Description: Changing Moods, John Alexander Dersham's second collection, showcases powerful, haunting black-and-white art photography from six decades of work. Inspired by his teen experience with a simple box camera, and the encouragement of several significant mentors, he has dedicated his life to capturing the physical world through the lens. Changing Moods chronicles Dersham's personal growth as a photographer and artist, tracing his work from the darkroom to the gallery. To achieve exquisite image quality, he relies on elbow grease and old-fashioned methods. Throughout his shooting career, Dersham has awakened before dawn to get into position to catch the perfect light, lugging his bulky and complex large-format cameras to locations across the United States. The breathtaking results range from austere and dramatic landscapes to the poignancy of the everyday, revealing a master photographer at work.
Brief description: Alan Ross is not only a great long-format black-and-white photographer in his own right, but his teachings and work following his career as Ansel Adams's assistant have enriched countless photographers around the world. He is the only person authorized to print Adams's original 18x10 negatives that are sold as a limited-edition series at the Ansel Adams Gallery.
Review Quotes: A book of John Dersham's black-and-white photographs is long overdue. Dersham is a master, one of only a handful of American photographers with the artistic talent and technical proficiency to use light and shadow to create enduring images of Americana.--David Haynes, photographer "author of Motorcycling Alabama"