John Sexton.com

KENNY ROGERS PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION AT BOOTH MUSEUM
JOHN SEXTON VIDEO REMEMBRANCE

As readers of my eNewsletter may recall, years ago I conducted a private photography workshop for the legendary singer and entertainer, Kenny Rogers. In 1984, I was Kenny's "Christmas gift" from his wife at the time, Marianne. During this darkroom workshop session, Kenny and I developed a special friendship that lasted over the decades until he passed away in March 2020. In the early years of our friendship, we spent a considerable amount of time together traveling, photographing, and working in the darkroom.

The Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, Georgia currently has an exhibition of Kenny's photography on display. The exhibition, Through the Years: Kenny Rogers' Photographs of America, includes approximately sixty of Kenny's photographs, and will run through September 10, 2022. For those in the area, you might find it of interest to attend the exhibition. For those like myself not able to visit in person, there is a virtual tour available here: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=YqNbVY1sR7p

Earlier this year the Booth Museum contacted me about the possibility of presenting a lecture in conjunction with the opening of Kenny's exhibition. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the event. We had a discussion of alternative possibilities, and I came up with the idea of producing an audio-only presentation. I also agreed to include a handful of happy snaps from the times Kenny and I shared together. The plan was for the museum to overlay projected images from the exhibition, along with my small number of happy snaps. I prepared the digital audio file and submitted it to the museum. It soon became apparent there were some problems with the concept as difficulties arose when the museum staff tried to assemble adequate visuals to accompany my words.

When I learned of this challenge, Anne and I began to dig further into the many boxes of stuff that I had from my many adventures with Kenny. My longtime friend—Bob Shanebrook from Kodak, who accompanied us on some of those photographic expeditions—shared some of his images with us as well. The small size of the snapshots was less than ideal, but we did everything possible to dig image quality out of these pictures that had not been looked at for years. This all had to be done in an extremely short timeframe. It took a considerable amount of time for Anne and me to construct a visual story that complimented the content of my audio. We finally assembled something that met our desires and expectations. It was shown during the opening reception and received a great response from those in attendance. I thought you might enjoy watching the presentation...if you have about fifteen minutes to kill!

WATCH JOHN'S VIDEO PRESENTATION

Kenny had an amazing amount of energy, and during our time together he focused that energy on his photography. There were darkroom sessions that lasted until 3:00 am—or later. Often there was silliness during those long middle-of-the night darkroom sessions where we might do something like modifying the lyrics to Kenny's iconic hit, The Gambler.

You've got to know when to dodge 'em
Know when to burn 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your prints
When you're sittin' in the darkroom
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the printin's done!

Anne and I wish we could see the exhibition in person, as we have not seen these prints. They include a few images made when Kenny and I were working closely together. Back in those days, Kenny handmade silver gelatin prints in his darkroom. Most of the photograph in this exhibition are digital prints. Along with landscapes, architecture, and other subject, there are sixteen portraits of Kenny's made of his celebrity friends that are indeed striking. I believe Kenny's portraits - most were made with an 8x10" view camera - are his strongest body of work.

You can watch my Kenny Rogers video, and others on my YouTube channel. I can guarantee that you will learn some things about Kenny Rogers that you do not know, and very likely learn a few things about me that you are not aware of as well! I would welcome you to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Who knows what I might be posting in the future?

SURPRISES FROM THE ARCHIVES!

As I mentioned in my introduction Anne and I have been going through boxes and boxes of materials from the past. Did I mention there have been LOTS of boxes??? In the process we found some pretty neat 'stuff.' The materials included my high school photography assignments; college photography assignments; my teaching notes and files from the late 70's; my MANY workshop files; a massive amount of materials from my time spent working as Ansel's Photographic Assistant; and later as his Technical Consultant; thousands of 4x6-inch 'happy snaps' prints as well as Polaroid SX-70's. The experience was truly a 'blast from the past!'

As you might imagine there was a massive amount of mundane and today useless junk. There were more than few exclamations like, "Why did I keep this?" We shredded, recycled, discarded, donated, as well as organized, inventoried, re-boxed, stored, and protected, many items. We discovered things we had forgotten about. We found things we had been looking for 'forever,' and found supplies of posters we thought we were running low on. The studio, our offices, and much of our home turned into a sorting, organizing, and scanning facility. The work is far from done, but we have in the process cut down on the amount of 'stuff' that we have and more carefully stored and organized those treasures we did find.

