--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've found even after nearly 30 years of…" description: "\"I've found even after nearly 30 years of doing this, there are all kinds of new surprises that rear their heads at various times and I truly believe th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/john-sexton-14118_believe_i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of_681082.png" --- # I've found even after nearly 30 years of doing this, there… ![“I've found even after nearly 30 years of doing this, there are all kinds of new surprises that rear their heads at various times and I truly believe that 51% of the images, success takes place in the darkroom.” quote by John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/john-sexton-14118_believe_i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of_681082.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/john-sexton-14118_believe_i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of_681082.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/john-sexton-14118_believe_i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of_681082.png) > “I've found even after nearly 30 years of doing this, there are all kinds of new surprises that rear their heads at various times and I truly believe that 51% of the images, success takes place in the darkroom.” [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work often yields unexpected results, especially when done in darkness where intuition guides. **In simple terms:** Surprises arise in dark, unseen work. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and explore hidden possibilities. Themes creativity uncertainty discovery Mood curious inspired Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - photography - research - writing - product development - problem solving Key Concepts intuition darkroom metaphor serendipity Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance intuition with structured methods? - What hidden aspects of your work could benefit from a 'darkroom' approach? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overstate the role of darkness, ignoring systematic planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkroom/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Each moment brings new surprises to the one who has no expectations, who comes with an absolutely open mind. Then incredible things start happening.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/each-moment-brings-new-surprises-to-the-one-who-has-no-expectations/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [To convey in the print the feeling you experienced when you exposed your film – to walk out of the darkroom and say: ‘This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/to-convey-in-the-print-the-feeling-you-experienced-when-you-exposed/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [It was amazing to watch him in the darkroom at an advanced age, still get excited when the results were pleasing. He still struggled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/it-was-amazing-to-watch-him-in-the-darkroom-at-an-advanced-age-still/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I find the single most valuable tool in my darkroom is my trash can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-find-the-single-most-valuable-tool-in-my-darkroom-is-my-trash-can/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [A photographer needs to be a good editor of negatives and prints! In fact, most of the prints I make are for my eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/a-photographer-needs-to-be-a-good-editor-of-negatives-and-prints-in/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [For me the printing process is part of the magic of photography. It's that magic that can be exciting, disappointing, rewarding and frustrating all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/for-me-the-printing-process-is-part-of-the-magic-of-photography-it-s/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [When I'm about ready to press the cable release on the View camera, I've tried to anticipate some of the challenges I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/when-i-m-about-ready-to-press-the-cable-release-on-the-view-camera-i/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [My father was a keen photographer; he had his own darkroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/my-father-was-a-keen-photographer-he-had-his-own-darkroom/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [I believe Photoshop is in some way the contemporary darkroom, the creative area that all photographers have available today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kirkland/i-believe-photoshop-is-in-some-way-the-contemporary-darkroom-the/) [Douglas Kirkland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kirkland/) > [I'm not against digital photography. It's great for newspapers. And there are photographers doing great work digitally. When they use Photoshop as a darkroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-not-against-digital-photography-it-s-great-for-newspapers-and/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Cameras always were seductive. And then a darkroom became available, and that's when I stopped doing anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/cameras-always-were-seductive-and-then-a-darkroom-became-available/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [It's equally hard and labor intensive to create an image on the computer as it is in a darkroom. Believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-uelsmann/it-s-equally-hard-and-labor-intensive-to-create-an-image-on-the/) [Jerry Uelsmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-uelsmann/) > [The darkroom is just the means to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-weston/the-darkroom-is-just-the-means-to-an-end/) [Kim Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-weston/) > [I never stopped photographing. There were a couple of years when I didn't have a darkroom, but that didn't stop me from photographing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imogen-cunningham/i-never-stopped-photographing-there-were-a-couple-of-years-when-i/) [Imogen Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imogen-cunningham/) > [Then I thought I was going to be a photographer. I tried a hand at darkroom technician. I played in a band. It took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-johnson/then-i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-a-photographer-i-tried-a-hand-at/) [Guy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-johnson/) ## More by John Sexton > [I remember being shocked when I came out from under the focusing cloth after a minute or two being submerged within that, at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-remember-being-shocked-when-i-came-out-from-under-the-focusing/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [And then as I frequently do, some times I'll peek out from underneath the focusing cloth and just look around the edges of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/and-then-as-i-frequently-do-some-times-i-ll-peek-out-from-underneath/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I've never seen a surface that I think is more seductive in image making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-ve-never-seen-a-surface-that-i-think-is-more-seductive-in-image/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I think the greatest photographers are the amateur photographers who do it because they love it. Arnold Newman is a good example; he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-think-the-greatest-photographers-are-the-amateur-photographers-who/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [So when I became interested in photography and further being inspired by the work that I saw of Ansel and others, it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/so-when-i-became-interested-in-photography-and-further-being-inspired/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [Today my passion is still black and white. Today if I have an array of cameras in front of me the one I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/today-my-passion-is-still-black-and-white-today-if-i-have-an-array-of/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I remembered seeing it and it was this metallic turbine and I thought it was beautiful. I had never been in a power plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-remembered-seeing-it-and-it-was-this-metallic-turbine-and-i-thought/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [In my mind I needed a symbol of today's technology, and I realized that what I wanted to photograph was the Space Shuttle. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/in-my-mind-i-needed-a-symbol-of-today-s-technology-and-i-realized/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [When the object that is produced, the photographic image has the ability to make tears come to your eyes; to inspire you to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/when-the-object-that-is-produced-the-photographic-image-has-the/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I really don't have any secrets. I've never met a photographer whose work I respected that had a secret because the secret lies within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-really-don-t-have-any-secrets-i-ve-never-met-a-photographer-whose/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I think one of the aspects of photography that remains for me is I find the process still frustrating. The counter to that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-think-one-of-the-aspects-of-photography-that-remains-for-me-is-i/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [And as part of my activity there, he had indicated he wanted me to work with him on that and conduct the various technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/and-as-part-of-my-activity-there-he-had-indicated-he-wanted-me-to/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [So to me it's very similar in terms of trying to distill within the image, those elements that are gonna form, hopefully, a compelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/so-to-me-it-s-very-similar-in-terms-of-trying-to-distill-within-the/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [One of the workshop participants had shown me a single 8 X 10 photograph of a power plant where he actually was the general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/one-of-the-workshop-participants-had-shown-me-a-single-8-x-10/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I find the surface of a photograph a thing of beauty in and of itself, and it is this surface that makes a photograph…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-find-the-surface-of-a-photograph-a-thing-of-beauty-in-and-of-itself/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) [Explore all 48 John Sexton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've found even after nearly 30 years of doing this, there are all kinds of new surprises that rear their heads at various times and I truly believe that 51% of the images, success takes place in the darkroom.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Sexton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of-doing-this-there-are-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of-doing-this-there-are-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/john-sexton-14118_believe_i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of_681082.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/john-sexton-14118_believe_i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of_681082.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/john-sexton-14118_believe_i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of_681082.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've found even after nearly 30 years of doing this, there are all kinds of new surprises that rear their…” — John Sexton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Sexton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've found even after nearly 30...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of-doing-this-there-are-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of-doing-this-there-are-all/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```