Photography Related Quotes

Larry Lawhead

Larry Lawhead

Active member
I enjoy reading quotes about photography, from famous photographers, or about photography. And they're often inspiring. My current favorite is:

"I never know in advance what I will photograph,… I’ll go out into the world and hope I will come across something that imperatively interests me. I am addicted to the found object." - Ansel Adams

That pretty well sums up my philosophy...

What about you? Anybody know some inspirational quotes to pass along?
 
proHappyJim

proHappyJim

Member
Love this, Larry! Ansel always had the BEST things to say :)

On the other end of the spectrum, I will start with a totally irreverent one from one the few old movies I really love...

“I can’t afford to hate anybody; I’m only a photographer.” - The Philadelphia Story
 
Larry Lawhead

Larry Lawhead

Active member
Here's another:
“The earth is art, the photographer is only a witness.”
– Yann Arthus-Bertrand

I just found this one, I rather like it. I used to have a notebook with photo quotes, but I lost it somewhere along the way. I should start a new one.
 
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Donna Witt

New member
Larry, I have an Ansel Adams hanging over my fireplace...The Tetons and the Snake River.
My son bought it for me and years later he and his family took me and his dad to that spot. What a son!
Ansel Adams has great quotes and I have a Donna Witt quote for you. " Your worst photo is the one you didn't take".
Someone might have beat me to that one but I haven't seen it yet.
 
Larry Lawhead

Larry Lawhead

Active member
Donna Witt said:
Larry, I have an Ansel Adams hanging over my fireplace...The Tetons and the Snake River.
My son bought it for me and years later he and his family took me and his dad to that spot. What a son!
Ansel Adams has great quotes and I have a Donna Witt quote for you. " Your worst photo is the one you didn't take".
Someone might have beat me to that one but I haven't seen it yet.
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Great sentiment, Donna! I know I’ve never regretted taking a photo, and often regret NOT taking one.
 
Larry Lawhead

Larry Lawhead

Active member
Another photo quote:

"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop." - Ansel Adams

I like this as a reminder that we have to keep shooting, that not every photo will turn out to be a winner. Sometimes your vision won't translate to the image. Get out and take photos, over time be happy with a handful of good ones. It even provides a little perspective when I don't get as many badges here as I'd like. Of course, that may not be what AA meant at all, but I'll take it.

A few years ago I started a process to review my images at the end of the year, and pick my personal "good crop". Some years it's hard to find 12 favorites, sometimes I struggle to narrow down to just 12. Of course, I don't think I've ever taken a photo that is "significant", but I'll still remind myself to be happy with a dozen photos a year that please me.
 
B

Bob D.

New member
A quote from Ansel Adams that I live by....
"Good photos are not taken. They are made"
Don't fear post processing!! All of Adams photos were post processed. He just had to us chemicals, Burning and dodging!
 
Larry Lawhead

Larry Lawhead

Active member
Bob D. said:
A quote from Ansel Adams that I live by....
"Good photos are not taken. They are made"
Don't fear post processing!! All of Adams photos were post processed. He just had to us chemicals, Burning and dodging!
Click to expand...
I like AA's quote "The negative is the equivalent of the composer’s score, and the print the performance." As you note: "Don't fear post processing"!!
 
Larry Lawhead

Larry Lawhead

Active member
Another of my favorite photographer quotes:

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place…I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." - Elliott Erwitt
 
Larry Lawhead

Larry Lawhead

Active member
Errick's Forum Discussion said:

Alfred Stieglitz was an early American photographer. I find his work very inspirational. You might want to look up A Snapshot - Paris or Spring Showers: the Coach. He made a quote “In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality”. I hope that some of my photographs might approach this level.​

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I googled the image, it is very cool. Another great quote, too! I'll need to dig deeper!
 
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proHappyJim

proHappyJim

Member
Larry Lawhead said:
Another of my favorite photographer quotes:

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place…I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." - Elliott Erwitt
Click to expand...
Among many, I love this photo by Elliott:
www.holdenluntz.com

Elliott Erwitt's New York City, 1974 (Dog Legs)

Among the celebrated photographers of the twentieth century, no other photographer became as well known for their sense of humor and witty images commenting
www.holdenluntz.com www.holdenluntz.com
 
Larry Lawhead

Larry Lawhead

Active member
proHappyJim said:
Among many, I love this photo by Elliott:
www.holdenluntz.com

Elliott Erwitt's New York City, 1974 (Dog Legs)

Among the celebrated photographers of the twentieth century, no other photographer became as well known for their sense of humor and witty images commenting
www.holdenluntz.com www.holdenluntz.com
Click to expand...
That’s great! Presume you mean “You just have to care about what’s around you and have a concern with humanity and the human comedy”….
 
E

Errick's Forum Discussion

New member
In my readings today I came across this quote from photographer Cherie Hiser: “Most famous photographers work their entire life and produce tens of thousands of negatives and hundreds or perhaps thousands of prints, but are remembered for fewer than five and famous for just one.” How very true! As photographers we must persist and continue on in our journey relentlessly. Think of Weston’s Pepper # 30. We have all seen it but have we seen 1-29 or any of the probable 31plus pepper shots that are not remembered? Just to entertain your curiosity, Weston started taking pepper photos in1927 and was still shooting peppers in 1930 yet we only remember that one remarkable photo. It was taken in 1929. Evidently he did not realize he had already taken his masterpiece and kept on in his journey???!!
 
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