Ironstring Writing & Photography

San Diego surfing photography and cycling photography by journalist and photographer Mark Johnson. Established in 1988, we take assignments locally and worldwide.

We do personal surf photo sessions.

Our books include a history of doping in sports and a year traveling the globe with the Garmin pro cycling team.

Our clients range from Microsoft to the The Wall Street Journal, Surfer magazine to The Washington Post.

We also shoot a lot in our north San Diego neighborhood.

Mark Johnson is an experienced journalist and public speaker who regularly lectures on doping in sport and society, the pro cycling business, and cycling and surf photography techniques. Need a keynote speaker? Let us know.

Represented by the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

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Services

Surf and cycling photography and journalism

We accept writing and photo assignments in the San Diego area and worldwide.

Our pro cycling work has taken us from the Tour of California to Paris-Roubaix, local cycling sportifs to the Tour de France.

As journalists, we specialize on the history of doping in sports, pro cycling, and the business side of international cycling.

Our services include

Surf photography and private water photo sessions
Cycling photography including professional race coverage and gran fondo events
Lifestyle, music, and social event photography
Fine art images for commercial and residential interior design
Writing
Editing
Speaking Engagements

Photography

Ironstring Photography

Based in San Diego, California, we specialize in surf and cycling photography.

Image Galleries

New

Categories

Torrey Pines, Del Mar, and La Jolla

If you saw us at a bike race or at a surf spot but can’t find your photo, contact us and we will look for it.

Surf Photography

Hire us to document you and your friends or family surfing.

Cycling Photography

Since 1988 we have captured the glories of cycling for international and domestic media outlets and product manufacturers.

Looking for bike race photos? You’ll find them here.

Surf and Cycling Fine Art

We maintain a catalog of fine art ocean, surf, and cycling images for licensing for commercial, personal, and interior decorating use. Imagine working and living beneath a 6-foot fine art print of waves at Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa or a Tour de France peloton scaling the Col du Galibier in the French Alps.

We print on paper, glass, metal, wood, and even sound-dampening fabrics. Contact us for a quote to brighten your space!

Clients

Our clients are local and global

Our customers range from international media publications to multinational corporations to individuals and local businesses. Our clients include:

The Washington Post
The Wall Street Journal
Surfer Magazine
TransWorld Surf Magazine
Penguin Books
Microsoft
Intuit
Garmin
San Diego Padres
Sony Music/RCA
Hatchette/Quercus Books
Kashi
Clif Bar
CamelBak
Sharp Electronics
Rusty Surfboards
California State Travel and Tourism Commission
Covadonga Verlag Books
VeloNews
CyclingNews
RIDE Cycling Review
Surfline
Challenged Athletes Foundation
Road Magazine
Fuji Bicycles
Cervelo Bicycles
Castelli Clothing
Pearl Izumi
Kenda Tires
Bianchi Bicycles
Giant Bicycles
San Diego Reader
San Diego Union-Tribune
Holland Bicycles
The Daily Racing Form
Competitor Magazine
Adventure Cycling Magazine
Cycling Weekly
Wieler Review
Paved Magazine
San Diego North County Convention and Visitors Bureau
DZ Nuts
J.R. Filanc Construction
Sheffield Platers
Excel Sports
2XU Clothing
Active.com
Har-Bro Construction
Squadra Clothing
Lezyne Design Bicycle Products
Modern Language Association
Natural Curves Surfboards
Saris Cycling Group
Bike Nashbar
AMC Outdoors Magazine
Editor and Publisher Magazine
CitySports Magazine
KHS Bicycles
Neurology Today
Popular Photography and Imaging Magazine
Road Bike Action Magazine
SKLZ
San Diego Unified School District
Shutterbug Magazine
Tomac Bicycles
University of California, San Diego
UCSD Department of Orthopedic Surgery

To inquire about our rates and how to benefit from our services, contact us.

Books

Books by Mark Johnson

Spitting in the Soup: Inside the Dirty Game of Doping in Sports

Spitting in the Soup investigates the history of drugs in sport–athletes turning to dope to go faster, longer, and higher. From pro cycling to the NFL, Major League Baseball to track and field, Spitting in the Soup reveals why elite and amateur athletes have always turned to pharmaceuticals. The book also explores why, in a society that encourages the wholesale use of performance enhancing drugs like Viagra and the amphetamine Adderall, it is so difficult to change athletes’ chemical ways. Press coverage and chapter excerpts

Spitting in the Soup: Inside the Dirty Game of Doping in Sports (VeloPress, 2016)

Argyle Armada: Behind the Scenes of the Pro Cycling Life

Mark Johnson spent the 2011 pro cycling year traveling with the Garmin pro cycling team. In words and photos, Argyle Armada takes readers along from early season training camps in Girona, Spain to victories at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France and all the way to fall racing in Quebec, Canada. Along the way learn why it is so hard to finance a pro cycling team, why riders don’t form a union, and what it takes to be a pro cyclist. Argyle Armada book review.

Argyle Armada: Behind the Scenes of the Pro Cycling Life (VeloPress, 2012)

The Art of Spanish Guitar: A Method by Celino Romero

We photographed this book for internationally renown classical guitarist Celino Romero.

The Art of Spanish Guitar: A Method by Celino Romero (Amsco, 2007)