One day at our storage space Anne called me over and asked, "Guess what I just found?" Behind a bunch of other boxes of books were a few boxes labeled "Places of Power - Signed by Walter Cronkite, Rob Pike and John Sexton." We kept digging and unearthed a box of "Recollections" and "Quiet Light" also clearly labeled "Signed by all 3 Authors." We have decided to offer a few of these unique and rare signed first edition books for sale at the Ventana Editions online store. In some instances there is a small quantity, and in other cases there are only a handful, of each title available. Make sure to explore the new Surprises from the Archives! section at the web store. I am sure we will be updating and changing the items for sale on a regular basis as we continue to explore what we refer to as our 'archeological dig.' We are both sure we will find some more 'jewels' among our 'stuff.' Maybe you would like to put some of our jewels in your treasure chest!

https://ventanaeditions.stores.yahoo.net/fromarchives.html

ANSEL'S PORTRAITS OF PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER AND VICE PRESIDENT WALTER MONDALE
FORTY YEARS LATER - BEHIND THE SCENES

I started work as Ansel Adams’ Photographic and Technical Assistant in July 1979 - just over 40 years ago. A few months after that, Ansel received communications from the White House indicating that Joan Mondale - Vice President Mondale’s wife, who had a keen interest in the arts - wanted the official portraits of the Carter Administration to be photographs, rather than paintings as had always previously been the case. Ansel received a special request to make the official portraits of both President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale.

Though Ansel is best known for his dramatic black and white landscapes of the American West, he had done many portraits over the years. Ansel graciously accepted the challenging assignment (receiving no fee), and we began to prepare for the journey East to undertake this project.

Ansel wanted to approach the making of the portraits in a bigger than life fashion. He contacted John McCann at Polaroid Corporation and asked if he could use the massive Polaroid 20x24 Land camera for the project. John McCann thought this was a splendid idea and agreed to provide not only camera and film, but also a team of skilled individuals to assist with the operation of the camera. In addition to the large Polaroid camera, we packed up Ansel’s 4x5 Horseman view camera along with the necessary lenses and other equipment he would need.

Vice President Walter Mondale - President Jimmy Carter
Official Portraits by Ansel Adams - National Portrait Gallery
20x24 Polaroid Land Photographs
© Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust

As the 40th anniversary of this project approached I began to review my notes, documents, and memorabilia related to our trip to Washington D.C. In addition, I re-read relevant sections from Ansel’s “Book of Letters” as well as his “Autobiography.” I had completely forgotten about a passage in his Autobiography where Ansel had kind words to share about my involvement in this challenging undertaking.

“I telephoned my good friend John McCann at Polaroid and inquired if they would be interested in cooperating with me in this complicated job. If so, I would at least have immediate feedback in terms of acceptable likeness on sheets of Polaroid material. They enthusiastically agreed; the 20x24-inch camera would be at my disposal with all the lighting equipment required and a staff of four to assist! Fortified with those happy answers and knowing I would have my own very capable assistant John Sexton with me, I accepted the assignment.”

Ansel photographed Vice President Mondale on November 5th, 1979 and President Jimmy Carter, along with First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the following day. Ansel, Andrea Gray Stillman (Ansel’s Administrative Assistant at the time), the team from Polaroid, and I spent a few days scouting at the White House and the Vice President’s residence. According to the notes I made it was during those days of scouting that Ansel came up with the following unexpected quip. “Over hill and Mondale, we will drag out Carter drawn by the Horseman on the road to Olympus.” How Ansel spontaneously conjured up this witty phrase is beyond my comprehension. For those that may not be photographers, ‘Horseman’ was the brand of the 4x5 view camera that Ansel was using at the time, and Ansel also had a small ‘Olympus’ 35mm camera that he used on occasion for ‘happy snap’ images. This is a classic example of Ansel’s unique wit and sense of humor. Ansel loved to laugh, and truly enjoyed making others laugh. I have feel that Ansel often used humor as a “relief valve” for the pressure he often encountered because of his amazingly intense work ethic.

Tom Zito of the Washington Post accompanied us on the photography sessions. Tom’s article in the November 6, 1979 edition of the Post vividly describes some of the memorable communications between the Vice President and Ansel during the portrait session. Here are a few excerpts:

“Strolling into the vice presidential mansion yesterday afternoon, Fritz Mondale encountered a 4-by-3.5 foot camera occupying much of his reception room. "Well, I guess this is a big enough camera to capture the egos in this town," he said.

“Perched on a step ladder, the grand old man of American photography, Ansel Adams, was fine-tuning the composition for the first of two official portraits he is making here this week. Yesterday it was Mondale's. Today he will photograph President Jimmy Carter at the White House. He is doing it for free.”

