A camera is a wonderful instrument for forming a two dimensional record of whatever is within the scope of its lens. Depending on where we point it and what we include in the view finder we can single out those aspects of the physical world that create emotions for us: a sense of calm and serenity or perhaps excitement, terror, awe, loneliness, humor, joy, etc.

Part of our reaction to any picture stems from abstract shape and form (composition) and is almost instinctive. Our emotional response to a lovely curve, pleasing proportions or strong vertical, horizontal or diagonal lines seems to be universal and to cut across cultural lines.  

Another part of our reaction depends on the subject matter itself.  Based on our lifetime experiences and our imagination we may feel the excitement and perceived danger of a trip through thunderous rapids, the god like view from the top of a mountain, the quiet of a walk in the woods the joy of spring, the stimulation of people in action or the quiet calm of winter snow. For me the successful photograph is one in which both the abstract elements and the subject matter of the image reinforce each other to provide an emotional experience for the viewer.  

I have been taking pictures since I was in grammar school some 70 years ago. I still recall the thrill, and often the disappointment, of getting prints back from the drug store. Later my first darkroom was the family bathroom. From the time I developed the first roll of film I have not relied on drug stores for developing and printing the output of my camera. (Today I don't think CVS would know what to do with black and white film!)  

My father encouraged my interest in photography. He helped me build an enlarger and we even constructed a camera to make three-color separation pictures! When it came time to go away to school he urged me to study chemistry with a view to a career in the photographic industry. I agreed and my first job after graduation from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was at Ansco here in Binghamton.

My present darkroom is a convenient facility where I can develop a roll of film or make an enlargement with a minimum of preparation. I find as much, or more, satisfaction in making prints as I do in taking the photograph. The controls available in the darkroom are a major factor in the making of a good photograph. Questions of what portion of the negative to include in the print, choice of paper and contrast, how dark to make the print - these and many other decisions made in the darkroom have a major influence on the impact of the final picture 

Robert C. Johnston

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHS

This presentation is a collection of my black and white landscape photos featuring clouds—clouds that portend a rainy or snowy day, clouds that tell us a storm is coming, clouds that happen on bright sunny day and even a sunset or two.

Over many millennia human kind has used clouds to plan when to hunt, when to till the soil and many other essential tasks. The sky was an essential survival tool. Though it might seem that with all our technology we have developed some independence from the weather, it’s hardly surprising that we retain a strong emotional tie to clouds and what they predict for events in the atmosphere surrounding our planet. The sky is both our connection with the universe and the locus of weather, with both tragic and benign events here on earth. An emotional response to clouds is probably part of our genetic makeup.

Clouds have always interested me both scientifically and artistically. I was fortunate to have had training in meteorology, courtesy of the US Air Force in World War II. In my life, the scientific informs and enriches the artistic. Understanding the processes of cloud formation enhances my pleasure in viewing a sky of dramatic clouds.

The importance of clouds in our landscape art is evident in "A BEAUTIFUL DAY." The well lit, somewhat disordered cumulus, showing through the budding branches of the trees almost cries out that this is spring and a great day to be alive. Without the cloud this message would largely be lost.

In "CUMULUS OVER GALVESTON BAY" we can share the sense of awe felt by the sailor in his small boat at the base of the well-developed cumulus cloud. Besides awe he might have felt a little concern for his safety!

The dreary and somewhat foreboding sky in the photograph "BINGHAMTON SKYLINE" is considered a constant by many in our community. While this is not quite true, the climatological record shows Binghamton does have almost as many cloudy days as they do as the cloudiest place in the U.S., the coastal side of the mountain range in Washington State. the reasons are similar. In the prevailing westerly wind the air picks up moisture over the ocean or the Great Lakes as the case may be. This moisture then condenses into clouds, or even rain, as it rises and cools over the higher land.

I hope the viewer will find many more examples of the role of clouds in these photographs. The sky is where the drama is!