John Sexton Workshop

[David Hall]

Have you ever gone?

Although the Michael and Paula workshop I just attended SHOULD be the last workshop I ever need (even though it was the first for me), I signed up for the Sexton workshop today. I am thinking it will help me be a better printer when enlarging.

Any experiences to share?

dgh

 

[chrisl]

I'd love to go to one of his workshops David! Good luck and be sure to report back how it went as I'm very interested. Maybe one of these days...lol

 

[Donald Miller]

David,
Which workshop of Sexton's will you be attending? As I recall from his latest brochure there were several offered. I think that John is probably one of the best printers out there today. I base this on what I have seen of his prints and from what I have heard of his masking and retouching of negatives. He seems to be a lot more technical in his approach then the other workshop that you attended. I will be interested in hearing of your experience. Good luck.

 

[David Hall]

Donald,

I am attending The Expressive Print on April 22.

As I posted recently in another thread, I had been going along doing my Azo contact prints and my enlargements more or less separately. Then two weeks ago I put both up on the wall at the same time, and was immediately embarrased by my enlargements. And since I have small children that just do not sit still for the 8x10 and since I like to photograph when I travel, and when a view camera is not convenient, I figure I am going to have to learn to print by enlargement much better. Les's book and advice about split grade and split developer priniting have actually helped immensely, but because he's not here to say "almost, but try this...", I'm stuck half way up the learning curve. If Les were here and offering a workshop, I'd be there in a heartbeat.

I've never been much of a technical photographer, which is why I enjoyed Michael and Paula's workshop more than I expected. But I am eager to improve, so we'll see how it goes. I will let you know.

Also, by the way, I am very impressed with John's pictures. Especially the long exposure/compensating developed evening and interior pictures from Places Of Power.

And I love Monterey. Any excuse to go back...

dgh

 

[lee]

I think FrankF (an APUG member) a has attended this workshop. Maybe he will chime in here. He is from the LA area. I think he worked really hard.

lee\c

 

[Donald Miller]

David,
That workshop should be a very informative and fun experience. I have spoken with John on a couple of occasions and have always found him to be very much a gentleman and willing to share the results of his work in the field. While there are many excellent photographers and wonderful printers, I think that John has worked out a very well thought out and executable process. I was particularly impressed with his ability to work out the TMax films at their initial release when everyone else was complaining about how they simply were not worth using.

I love some of his Colorado images. I lived there some years ago and his images are so wonderfully representative of that area. I agree with you that Monterrey should be fun.

 

[Tom Duffy]

David,
the Michael and Paula workshop you took is the last workshop you'll ever need, you just took it too soon! Or, John Sexton has to be the greatest B&W printer alive today...anyone who can make prints as good as his using tmax film has got to be!

Seriously, I met a guy, a self described "workshop junkie" and whose work is very good. He has attended both workshops and found them each to be very valuable, enjoyable... and different.

I think we do have to expose ourselves to different techniques and visions of the current masters while we're learning, and then create a personal synthesis, coupled with our own outlook.

Interesting observation you made about doing your contact printing and enlarging separately. Perhaps because the development procedures are so different? or maybe because the subject matter is different. I went through a period when I used a 4x5 press camera for people pictures, trying to combine the best of both worlds. I think it ended up being the worst of all possible worlds.

Interesting too, that after completing the Sexton workshop, you will have attended workshops by the leading practitioners of the Adams and Weston schools. I think I read in an Adams biography that Adams tried to engage Weston in discussion about the technical aspects of photography, but that Weston wasn't interested.

Let us know how it turns out, I'm sure everyone wants hear about the ying and yang of approaches and what conclusions you come to at the end of it.

 

[Ed Sukach]

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Tom Duffy @ Mar 27 2003, 12:51 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>I think we do have to expose ourselves to different techniques and visions of the current masters while we're learning, and then create a personal synthesis, coupled with our own outlook.&nbsp;
</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
*Very* close to my own personal philosophy.

I would suggest (n.b. "*SUGGEST*") one slight modification:

The exposure to different techniques is probably the most helpful thing we can do - but I would stop short of "must" - as in "absolutely mandatory."

The "personal synthesis" -- so what else IS there?

Anyone have any experience with the Weston workshop in Carmel?

 

[David Hall]

Tom,

Wow, I never thought of it that way...that Michael and John are the leading practitioners of the Adams and Weston schools. That's very cool.

As for the doing enlargements and contacts spearately, it is simply a matter of logistics: since I have no darkroom at the moment, I do azo printing in the kitchen at night after the family goes to bed, and I do enlargements at a rental darkroom about fifteen minutes away. So I tend to do Azo printing whenever I am awake enough to stay up, and tend to do enlargements in batches on an otherwise empty Saturday. And it just so happens that I had not displayed both at the same time in the same light until recently.

dgh

 

[Tom Duffy]

Earth to David:
Were you able to attend the John Sexton workshop? If so, your report is overdue!
lots of us would love to hear how it went.

 

[David Hall]

I JUST got back. It ended yesterday.

Wow. It was pretty intense. I went because I want to be a better enlarging printer, and I think I have come away with enough to spend the next year in the darkroom without doing the same thing twice!

One of the most interesting features is the Ansel Adams connection. Because manufacturers used to come to AA for consultation, it was fascinating to hear the thinking behind many of the products and techniques we use today.


dgh