"I want you to move just a little bit this way," he said to Mondale, who was standing on the main stairway of his house. "I hate to move to the right," came the response. "Do you think you can capture my beauty, Ansel?" "If not, we'll bring in a bigger camera."

Adams gently ordered Mondale about: "Stand a little straighter, but lean forward." "Move the hands up just an inch on the railing." A little bit over now so that painting doesn't slip under your arm." "My office is good for this kind of work," he said. "I stand where I'm told."

"Prepare for an Armageddon of light," Adams cautioned Mondale, just before a huge bank of strobes fired off for the first shot.”

You can read Tom’s colorful commentary about our time with Vice President Mondale in his full Washington Post article here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/11/06/snapping-the-big-shots-the-cabinet-and-the-clock/6dba7455-bb77-44fe-a08c-062dda4e9555/?noredirect=on

In preparation for the photography sessions with the President and the Vice President we did countless test photographs with the gigantic 20x24 Polaroid camera, as well as smaller Polaroid tests with the Ansel’s 4x5 camera. The process involved many refinements as Ansel studied the test images. We would have limited time with the Vice President as well as the President, so I made careful notes of all of the details so that we could set the images us quickly, efficiently, and accurately. Ansel decided, because of the prominent visibility Rosalynn Carter had during President Carter’s tenure, he wanted to do a portrait of the two of them together. Andrea was the stand-in for Mrs. Carter, while Polaroid truck driver Dominic Sawicki served as substitute for President Carter. A have included a 4x5 Polaroid Land test print of Dominic and Andrea below.

Dominic Sawicki and Andrea Gray Stillman
Stand-ins for President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter
4x5 Polaroid Land Test Photograph by Ansel Adams
© Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust

Ansel had approximately one hour with the President that day. This was a much longer period of time than other well-known photographers had been granted in the past for Presidential portraits. Ansel made multiple photographs during both sessions with the Polaroid 20x24 as well has his 4x5 camera. During our scouting times we had been given a briefing on the proper protocol and behavior when around the President. We were informed that, if President Carter referred to us as “Mr. McCann” or “Mr. Sexton,” we were to refer to him as “Mr. President.” The first photograph of the session was made in the President’s personal private dining room in the White House. As you can imagine, all of us involved in this project were extremely nervous. The large 20x24 camera was set up and everything was arranged. Suddenly out of nowhere appeared President Carter. The Head Usher gave introductions. When President Carter extended a warm handshake, he greeted me with “nice to meet you Mr. Sexton.” This was the regimen with all of the individuals within the room until finally he extended a warm greeting to “Ansel.” President Carter wanted Ansel to refer to him as ‘Jimmy.’ This was a great sign of respect for Ansel.

After making that photograph, we made a photograph on the Truman Balcony. We then headed down the ground floor for the final photograph of the day with President and Mrs. Carter standing in the entrance to the magnificent East Room. Everything was all set. Everyone had a job to do before the photograph was made. I had assisted Ansel with the focusing of the camera and had the film holders ready to go. The photograph included here, made with Ansel’s 4x5 view camera ended up being the favorite of the Carters from among all of the images Ansel made that day.

President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter
Photography by Ansel Adams
© Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust

As most readers of this newsletter know, Ansel had two passions that dominated his life - photography and the preservation of the planet. During the fifty-five minutes allotted for the portrait he and his former business manager, William Turnage, who at that point was Executive Director of the Wilderness Society, spent every available moment talking to President Carter about the importance of preserving the Alaskan Wilderness. At the conclusion of the visit, Ansel gave a 20x24” print of his striking image Mount McKinley and Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska to President and Mrs. Carter, as a personal token of friendship. I recently saw a photograph of President Carter being interviewed in his home office. Ansel’s Mount McKinley print had a prominent place on his office wall. It is no coincidence that a few months later in his administration President Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The following June President Carter bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon Ansel. This is the highest honor the United States Government can grant a United States civilian.

Ansel did a wonderful job on all of the portraits that day. At the end of the day we were all exhausted, and Ansel was relieved that things had gone so well. In my notebook I wrote down Ansel’s exact words - expressed with a great sense of satisfaction, “We did OK!” It was wonderful to be able to assist Ansel on this project. It certainly is an adventure I will never forget. My memories today are as vivid as they were forty years ago!

