In this post Hákon Ágústsson from PhotoQuotes.com and
www.Imageree.com. shares some great quotes on the topic of photography and explains why they’re worth knowing.
Take note of and remember the following photo quotes.
It’s always worthwhile to learn from masters.
“The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated in quotations”. – Benjamin Disraeli
1. You don’t take a photograph, you make it. - Ansel Adams
Full awareness of what makes a good photo is essential in taking great
photographs. Why would anyone be interested in this photo and what elements can be included or excluded to make it truly great?
2. Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. – Henri Cartier-Bresson
Do you know how many photos you have taken up until now? You will have to
take thousands of pictures to reach a point where you can begin to evaluate
them objectively. Looking upon your photos as if you were looking at them
through someone else’s eyes is a good way to give yourself constructive
criticism. Comparing your first photos with your most recent, do you see
improvement? Do you remember how you loved some of your first photos –
do you still love them or are they now not so good anymore?
3. Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is
what separates the snapshot from the photograph. – Matt Hardy
You often don’t or can’t see beauty in the world until someone shows it to
you. Take a look around you just now – even without moving from the
computer. Can you see something in a new way, a different way of presenting
something common? Just take a look again…
4. Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a
camera with me at all times…I just shoot at what interests me at that
moment. – Elliott Erwitt
When the world is your canvas, so to speak, you need your tools with you to
capture everything around you. Make a habit of always carrying a camera
with you—you will never suffer the regret of wishing you had.
5. Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take
tomorrow. – Imogen Cunningham
Never be fully satisfied with what you’ve done.
Never stop photographing. It is very likely that your best photograph has not
yet been captured.
6. You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures
nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe
deeper. – William Albert Allard
We are always looking for reasons for not taking good pictures. Cartier-
Bresson used film camera, same lens, no flash, same shutter speed – he
didn’t need the newest digital equipment to take great photos.
We all have access to some subjects that no one else has access to – look
at your friends’ hobbies, the workplaces of friends and family, and any place
you have access to to find a vision that comes uniquely from your access.
Many people would dream of having the same access you have, and you
might not have considered how valuable your access is.
7. If I saw something in my viewfinder that looked familiar to me, I would do
something to shake it up. – Garry Winogrand
How often have you seen a photo that is missing something, thinking, “This is
a good photo but I’d make it different somehow.”? Sometimes small things
make a big difference. Don’t be afraid to shake things up.
8. I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain
it, it just isn’t that good. – Anonymous
Sometimes it is interesting to hear the story behind the photo and you see
the photo in a new light. But in most cases a photo shouldn’t need a story to
back it up. It has to speak for itself.
9. Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.
– Ansel Adams
Even one of the masters in photography, Ansel Adams, didn’t expect to get more than 12 great photographs each year. How can anyone expect more?
Take a look at your last year in photos – do you really see 12 photos that
stand out from the rest?
10. It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best pictures
were the ones that were hardest to get. – Timothy Allen – On editing photos
Editing photos can often be the most difficult but also the most satisfying
part. Sometimes taking a quick look at all the photos and then going away for
a while before taking a closer look lends a fresh eye to your viewing. You
may see things you did not notice previously. Stepping away from the mass
of photos can make certain images stand out in your mind’s eye, leaving a
memorable impression that can characterize a good photo.
What photography quotes do you think everyone should know?
