--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1979, I received a phone call from…" description: "\"In 1979, I received a phone call from Ansel Adams asking me if I would be willing to consider coming to work for him. I was teaching photography in Sou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/john-sexton-14118_asking_in-1979-i-received-a-phone-call-from-ans_3188798.png" --- # In 1979, I received a phone call from Ansel Adams asking… ![“In 1979, I received a phone call from Ansel Adams asking me if I would be willing to consider coming to work for him. I was teaching photography in Southern California at that point.” quote by John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/john-sexton-14118_asking_in-1979-i-received-a-phone-call-from-ans_3188798.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/john-sexton-14118_asking_in-1979-i-received-a-phone-call-from-ans_3188798.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/john-sexton-14118_asking_in-1979-i-received-a-phone-call-from-ans_3188798.png) > “In 1979, I received a phone call from Ansel Adams asking me if I would be willing to consider coming to work for him. I was teaching photography in Southern California at that point.” [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. Unexpected opportunities can arise from respected peers, prompting career shifts. **In simple terms:** A famous photographer offered a job, changing his path. Key Takeaway Stay open to unexpected professional offers. Themes career networking opportunity Mood thoughtful optimistic Type storytelling career When to use this quote - photography teaching - career transition - networking events Key Concepts mentor influence career pivot Questions to Reflect On - Would you have declined the call? - How can you prepare for sudden opportunities? A Different Perspective The offer could have been a brief encounter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1979 Received](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1979-received-5873899/) [Adams Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adams-asking-5873898/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ansel-adams/) [Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Phone Ansel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-ansel-5873900/) [Phone call](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-call/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Southern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southern/) [Southern california](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/southern-california/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Teaching Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching-photography-1418653/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) ## Related quotes > [I had been teaching myself photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-had-been-teaching-myself-photography/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [ It's good to be around people who see \[photography\] as a reasonable enterprise when everyone in the neighborhood may think it's ridiculous. (On the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-divola/it-s-good-to-be-around-people-who-see-photography-as-a-reasonable/) [John Divola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-divola/) > [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/) > [A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words. Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/a-true-photograph-need-not-be-explained-nor-can-it-be-contained-in-2/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [While the photos at the D.M.V. (New York) will still be taken in color, the engraving is done in grayscale, hence the Ansel Adams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/while-the-photos-at-the-d-m-v-new-york-will-still-be-taken-in-color/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [ I saw Ben Stiller's movie Walter Mitty \[2013\]; it's very beautiful. You look at some of the movies John Ford did with John Wayne… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wilson/i-saw-ben-stiller-s-movie-walter-mitty-2013-it-s-very-beautiful-you/) [Owen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wilson/) > [Quality doesn't mean deep blacks and whatever tonal range. That's not quality, that's a kind of quality. The pictures of Robert Frank might strike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/quality-doesn-t-mean-deep-blacks-and-whatever-tonal-range-that-s-not/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [If I was concerned about being accepted, I would have been doing Ansel Adams lookalikes, because that was easily accepted. Everything I did was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/if-i-was-concerned-about-being-accepted-i-would-have-been-doing-ansel/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [The camera would miss it all. A magnificent picture is never worth a thousand perfect words. Ansel Adams can be a great artist, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dunning/the-camera-would-miss-it-all-a-magnificent-picture-is-never-worth-a/) [John Dunning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dunning/) > [Ansel Adams rattled around the Southwest with his battered truck and his view camera, which looked like a giant accordion with a lens attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/ansel-adams-rattled-around-the-southwest-with-his-battered-truck-and/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [My work is my language and I don't discuss it very easily. It's difficult for me to verbalize my feelings, or to intellectualize my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-weston/my-work-is-my-language-and-i-don-t-discuss-it-very-easily-it-s/) [Brett Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-weston/) > [ Ansel \[Adams\] always jumped over the fence to photograph, walked past the garbage. He always looked to get an immaculate view, and I spent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rondal-partridge/ansel-adams-always-jumped-over-the-fence-to-photograph-walked-past/) [Rondal Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rondal-partridge/) > [ Trained as a musician, \[photographer Ansel\] Adams understood the richness of variation that could be unfolded from a simple theme. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/trained-as-a-musician-photographer-ansel-adams-understood-the/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [Good photography is not about Zone Printing or any other Ansel Adams nonsense. It's just about seeing. You either see or you don't see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/good-photography-is-not-about-zone-printing-or-any-other-ansel-adams/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [I went to Yosemite as an homage to Ansel Adams. I could never be Ansel Adams, but to know that's there for us -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/i-went-to-yosemite-as-an-homage-to-ansel-adams-i-could-never-be-ansel/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) ## 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/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of-doing-this-there-are-all/) [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/) [Explore all 48 John Sexton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) ## More Asking quotes > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Stop asking yourself how or why and tell yourself you can." - Charmainism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-smith-ladd/stop-asking-yourself-how-or-why-and-tell-yourself-you-can-charmainism/) [Charmaine Smith Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-smith-ladd/) > [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [If you're having a bad day already and everybody is just asking you petty questions, it drives people to the edge, or something really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-weixler/if-you-re-having-a-bad-day-already-and-everybody-is-just-asking-you/) [Jess Weixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-weixler/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) [Browse all 3,313 Asking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In 1979, I received a phone call from Ansel Adams asking me if I would be willing to consider coming to work for him. 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