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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Now Available As Classroom or Individual Workstation Rental
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New Products New Poster: Four Panoramics
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FEATURED PRINT OFFER
March 2007
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About the Program Each month we offer a signed, original print, at a special price. This is a great opportunity to own a very affordable fine-art photograph. Orders are taken for a 30-day period, then printed and shipped within two weeks after the close. When it's over, it's over, these prints won't be available again at this price. |
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NEW PRODUCTS
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THE VIEW FROM HERE Antarctica 2007 It was a long trip, 3000 miles across the southern Atlantic from Argentina to the Falklands, South Georgia, the Orkney Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The experiences ran from a visit to a Carcass Island Farm, a beach filled with thousands of Penguins, Fur Seals, carcasses of many that didn't make it, rain and mud, to towering glaciers, a huge variety of exotic and beautiful icebergs, and humpback whales circling the ship giving us a show. The photographic mainstay of the trip for me was my Canon 1Ds Mark II with a few lenses. I was also able to use my BetterLight scanning camera once, and the PhaseOne P45 back for a day.
The length of the trip was daunting, and the stops at the Falklands and South Georgia seemed a distraction from Antarctica. But, as always, real places have real meaning and the experiences were very worthwhile. That was particularly true of South Georgia. I had seen from Google Earth that the island was both huge and glacier ringed. The experiences we had were not anticipated.
How can I describe the experience of being among 10,000 penguins? Their sound, their sheer numbers, their fearless curiosity. We were clearly in their world, and they really didn't seem to mind. Looking down from a hill at Gold Harbor, the sight of penguins carpeting every open space, huge fields of them, hearing their calls from high above, seeing them surf the waves, brought an inevitable sense that I was in a very different reality. However, our first stop after days on rather rough seas were the Falklands' Carcass Island, and after a great morning of beaches, penguins, rocky outcrops and tufted grass towers, we set out for high tea and cookies at the local farm. It was bizarre and wonderful at the same time. Drygalski Fjord was our last stop in South Georgia. The wind was blowing hard as we turned into the Fjord. The steep rock and broken sun made for quite a sight, but as we got deeper into the waterway, the wind continued to increase to the point that melting glacial waterfalls were actually being blown back uphill, causing me to rename them water rises. It was an absolutely amazing site, that despite the wind made it impossible to take shelter inside the boat. I had to stay on deck. Our first landing on the continent was Brown Bluff on the north tip of the peninsula. Our dawn visit to the shore was graced by a dramatic sunrise, penguins and glacial ice. Many of us went over to the glacial edge, where low light and penguins coming right up to us made for some nice images. The afternoon stayed sunny and as we cruised around to the southeast we enjoyed the skin-warming sun for the first time in days. It felt almost like picnic weather. The ice sheet blocking our way south turned out to be too thick for our merely ice-hardened hull so our southeast peninsula experience was cut short, and we turned around toward Hope Bay. By early afternoon, the wind had picked up considerably, and we chose to keep going rather than battle the wind for a near glacial edge experience in the Zodiacs. The late afternoon had us rounding the NW tip of the Antarctic Peninsula through quite a display and clouds, mountains and glaciers pouring over every landform in sight. |
While in transit between Neko Harbor and Paradise Bay we ran across a pair of humpback whales who hung out with us for more than an hour. After many close up encounters, suddenly one of them lunges up and breeches into a head up swing onto its back spectacular show. Few of us were prepared, some got terrific photographs.
