John Sexton
Member, Freestyle Advisory Board of Photographic Professionals
As a well known protègè of Ansel Adams to whom he was later
to become a consultant to, John Sexton is a well know photographer,
master print maker and influential workshop instructor. His
now-familiar black and white images of the natural environment
have been described as "luminously quiet". Many of his photographs
can be found in permanent collections, exhibitions around
the world.
His photographs have also been featured in numerous publications
including Time, Life, Photo Techniques, Darkroom Photography,
View Camera, Popular Photography, Zoom and Outdoor Photographer.
Mr. Sexton's three award-winning books including Places of
Power, Quiet Light and Listen to the Trees.
Mr. Sexton teaches numerous photography workshops on printing
techniques and mastery of the Zone System (Mr. Sexton now
plans to pass out Freestyle Photographic Supplies catalogs
at his workshops!), and he has presented lectures for, among
others, George Eastman House, Center for Creative Photography
at the University of Arizona, Boston University, The Friends
of Photography, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of
Photographic Arts in San Diego, and the Seattle Art Museum.
Currently a consultant to Eastman Kodak Company and other
photographic manufacturers, he also continues to serve as
Photographic Special Projects Consultant too the Ansel Adams
Publishing Rights Trust.
John Sexton was born in 1953, and resides in Carmel Valley,
California.
It's amazing for me to think that it has been thirty years
since I began my serious involvement in photography. I define
1973 as an important year in my photography, as it was the
first time I saw original prints by Ansel Adams, Edward Weston,
and Wynn Bullock, and more importantly the year that I first
studied with Ansel at his Yosemite workshop. Those two events
without a doubt changed my photography and, without exaggeration,
changed my life.
For those interested in attending a workshop, I hope you
will find one contained in the new brochure that will be of
interest to you.
To ask Mr. Sexton a question please fill out the form below. The most popular questions and answers
will be posted on this page.
QUESTION:
Dear John,
What kind of darkroom printing easel do you recommend? My prints are not as sharp as I think they could be - I wonder if the paper is sitting flat enough - I am using speed easel for 8X10 and Saunders for 11X14. These are medium format images from Hasselblad 501CM.
Thank you,
Phil
MR. SEXTON'S ANSWER:
Dear Phil,
Im not sure what type of enlarger you are using, but if it is a condenser or dichroic light source (both of which generate heat) I wonder if the problem might be due to the fact the negative is popping during the exposure -- creating a ...full answer
QUESTION:
Dear John,
Do you have any advise for a young girl interested in photography? I am very new to this hobbie and love it. I use my Grandpas old film camera and my digital camera all the time. I am also interested in art so I like the idea of being a graphic artist.
Thanks,
Mehgan
MR. SEXTON'S ANSWER:
Dear Mehgan,
Thanks so much for your excellent question about photography. Im sorry it has taken me so long to reply to the question you sent through Freestyle, but I have been traveling and teaching workshops.
Im glad to hear that you love ph...full answer
QUESTION:
I am from Northern New York and highly admire your work. I am currently taking my Second B&W photography class and am wondering what the next step would be in advancing my skills in this field. I am just now learning advanced techniques such as sepia toning and fiber based paper. Is there something other than Ansel's work that truly inspired you?
Thanks so much for your time!
Sincerely,
Seth L.
MR. SEXTON'S ANSWER:
First of all, thank you so much for your kind words about my photography. I appreciate it.
I am also pleased to learn about your excitement, studying black and white photography in school. I started my photographic education in High School, and we...full answer
