John Sexton.com - Newsletter

- A NOTE FROM JOHN
- 10 PERCENT DISCOUNT SPECIAL FOR EMAIL LIST MEMBERS
AT VENTANA EDITIONS ONLINE STORE!
- COLLECTORS EDITION JOHN SEXTON PRINTS AVAILABLE ONLINE
- ILFORD AND FORTE IN BANKRUPTCY
- PHOTOGRAPHIC BOOKS OF NOTE
- SOME THOUGHTS ON PHOTOGRAPHY... AND OTHER TOPICS

Dear Friends,

It has been quite some time since I last sent you one of my sporadic email newsletters. Each time I sat down to prepare information, it seemed like another high-priority project emerged, and the process was postponed. Finally, here is a year-end communication.

We have just completed our last workshop for 2004, "Fine Tuning the Expressive Black and White Print," and now have a small window of "breathing time" before 2005. This year, as is usually the case, we had a great bunch of workshop participants. During this most recent workshop, it was particularly rewarding to see the progress that had been made by workshop attendees, as all of the participants in the "Fine Tuning" workshop have attended workshops with me previously. During 2004, the workshops continued to be well attended, and we had international participants from the following countries: Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Japan, and Canada. Right now we are in the midst of planning for the 2005-2006 program. You will receive notification of the new schedule sometime in late January, when the 2005-2006 workshop brochure is in the mail.

The past year has been a challenging one for the photographic industry, as you are already aware. I've included some information in this newsletter, as it relates to two major manufacturers of silver halide photographic products.

Anne and I had a TERRIFIC photographic trip up the California, Oregon, and Washington coasts, then over into the Canadian Rockies and down through Montana during September and October. It was a luxuriously long trip of nearly six weeks, however the time flew by, and we wished we were out for an even longer period. We are still in the midst of processing film from the trip, but both of us have a number of negatives that appear to be "keepers." I have already printed a few images from the trip with which I am very pleased.

I wish you the very best for the upcoming Holiday season, and the coming New Year.

John

10 PERCENT DISCOUNT COUPON FOR EMAIL NEWSLETTER READERS
ON ALL ORDERS AT THE VENTANA EDITIONS ONLINE STORE

With the Holiday season at hand, the readers of this newsletter can save 10% on my books and posters, along with books by Mark Citret, Neil Chapman, Tillman Crane, Richard Garrod, Henry Gilpin, Ray McSavaney, Huntington Witherill, along with videos and DVD's about photography at the Ventana Editions online store. Simply enter the special discount code of "•••••" (without quotation marks) during the checkout process, and you will receive 10% off of all of your purchases. Remember that UPS ground shipping (to the 48 continental United States) is only $5.00 per order - no matter how many items you purchase.

This special 10% discount is good for orders placed through December 15th. Orders placed by that date should reach continental US destinations via ground shipping in time for Holiday gift giving.

To receive this special 10 percent discount, simply enter the code "•••••" (without quotation marks) into the 'COUPON CODE' section of the secure web order form. Please remember to enter the coupon code during the checkout procedure to receive your special discount.

The Ventana Editions online store can be found at:
http://store.yahoo.com/ventanaeditions/

If you prefer, you may also place an order by calling Ventana Editions toll free at 888-390-4545 or 831-659-3130, Monday through Thursday from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm, Pacific Time. Just remember to mention the special email discount code "•••••" when placing your order. To ensure delivery in plenty of time for Holiday gifts be sure to order soon!

COLLECTORS EDITION JOHN SEXTON PRINTS AVAILABLE ONLINE

From time to time, I make special print offerings available at reduced prices to individuals who have collected my work in the past. I am pleased to make those on my email newsletter list aware of two recently released "Collectors Edition" prints. These two images, "White Boulders and Forest, Dawn" and "Forest in Mist, Xi'an, China," are available for order until December 31st for the special price of $500.00. My 11x14" prints normally retail in galleries for $750.00, so the savings over the retail price is significant. The print size for the "White Boulders and Forest, Dawn" image is approximately 10 x 13" and the "Forest in Mist, Xi'an, China" is approximately 10-1/2 x 10-1/2". Both are mounted and overmatted on 100% rag museum board, ready for framing. These are open edition prints, and will be printed by me to the same exacting specifications as all of my exhibition prints.

As many of you know, because of my complicated schedule and the large backlog of print orders I have, it can take a LONG time for print orders to be delivered. These two new Collectors Edition prints will be delivered no later than February 1, 2005.

Furthermore, if you take advantage of the Ventana Editions special coupon offer mentioned above for 10% off of online orders, your net price for each Collectors Edition print ordered will be $450, plus $5.00 for insured UPS ground shipping. Those of you who have ordered my prints in the past know we use "bullet-proof" packaging to help ensure your print arrives in perfect condition.

You can order the prints online at:
http://store.yahoo.com/ventanaeditions/limedprinbyj.html

If you prefer to order over the phone, or if you have any questions, call 831-659-3130 from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm, Monday through Thursday to place an order. In addition, you can contact us at: info@johnsexton.com

ILFORD AND FORTE IN BANKRUPTCY

As the face of imaging technology changes, it is a challenging time for all photographic manufacturers. I'm sure that you have read of the ongoing layoffs at Eastman Kodak Company, and likely have heard that Ilford is in bankruptcy. Forte, a manufacturer of high-quality, black and white photographic papers and film in Hungary, is also in a state of bankruptcy. I am keeping my fingers crossed that both Ilford and Forte will emerge from bankruptcy as viable companies, and be able to produce silver halide photographic films and papers of exceptional quality well into the future.

For those of you who love silver-based photography, now is the time to look at the materials that you use and purchase those tools that are important to you in your own work. It is important for each of us to support the manufacturers of the tools we desire to use for producing our work by purchasing their materials. If there is sufficient demand for a product to make it profitable, companies will continue to produce it. If there is not such a demand, the manufacturers will discontinue the product - or worse yet - close their doors.

NEW ANSEL ADAMS BOOK AND A "CLASSIC" EDWARD WESTON VOLUME

Little, Brown and Company recently released a beautiful book of Ansel's photographs of trees, titled appropriately enough "Ansel Adams Trees." I purchased a copy of the book myself, and was pleasantly surprised to see some images I had not seen previously - along with some old favorites. The book should be available everywhere, and can be found at a great price of $30 (40% off of retail) at Amazon.com by following this link: Ansel Adams Trees.

A few weeks ago, I pulled out my copies of Edward Weston's "Daybooks" (I have an old card-cover, two-volume set). As I was looking for some particular quotations, and thumbing through the pages, I was transported back to the first time I read these intimate personal journals from Edward Weston. If you haven't read the "Daybooks of Edward Weston," you should. They are inspiring. The good news is the two volumes have been combined into one and are available in soft cover for a very reasonable price. These may not be as easy to find at your local bookstore, but are not hard to find. Again, Amazon.com (which seems to handle just about every book still in print), has them available for under $20.00 by following this link: Daybooks of Edward Weston.

SOME THOUGHTS ON PHOTOGRAPHY... AND OTHER TOPICS

Memorable statements worth noting...

"Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess."
- Edwin H. Land (inventor of Polaroid instant photography

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."
- Ansel Adams

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