---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many photographers are consumed with the…"
description: "\"Many photographers are consumed with the idea of making beautiful contact sheets. I am far more interested in making the best final print I can.\" — Joh..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-sexton-14118_beautiful_many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the_2072359.png"
---

#  Many photographers are consumed with the idea of making…

![“Many photographers are consumed with the idea of making beautiful contact sheets. I am far more interested in making the best final print I can.” quote by John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-sexton-14118_beautiful_many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the_2072359.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-sexton-14118_beautiful_many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the_2072359.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-sexton-14118_beautiful_many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the_2072359.png)

> “Many photographers are consumed with the idea of making beautiful contact sheets. I am far more interested in making the best final print I can.”

[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.

He values the final printed photograph over the process of creating contact sheets, emphasizing end results.

**In simple terms:** Focus on the final print, not the intermediate steps.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize the quality of the finished work.

Themes

art photography process

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

artistic professional

When to use this quote

- exhibitions
- portfolio reviews
- client work

Key Concepts

aesthetic judgment final product

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you sacrifice process for results?
- How can both be balanced?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting process can limit learning and improvement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/)

## Related quotes

> [I have all my contact sheets filed, from the first photograph I took to the present day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccartney/i-have-all-my-contact-sheets-filed-from-the-first-photograph-i-took/)

[Mary McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccartney/)

> [“Having contact sheets for all sorts of episodes in your life seemed to me intriguing and desirable. So much of my own history is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beller/having-contact-sheets-for-all-sorts-of-episodes-in-your-life-seemed/)

Thomas Beller

> [I like to be on my own when I look at my contact sheets, because I'm often disappointed... But as years go by we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-depardon/i-like-to-be-on-my-own-when-i-look-at-my-contact-sheets-because-i-m/)

[Raymond Depardon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-depardon/)

> [I work closely with the printer to get the final print the way I want it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-sainte-marie/i-work-closely-with-the-printer-to-get-the-final-print-the-way-i-want/)

[Buffy Sainte-Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-sainte-marie/)

> [There's nobody between you and the print. Nobody. It's you and the subject and the final print. And if you get it published that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-douglas-duncan/there-s-nobody-between-you-and-the-print-nobody-it-s-you-and-the/)

[David Douglas Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-douglas-duncan/)

> [I'm pretty selective. I generally edit the contact sheets and then do work prints. Because I have my own lab and printers, I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-the-contact-sheets-and-then-do/)

[Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/)

> [I was much more interested in making things than in designing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-newson/i-was-much-more-interested-in-making-things-than-in-designing-them/)

[Marc Newson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-newson/)

> [I am interested in making up a good case for distortion, as I am coming to believe it is the only way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-am-interested-in-making-up-a-good-case-for-distortion-as-i-am/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [I want my films to get audiences. I am not interested in making them just for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-frears/i-want-my-films-to-get-audiences-i-am-not-interested-in-making-them/)

[Stephen Frears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-frears/)

> [I just do things that I'm interested in making and work with the people I'm interested in working with, and it's very important for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/i-just-do-things-that-i-m-interested-in-making-and-work-with-the/)

[Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/)

> [I was interested in making work that physically changed as it circulated through the art world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walead-beshty/i-was-interested-in-making-work-that-physically-changed-as-it/)

[Walead Beshty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walead-beshty/)

> [I'd be really interested in making a dramatic, low key 3D film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mangold/i-d-be-really-interested-in-making-a-dramatic-low-key-3d-film/)

[James Mangold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mangold/)

> [Nothing about it interested me. Or about anything else, except making up stories. If literacy weren't so nearly universal, God knows what I'd be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/nothing-about-it-interested-me-or-about-anything-else-except-making/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

> [I'm definitely interested in making more music and uploading new covers; I like to take suggestions because it's more fun if people know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-ryan/i-m-definitely-interested-in-making-more-music-and-uploading-new/)

[Debby Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-ryan/)

> [I'm not interested in making songs for films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kk/i-m-not-interested-in-making-songs-for-films/)

KK

## 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 Beautiful quotes

> [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/)

[Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/)

> [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

Tumblr

> [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/)

[Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/)

[Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/)

> [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/)

[Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/)

> [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/)

[Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/)

> [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/)

[Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/)

> [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/)

[Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/)

[Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Many photographers are consumed with the idea of making beautiful contact sheets. I am far more interested in making the best final print I can.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Sexton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the-idea-of-making-beautiful/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beautiful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the-idea-of-making-beautiful/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-sexton-14118_beautiful_many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the_2072359.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-sexton-14118_beautiful_many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the_2072359.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b5/john-sexton-14118_beautiful_many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the_2072359.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Many photographers are consumed with the idea of making beautiful contact sheets. I am far more interested…” — 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": "Many photographers are consumed with the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the-idea-of-making-beautiful/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the-idea-of-making-beautiful/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
