THE VIEW FROM HERE

Summer Ramblings

Summer on the northern California coast is not the summer I grew up with, nor what most of us think of as summer. Our summer sun is often hidden here, grayed out by coastal overcast and occasional fog. When the sun comes out, it is glorious and mild, making it very difficult to stay indoors and work. The back and forth can lead to a profound seasonal confusion.

Of course, as a boy of the San Joaquin, to me summers are supposed to be hot and dry, sometimes searingly so. East coast summer humidity was unknown, and summer rain almost impossible to imagine. The long summer days of course also conjure up nostalgic memories of 3 months off from school and sense a sense of freedom little known in any other part of life.

However, this coast light is often magical, even if its not what my gut expects of summer. The cloud banks streaming over the mountains are poetry in motion on a scale that can take my breath away.

It's interesting that my kids think of this soft light as summer. And I can see its beauty, but I still yearn for more sun.

Exquisite Earth Portfolio

We're almost done with the manufacture of the Exquisite Earth Portfolios we announced last December. The September Newsletter will feature a longer article about the process and considerations going into making a portfolio.

In the meantime, it seemed worthwhile to talk a little bit about the process...

When we curated and hung the show of new work last November, I was thinking about a sub-group of the work that could work as a portfolio. So even though I hadn't fully selected the prints, a number of portfolios were sold, forcing the issue to the forefront. As the months passed, I narrowed the selection and started making the prints.

We also needed to initiate the manufacture of the clamshell portfolio cases. It turns out that the cost of such custom boxes have gone up considerably since my last round of production and it took me a number of months to find a producer of quality at a reasonable price.

The next steps were to pick a fabric and finalize the design on the foil stamping of the case. On the fabric, I wanted something in earthtones, but a weave that could survive some handling without great sensitivity to dirt and scuffing.

left: the first printed boards and prints. above: comparing the new portfolio print to the exhibition print

On the printing and matt boards, I wanted to take this effort further than I ever had before, with custom imprints on the board and prints for the portfolio labels and identification information.

The story will deepen with the first of the finished portfolios which should be ready this month. We'll explore the whole process next month.

Slide Show. Exquisite Earth Portfolio Selections

...continued top of right column

Workshops

We have a number of international workshops coming up in the next 12 months and I thought it would nice to highlight them here.

China: November 7-19, 2011

Our trip to China is coming up in November and we are quite excited to see the famed karst towers of Guilin and the Li River. We hope you can consider joining us on this exciting photographic excursion.

Galapagos: April 2012

This is my third return to this famous and wondrous group of islands on the equator off South America. This volcanic chain is unlike any other place I've been and really is a must see in a life of exploring the earth. We are very lucky to have the chance to put together a dedicated photo trip on a small boat with only 12 people, extensive time on the islands and working through the images on the boat during island transit and evenings.

Iceland: August 21-September 2, 2012

I am enthralled with Iceland. It is one of the most beautiful places I've been and I feel a deep pull to continue to explore and share this place. This is a new trip customized for my photographic interests and curiosities, dedicated to a wonderful and deep photographic experience. email for preliminary info

A Workshop Review: Advanced Fine Art Printing Workshop- July 2011

I recently attended Steve Johnson's  Advanced Fine Art Printing Workshop.  I have taken a number of Steve's workshops before and was looking forward to this one.  This workshop did not disappoint me.  Steve has an uncanny ability to see ways that an image could be improved and helped me see them too.  He helped the students slice through the extensive capabilities of Photoshop to the relatively few tools that are important to creating a quality photographic print.  Steve has an impressive knowledge of Photoshop and gave each student all the personal attention needed to address issues with their images.  I learned image processing workflows that would have taken me years to figure out on my own.  In addition, he created a relaxed atmosphere that made the workshop fun, both in interacting with Steve and with the other students.

Bottom line, this workshop was not only fun to attend, but it was very rewarding in terms of the knowledge and skills that I gained.  Thank you Steve.

Carl Schwab. Pacifica, CA

National Park Color Notecard 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 perfect Christmas gift.

Studio Lab Rental

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