SLO LIFE Magazine Jun/Jul 2020

| VIEW
Valley View
BY JOE PAYNE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RON JOHNSON
Retired Paso Robles Navy veteran Ron Johnson has been into
photography for a long time—we’re talking since the days of the dark room.
His in-laws were passionate photogs, and he spent plenty of time in his
brother-in-law’s darkroom with the caustic chemicals that only added to the
discomfort of the painstaking process.
The passion Johnson had for photography waxed and waned over the years since he
left the Navy, worked in manufacturing in the valley, and served on the Planning
Commission for twenty years, but once the digital age came about, the ease of
creating and processing photos was a draw. Already a collector of film cameras at
the time (all of which he still holds onto), his collection of cameras expanded. “I
have more digital cameras now than I ever had before,” Johnson said. “Do I miss
[dark rooms]? No, absolutely not, not in the least.”
The other motivator to dedicate more time to his longtime passion happened six
years ago when Johnson got involved with the Paso Robles Art Association’s Photo
Guild. The members of the guild are “very willing to share their equipment and
their knowledge,” he explained, and within that group of like-minded creatives,
Johnson had an opportunity to grow as an artist himself.
Always with a camera in hand, Johnson snaps shots whenever he sees an inspiring
view or subject. In the case of this image captured from the top of the hill at Pear
Valley Winery, Johnson was attending a Teacher of the Year event there in support
of a friend, and was struck by the view. “It was just being at the right place at the
right time, honestly,” he said. “I think anyone in the camera club could have taken
that same picture. My photo skills aren’t anything exceptional by comparison to
anyone in our group.”
Johnson’s humble attitude hides some of his bona fides, including six first-place
photography awards in the Art Association’s competition last year. One of those
awards was for this shot at Pear Valley, which won the blue ribbon for the Digitally
Enhanced Landscape category. The image isn’t enhanced in color, or cropped to
change the composition, Johnson explained, but touched up with Photoshop to
remove some farm equipment that he felt took away from the scene. It was just a
bunch of “stuff ” in the shot that distracted from the view, he said, which he wanted
to look “clean.”
A cursory glance at his Flickr page online shows
that Johnson enjoys digital effects and subjects
beyond landscapes, like wildlife and architecture.
“There’s a lot of software available to create all
kinds of different effects, and I really like doing
that,” he said.
Since he’s a veteran, Johnson drives to Santa
Maria to visit the VA hospital regularly, where the
doctors there are helping him battle skin cancer.
After noticing his dermatologist didn’t have any
photos hanging in the exam room, Johnson asked
what he’d prefer. The answer was “landscape.”
By his next visit, Johnson had prepared a framed
print of this shot, which still hangs there today. “I get
a thrill out of thinking that somebody likes the photo
so well that they’re willing to hang it on their wall,”
he said. “I think that’s really a big deal.” SLO LIFE
JOE PAYNE is a journalist,
as well as a lifelong musician
and music teacher, who
loves writing about the
arts on the Central Coast,
especially music, as well as
science, history, nature, and
social issues.
24 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | JUN/JUL 2020