After Losing Father, Atlanta Photographer Says "The Show Must Go On"

Atlanta photographer Sabrina Sexton was devastated to learn of her father's death from a massive heart attack on March 30, 2006. All of a sudden, her world became a whirlwind of planning her father's funeral in Texas, filing paperwork, ensuring her mother's care, and mourning her sudden loss.

"It was incredibly stressful and heartbreaking. There was so much to do, I could barely focus on anything at all," Sexton says.

Then, she remembered that she had scheduled the opening reception for her photography show, "Petals", for Saturday, April 22, at local coffeeshop Inman Perk Coffee.

"My first thought was, 'I've got to cancel it,'" she shares. "Then I thought about all the postcards that were being printed to promote the show, and how proud my dad had been of my last show. I grew up admiring my dad's photography, so I knew I just couldn't cancel it. He would want me to have the show. The show must go on."

Sexton grew up admiring her father's photographs, especially those that he took with his Nikon F camera in South Korea while stationed there with the U.S. Army.

"He really was a very talented photographer. So many of his images are just timeless."

Sexton's upcoming show, "Petals", features delicate and striking images of flowers shot in Georgia, Hawaii, Beijing and Hong Kong. She dedicates the show, which opens on April 22 and runs through May 13, to her father. She also sells her photographs as framed and unframed prints and handmade blank notecards through Sugar7 (http://www.sugar7.com), which donates 7% of every sale to charity. The last charity featured was The National Prostate Cancer Coalition, in honor of her dad, who successfully underwent radiation treatment for the disease last year.

The charity sells blue wristbands to raise funds that are branded with the words "Do It For Dad."

"Now, I really am doing it for Dad," Sexton says.

The "Petals" opening reception is Saturday, April 22, 2006, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Inman Perk Coffee in Inman Park. The photographs will be on display through May 13. Inman Perk Coffee is located at 280 Elizabeth St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30307.