An American stills photographer who worked in the Hollywood studio system for over twenty years. Johnston was also known as a talent scout and a public relations manager for studios like Paramount. His portraits of young stars like Margaret Sullavan are notable for their carefully chosen settings and narrative elements. He was instrumental in bringing Hollywood still photography out of the romantic haze of the 1920s into the more hard-edged, dramatic style that defined the 1930s and 40s aesthetic.