops. Archive projects, virtual outreach and education have all filled my time with more ideas than the days have time. This is good. It hasn’t solved the income challenges, but the big 40% off print sale, virtual lectures and mentoring, are helping. The virtual Zoom connections also help with the isolation.
Of course, as so often happens, serendipity continues to play a role and widens the possibilities. An invitation by a friend to come up to see the nesting Great Blue Herons at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park have led me to re-examine and continue a series of photographs I have been making in the park for decades.
As I look at Golden Gate Park again, so many past strolls and events come to mind. Meeting my ex-wife Mary on the front steps of the Academy of Sciences, to receiving confirmation there of our first child on the way, to a Peace March in 1971, concerts and loving strolls all come to mind. Those memories have led to digging out older photographs and that has proved more rewarding than I would have imagined.
Spending some time back in the park also reminded me of my good friend David Gardner’s work many years ago creating an online interpretive website on Golden Gate Park, Visual Golden Gate Park.
I long ago linked Dave’s site from my weblinks page, but discovered it was no longer working. Reaching out to Dave led me to understand that his web server situation no longer allowed him to host the site. That was easy for me to remedy by offering to host on one of my domains, and it is now live again.
There are so many opportunities to explore and understand the history of places we love. We now have the power to draw attention to spaces we cherish, even if only to celebrate them. Of course if they are threatened in some way, it is all the better to commit some photography to that challenge.
Aids Memorial Grove. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco.. 2020. Canon 5DSr.
The nesting Heron visit was seductive. I’ve always loved Golden Gate Park, always thought of it as a refuge. Of course, it is a unique human constructed landscape made in the late 19th. Century from sand dunes and hills. This makes the place doubly unique and harkens back to the very origins of the word paradise, which comes from the concept of gardens. The park is a garden of sorts, wild in many ways, engineered and watered, but somewhat self-creating with those resources given to the plants. Of course there is a staff of more than 40 gardeners working it constantly.
Golden Gate Park is also a place full of history. From its inception, to various transformations from the original dunes, to playlands, grand exhibitions, to present day Museums, meadows, lakes, forests and recreational facilities. It bear more exploration.
Great Blue Heron. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco.. 2020. Canon 5DSr..
Eucalyptus expanse near the Oak Woodlands. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco.. 2020. Canon 5DSr..
Hillside near the Polo Fields. Golden Gate Park. San Francisco. 2020.
From the Archives
Golden Gate Bridge Shadows 2015. Canon 5DSr.
Looking through archives for Golden Gate Park images, and the family history project I’ve been doing during this shutdown, also produces photographs I’m very pleased to see, but naturally get lost in the sheer volume of photographs I make. I try to keep good histories of what I’ve done and when. But with such deep inclination to live an adventurous life, the trips and images build to the point that so much is ignored, sometimes even forgotten. Sometimes these feel like an investment in future exploration, other times simply overwhelming.
Such is the case with a wonderful flight I chartered when Canon sent out a pre-release version of their 50 megapixel 5DSr in June of 2015. My immediate curiousity was to see how it could function as an aerial camera. We flew out of Half Moon Bay up along the Pacifica and San Francisco coastlines, on to Pt. Reyes, the Marin Headlands and back around the bay over downtown San Francisco to the Golden Gate. It was a wonderful flight with over 2300 photographs made along the way. Every time I go back to look at the flight folder, I see more photographs I want to explore. Yes, it is overwhelming, but oh so seductive.
Steve over San Francisco by Fiona McDonnell. 2020..
The photographs that pop up are good reminders of the adventures. Often, just browsing the jpeg files I write off for web-posting, naturally causes me to go back to the raw archives. Other times, I’m looking for something specific, and can’t help but look around a little bit. Such was the case with the 2015 flight on the archive disk.
It was only happenstance to end up in an Antarctica folder this morning. Looking for aerials of Golden Gate Park led me to the 2015 disk and the Antarctica folders from later in the year were sitting right there. You just never know…
The hefty archive folders are mostly untouched raw files and only hint at what the photograph could look like. As I look through and move a few toward a preliminary look and feel, some start together my attention, and a Pandora’s Box of possibility opens up. An iceberg photo jumped out at me with a mysterious quality to the form and light and made me impulsively take it all the way to a print.
From a 6/3/20 Facebook Post:
I’m stunned by my new print, and it’s not often I am completely knocked out by a brand new print. The luminous, almost florescent glowing sapphire blue effortlessly sings in this print. I’m so excited by seeing this photograph on paper, I’m going to offer it today as a very special deal on top of the “No Gallery” 40% print sale for the next couple of days.
Print on Hahnemühle PhotoRag Pearl, Canon Pro1000 printer.
Steve in Antarctica with Betterlight Scanning Back by Jeff Schewe. 2005.
Steve Johnson on the Cliffs of Mohrer. Ireland. Anthony Hobbs. 2000..
Iceberg Coming into Port Lockroy. Antarctica. 2015. Canon 5DSr.
Recently at Stephen Johnson Photography
No Gallery Print Sale
40% Off Original Signed Prints. Back in April, virus income shifting and our closed gallery suggested we offer a big print sale. Thanks to those of you who have taken advantage of the offer. Prices have been reduced to what would normally be earned from a gallery sale, 40% off normal prices. This sale is planned to only last through the California shutdown while our gallery and others are closed.
Virtual Experiences
My May talk in Denver “Art and Technology of Digital Photography” became virtual and went well. We now added Virtual Classes. Critiques are now virtual. In fact, as you might imagine, all teaching is virtual at the moment. To flush that out, here is a list of the virtual educational opportunities we are offering.
Virtual Classes. A series of new online live classes on various topics with limited space and Q&A sessions.
Digital Photo Workflow (Free). Monday June 18, 6-7:30pm
Real RAW and Photoshop Straight. An approach to Raw Processing and Image Editing for Realism. Monday June 22, 2020 6-7:30pm
Preservation, Scanning and Restoration of Photographs. Saturday June 27. Noon-1:30pm
On the Dunes. Ocean Beach. San Francisco. 2020 Photo by Holly Grant.
Come Visit the Exhibitions (after the shutdown)
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.
Although the gallery is currently closed for the corona virus shutdown, hopefully we can reopen before too long. Come see the shows 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
When school is back in session, we will continue to welcome teachers bringing 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 next class we hope to hold is the popular Flora and Form workshop in May. Our Black and White Printing has been postponed until late summer. The next Mastering Fine Art Digital Editing and Printing class is scheduled for September. All are open for enrollment now but subject to virus driven changes. We are exploring some virtual classes.
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
San Gregorio Valley. Highway One 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
None 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
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.