CAUTION - NEW 3D X-RAY AIRPORT SCANNERS WILL DAMAGE UNPROCESSED FILM

I recently read a distressing article at PetaPixel.com indicating that new 3D X-ray airport scanners are being installed in various airports around the United States. These new Computed Tomography X-Ray scanners will provide TSA security personnel an instant 3D view of our carry-on luggage contents. However, according to the article, these new CT scanners will completely fog your photographic film with a single scan! This means that anyone traveling with unprocessed photographic film of any ISO must request hand inspection of that film to avoid having the film ruined.

Here is a link to the PetaPixel article: https://petapixel.com/2019/10/21/beware-new-3d-airport-scanners-will-destroy-your-camera-film/

Over 145 of these scanning machines have now been deployed around the country. While older properly calibrated X-ray machines used for carry-on luggage produced fairly low dose radiation levels, and the risk was low for most films up to ISO 800. These new 3D machines have upped the radiation level dramatically, and even a single exposure will completely ruin unprocessed film. I have always been suspect of the lead lined bags that purported protection from X-ray exposure. The published information at this point is that such bags do NOT offer any protection from the new generation of X-ray scanners.

Analogic 'Film Fryer' 3D Computed Tomography X-ray Scanner

Here’s a link to the official TSA page with additional information about the 3D Computed Tomography X-ray scanning equipment, including a list of the airports where the scanners are installed.
https://www.tsa.gov/computed-tomography?fbclid=IwAR1JBaOvlInAVZYQ0RucrwtNd8xgx2E9OUplLAy2iiisXX-XzRaHn8LG_7Q

Instagram post from our Workshop Corporate Partner Freestyle Photographic Supplies

Here is information our longtime friend Bob Shanebrook - author of the book Making Kodak Film recently received directly from the TSA:

"If you are traveling with the following types of film, please pack it in a clear plastic bag, remove it from your carry-on bag at the checkpoint, and ask for a hand inspection:• Film with an ASA\ISO 800 or higher
• Highly sensitive X-ray or scientific films
• Film that is or will be underexposed
• Film that you intend to “push process”
• Sheet film
• Large format film
• Medical film
• Scientific film
• Motion picture film
• Professional grade film
• Film of any speed that is subjected to x-ray screening more than five times

The x-ray equipment used for screening CHECKED baggage will damage undeveloped film; therefore, please place undeveloped film in carry-on bags."

Some readers may recall that Anne and I had a significant amount of Kodak T-Max 400 film damaged on one of our photographic trips to Venice a few years ago when returning home through the Venice airport. We had our film organized in clear Ziploc plastic bags, but the security staff would not allow us to get hand-inspection on the film. Obviously that particular X-ray machine was out of calibration or not operating properly. At least that was the opinion of the experts at Eastman Kodak when they inspected the damage. Fortunately we have never had difficulty obtaining hand inspection of our roll films – unexposed or exposed – at a USA airport. We always try to arrive super early and have the film in clear Ziploc bags, making it as easy as possible for the TSA agents to do their hand inspection. We greatly appreciate their efforts, and always make sure to thank them profusely for their assistance.

It appears as if hand inspection will be a necessity for those of us traveling with photographic film from this point forward.

JOHN INDUCTED INTO THE INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY HALL OF FAME
AND MUSEUM - ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
INDUCTEE EXHIBTION RUNS THROUGH JANUARY 10, 2019

Anne and I had a wonderful trip to St. Louis, Missouri to attend the gala awards ceremony and other related events at the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum. The festivities took place on Friday, October 26, 2018.

I've included a few happy snaps below from the induction events. In addition, by popular request, we have created a '"PHOTO ALBUM PAGE" on my web site with many more pics of the festivities, along with a brief video of Dr. Michael Adams introducing me during the induction ceremony, followed by my acceptance remarks.

Susan Meiselas, John Sexton, Walter Iooss, Joel Bernstein, John Loengard, Cynthia Russell
(Cynthia Russell on behalf of her late father, Willard S. Boyle)
©2018 Diane Anderson. All rights reserved.

It is an understatement to say how privileged, and humbled, I feel to receive the distinguished honor of being inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame. It was particularly exciting for Anne and me to meet the legendary photographers that were inducted and honored by the IPHF. This year's other inductees are Willard S. Boyle, Walter Iooss, John Loengard, and Susan Meiselas along with Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Joel Bernstein.

Dick Miles, John Sexton, and Bob Bishop
Presenting John with his IPHF Inductee Medallion
©2018 Diane Anderson. All rights reserved.

A highlight of our evening was my introduction by Ansel's son, Dr. Michael Adams. His most generous and thoughtful words, as well his presence along with his lovely wife Jeanne, (they traveled all the way from Carmel, California to be a part of the event!) made this memorable evening even more special. The IPHF treated all of the honorees, and their guests, wonderfully. They took care of everything for us during the celebratory events. When we arrived at the IPHF Museum building there was a red carpet for us – as was also the case that evening at the sold-out gala awards event venue.

