John Layton - Photographer/Educator/Camera Builder

           John Layton, who lives with his wife and two children in Norwich, Vermont, has been designing and building large format cameras for over twenty years. His latest model, the L-45A, is based on the previous L-1 - the patented design of which garnered both a "Vision Award" at the Fall 2002 PhotoPlus Expo trade show in New York, as well as an "Editors Choice" award from American Photographer/Popular Photography in 2004.

            John Layton also is an award-winning freelance photographer/writer and photo-educator who's work has appeared in the New York Times, Audubon magazine, Readers Digest Books, Vermont Life, and View Camera magazine, among others.   He has also served adjunct faculty appointments at three Vermont colleges, teaches photography workshops at Dartmouth College, and from 1987-97 conducted photography residencies under the auspices of the Vermont Council on the Arts.

            John's photographs of the desert southwest, the Maine coast, and Ethiopia have graced gallery walls in New York and throughout New England, and have garnered several awards.   John received an M.A. in photography and education from Goddard College in 1990.

About the Photo: John Layton appears in the accompanying photograph with a version of his "L-1" field camera - partially hidden in this view to conceal its identity, as this photo was taken prior to the date of issue of patent for the design of the camera.   The cast on Mr. Layton's arm was the result of an injury sustained while filming in Ethiopia during January of 2001.   He returned to Ethiopia, six months later, still in a cast, to resume filming and photographing.

            "My goal with the L-45A was to have it represent a culmination - to achieve a synthesis of the better qualities of the eleven models that came before it, with its ultimate design informed by my experiences as a longtime view camera user and instructor of photography, as well as by a stint in camera marketing and sales.  

I wanted this camera to solve some long-standing field-camera problems - by incorporating such features as focus locks which don't interfere with the act of focusing (and vice-versa), a safe, quick, and simple spring-loaded mechanism for lensboard and film-back attachments,   a front opening large enough to accept the largest of rear lens elements, smooth insertion and removal of film holders, sturdiness at long extensions, controls that are simple, smooth, and intuitive despite a maximal number of features and amount and degree of the various movements, and minimal cross-interference of functions.

            My other goal with the L-45A was to have its high functionality act in concert with a unique and modern design.   In short, I wanted this camera to be a highly functional work of art, unique from the rest of the view camera field.   In this I feel I've also succeeded - and indeed the industry has already responded to the current (patented) design, in having granted two major awards - a PhotoPlus Expo "Vision" award in 2002, and an American Photo/Popular Photography magazine "Editors Choice" award in 2004."   - John Layton, Dec. 22, 2004

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