By Whittney Johnson

Stephen Johnson has traveled to many places in the world, including Antarctica, Alaska, Galapagos, Greenland, Ireland and now Lexington.

When working with Canon USA to bring a prestigious photographer to campus to work with photography students, Ruth Adams, a photography professor, knew Johnson was the person she wanted.

Adams, after meeting Johnson before becoming a graduate student at UK, was very impressed with his work.

Johnson has worked for magazines and newspapers all over the world and has worked with several national park systems to raise awareness about the environment and the national park systems themselves.

Johnson said he has traveled to try and understand the world in different formats and to gather the photographic history of each place, in order to lobby for conservation.

Johnson said he is grateful for the flexibility that digital products allow.

“There are so many more opportunities available that were not available before,” he said.

Cathy Bowers, staff member of the Department of Plant and Soil Science, said she thought the lecture was ‘magnificent.’

“It’s a shame we don’t have this technology available to us,” Bowers said.

Johnson’s projects include “At Mono Lake,” a book and national exhibit that toured the U.S. and reached over two million people, “The Great Central Valley Project,” a photographic exhibit and book, and “With a New Eye,” a digital national parks project.

Johnson also has a set of instructional DVDs that explain different aspects of photography, such as matting and framing.

For more information on Johnson, visit www.sjphoto.com.