The exhibition featuring photographs by all of the honorees was handsomely presented with excellent lighting. The exhibit runs through January 10, 2019. Each of the honorees received a solid bronze medallion, custom-designed by noted St. Louis artist Adam Foster. When I was awarded my medal on stage, following my acceptance speech, I was stunned by the weight of the object. I soon learned that this response was universal among all of the honorees that evening. When we returned home I decided to weigh the solid bronze object and found it weighed 1lb to 5oz (580 grams)! It's not an object I anticipate wearing around my neck – without risking some type of neck injury – but we are looking for just the right place to display it among the other honors and awards I have been fortunate to receive over my photographic career.

A portion of John's photographs included in the
2018 Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Exhibition
On display through January 10, 2019

I want to thank Patty Wente, CEO and President, of the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum - along with her dedicated staff - especially Elizabeth Eikmann and Stephen Bruns - as well as the many volunteers, along with the IPHF Board of Directors for the great honor and hospitality extended toward Anne and me during our visit. I again want to express my special appreciation to Michael and Jeanne Adams, who made this honor and event something that neither Anne or I will ever forget.

2018 International Photography Hall of Fame
Induction and Award Exhibition

International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum
3415 Olive Street
Saint Louis, Missouri 63103

October 27th, 2018 - January 10th, 2019

The IPHF is proud to present the 2018 Hall of Fame Induction and Award Exhibition featuring photographs from 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Joel Bernstein, and the 2018 Class of Hall of Fame Inductees; Willard S. Boyle, Walter Iooss, John Loengard, Susan Meiselas, and John Sexton.

More information is available HERE

John's photographs included in the
2018 Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Exhibition

ANNE LARSEN WINNER IN TWO CATEGORIES
12TH JULIA MARGARET CAMERON AWARD FOR WOMEN PHOTOGRAPHERS

Anne recently learned the great news that she was the winner in two of the Professional categories of the
12th edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for women photographers. Anne won in both the "Still Life" and "Abstract" professional categories of the competition. In addition she also received two Honorable Mentions in the "Abstract" category! The three images Anne submitted to the competition are included below.

A total of 760 photographers from 72 countries submitted 5,800 photographs for consideration by the jurors; Julia Fullerton-Batten, Andrea Star-Reese, and Laura Pannack. The Julia Margaret Cameron Award Competition is open only to women photographers. Anne is honored and humbled by the recognition her photographs received as part of this award.

You can see more of Anne's images at the Ventana Editions online store.

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR KODAK 120 SIZE FILM USERS - NEW & IMPROVED BACKING PAPER

You may remember my eNewsletter of May of 2016, back when Kodak Alaris was experiencing incidents of frame numbers appearing on 120-format film negatives. At the time, Thomas J. Mooney, Film Capture Manager at Kodak Alaris told me "we are taking this issue very seriously and have recently made modifications to the backing paper which we believe should minimize the potential for this type of blemish going forward."

I am happy to report that since that time, Kodak Alaris has implemented additional backing paper upgrades and they are very confident that this issue is now behind them. The first product spooled with this improved paper was Kodak Professional T-Max 100 Film, which was brought back to market in November of last year. The balance of the 120-format film offerings transitioned to the new backing paper over the first half of this year, with all films having now been upgraded.

The table above identifies the first emulsion to be shipped with the new backing paper for each specific product. The new backing paper is also easily recognized by its much glossier appearance than any previous Kodak backing paper - as can be easily seen in the image below.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR USERS OF 120 FORMAT KODAK PROFESSIONAL FILMS- PLEASE READ

As many readers are likely aware, I have used Kodak Professional film continuously for more than four decades. Over the years I have found Kodak film to be of the highest possible quality and consistency. However, anomalies can occur from time to time. There have been recent reports that appear to be associated with certain batches of 120 format Kodak Professional film.

The problem can easily be seen in the photograph below recently made by William Wetmore. I appreciate William allowing me to share this example with readers. You will notice the word Kodak clearly appears in the sky, along with frame number '13' multiple times. I first became aware of this situation a few months ago when a former workshop participant brought some online discussions on this topic to my attention. Unfortunately, as time has passed, I have encountered a number of students, colleagues, and friends who have experienced this exact problem.

Kodak Film Problems by William Whetmore

Follow this link for more detailed information: John Sexton May 2016 Newsletter