South out of Paradise Bay, the Gerlache Strait led us down to a narrow passage called the Lamaire Channel. The light was somber and it was cold, but eerily lit and still quite beautiful. At the end of the channel was a place nicknamed the Iceberg Graveyard, where it is apparently shallow and icebergs run aground. One berg stood out, it was a magnificent most exotic ice-form, a long arched set of classical Greek-like columns framing a great arch of ice. It seemed natural and uncannily human in its form and origin. The shrine, as I came to think of it, was one of the most amazing natural forms I have ever encountered. With all of the sensuality and abstract design we had been seeing in the bergs for weeks, this one huge block of eroded ice was the most impressive. A nasty cold virus on-ship started to catch up with many of us and slowed us down. Not that the pace of the trip slowed, but some of our participation did. I know I started sleeping in-between almost every activity, and unfortunately missed out on a few. Many were laid low by the trip back across the Drake Passage. Along the way, and when the seas we not too rough, we gave presentations in the lecture room on our work, on Lightroom, Exposure and Composition, Metadata, Color Management, and Creativity, along with individual portfolio reviews and group critiques. The Quark Expeditions staff kept us up on the natural history with lectures along the way as well. We were ready to come home. Still there was regret at the adventure being over. The thirty hour trip home loomed over us from the northland. Starting to review the photographs is revealing more than I could see at the time. This is typical for me, I often don't understand what I am doing in the midst of producing the work. I rely on intuition, and as such, conscious thought about the process is less often relevant. For me, it often impedes the vision, but it leaves me vulnerable to purpose and meaning only coming later. Still, it was a time set aside for seeing, and that in itself is too rare in most of our lives. I'll post more photographs over the next few weeks as I get caught up from being away so long. |
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Professional Photographers of America 2007 Hot One Awards| WORKSHOP NEWS * Upcoming Workshops |
| We hope you find our selection of classes interesting and useful for your needs. We take the imparting of information and the empowerment of our students quite seriously. The digital age has considerably enhanced our ability to teach, and we believe your ability to capture what you see. This program is designed to help you benefit from both of these advances. We hope you can join us on a workshop. |
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   * San Francisco Digitally March 17-18, 2007 In and around San Francisco for the workshop and 15 miles south at Stephen Johnson Photography Studios in Pacifica for the pre-meeting and critique. A two day digital photography workshop exploring some of San Francisco's most visually interesting areas. We'll spend time in the Presidio with its old forts and forests, downtown skyscraper cityscapes, the Palace of Fine Arts World's Fair remnants, Fort Point with its spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, (and possibly the Marin Headlands) and the urban eden of Golden Gate Park. We will also take in the restored Cliff House and its historic Camera Obscura. Much time will be spent walking and looking, knowing we will be in the area for awhile, giving you the freedom to explore, but also keeping help nearby. |
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March 29-April 1, 2007 Stephen Johnson Studios & Gallery Pacifica, California. This workshop focuses exclusively on improving your fine-art digital printing in our new 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. |
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May 4-5, 2007 Dive into the lush seascape of California's North Coast on this intensive two-day photographic workshop to Mendocino. Dark, musty redwood rainforests pierced by sunbeam shafts, spectacular rocky cliffs with the tumbling surf below, and rolling shoreline dunes will fill our two days with remarkable varied photographic experiences. The north coast architecture of this beautiful little township and the fishing port of Noyo will add plenty of 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. |
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* Ireland’s Spectacular West Coast - 2007 June 20-30, 2007 Seats limited to 12 students Join Stephen Johnson and Anthony Hobbs for an unforgettable journey along the rustic West Coast of Ireland. This workshop will include hotel stays in several towns along our route from County Clare towards Connemara and Achill Island. Along the way, participants will explore western Ireland's landscape with its lush greens, rocky islands and remote castles. If you are interested in joining the reservation list for this workshop, please email us at info@sjphoto.com. We are limiting this workshop to 12 students. Photography instruction, transportation, lodging and some meals included. Airfare to and from Shannon will be participant's responsibility. A $500 deposit will reserve your place in the class for 30 days. Please see Irish Workshop link above for details.
-Color Management: April 21, 2007 |
* Check out our workshop web page for information on all of our workshops, including both our field and studio workshops.
| UPCOMING EVENTS with Stephen Johnson |
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| Critique Session: March 22, 2007 Stephen Johnson Studios & Gallery Pacifica, California. |
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PMA Las Vegas 2007
Canon Booth: Talks Thursday 12 noon, Saturday 2:15pm |
Pictures in Art, Science, and Engineering 1st Workshop, UC Berkeley Men's Faculty Club, March 23-25 2007 |
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RECENT INTERVIEWS, ARTICLES AND PUBLICITY |
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| O'REILLY podcast MacVoices Podcast MacEdtion Radio PCPhoto Magazine: Panoramic Article |
Book Reviews Book Comments online |
| NEW! LAB RENTAL SERVICES We are now offering rental time in our new lab on an hourly basis during our normal business hours. Tuesday-Friday 10am to 5pm. |
 A Great Opportunity!
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| PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES
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 Stephen Johnson Editions Announced Services:
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ORIGINAL PRINTS To purchase original prints, see: • 11x14 pigment on rag paper $450 from existing prints •Information on Stephen Johnson's Original Prints •With a New Eye: The Digital National Parks Project |
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PLEASE VISIT US!  Please come visit us at our gallery and see our original prints in person. The subtle detail of the prints and the beautiful texture of the fine art paper have to be seen to be understood. And while you're here, browse through our books, cards, posters, and specially priced prints. We're happy to mail you a copy of our product catalog, just send a note to michelle@sjphoto.com or call us. We're located at: Stephen Johnson Photography at the Pacifica Center for the Arts 1220-C Linda Mar Boulevard, Creekside Suites, 5-7 Pacifica, CA 94044 (650) 355-7507 http://www.sjphoto.com |
We're open by appointment. To find us, use our map online at: |
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Photographs and Text Copyright ©2007, Stephen Johnson. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.