Between winning a Nikon D850 (valued at more than 3,000 euros) and traveling back in time to have a coffee with Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa or Ansel Adams, I prefer the latter. I would pay anything to chat 15 minutes with any of these great photographers. The learning you can gain from these photography icons is simply priceless. His knowledge and his legacy in photography are valid for any time and place. That is why today I bring you 10 photography quotes from 10 great masters.
It doesn’t matter if you’re from Nikon, Canon, Pentax or whatever brand it is. It doesn’t matter if you have a digital SLR, a compact, a bridge or a very limited mobile phone camera. From the knowledge of these great photographers of the last century you can learn what no photography course teaches you: the essence of things. The essentials of photography.
Give up megapixels and autofocus. Read these quotes from great photographers who have left their mark on the world of photography, people who have laid the foundations of photographic art and who have produced a legacy of “knowledge” valid for all time.
10 quotes about photography
“You don’t do photography only with the camera. You make it with all the pictures you’ve seen, with all the books you’ve read, with all the music you’ve heard, and with all the people you’ve loved.” – Ansel Adams (Tweet it)
The words of Ansel Adams are the best proof that the camera or the equipment are not what matters, what really matters is the photographer, the artist behind the camera, with all their personal experiences.
“Taking photos is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.” ― Marc Riboud (tweet it)
Photography is not an obligation, it is a pleasure. It’s not just the pleasure of shooting the shutter. Photographing makes the very fact of living life more pleasant. Being a photographer makes you enjoy life a little more.
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” ― Dorothea Lang (tweet it)
The photos themselves are nothing more than a means to convey a feeling, spread an emotion, convince an idea. It is an instrument to share with others our particular way of seeing the world around us. Don’t get obsessed with the camera or the effect you want to apply to the photo. Focus on what people will see, perceive and feel when they see your photograph.
“Your first 10,000 photos are your worst photos.” ― Henri Cartier Bresson (tweet it)
The only way to learn is by practicing. You are not going to be a better photographer by attending more courses or reading more books. The photographic learning process inevitably involves making mistakes at the beginning and learning from them. The only way to accelerate that learning is by practicing and taking more photos.
“When people look at my photos I want them to feel like they want to read a line of a poem a second time.” ― Robert Frank (tweet it)
You are not someone who shoots the shutter, period. As a photographer you are an artist. A creator. With your camera you generate emotions and provoke feelings. The strength of your photographs can surpass the beauty of a poem.
“Checking the rules of composition before taking photos is a bit like checking the rules of gravity before you go for a walk.” ― edward weston (tweet it)
The Edward Weston quote does not downplay the rules of photographic composition. On the contrary, it gives them great importance to the point of considering them the rules of nature. In some ways, most composition rules come from the way our brains “naturally” process images.
Over time you should master the rules of composition until they start to come to you completely naturally and spontaneously, like walking.
“Photography helps people to see.” ― Berenice Abbott (tweet it)
As a photographer, your mission is to help the viewer, through your camera, your lens, your frames, your compositions and your photographs, to experience a world that they would not normally see. Things, objects and people hide ideas and emotions. Your mission as a photographer is to help people see them.
“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to carry a camera with me.” ― Lewis Hine (tweet it)
In the times of Lewis Hine (1874-1940), carrying a camera was a real nuisance due to the size of the cameras at that time. Hine clung to having the camera close to him because sometimes his camera was the only means he had to tell a story vividly and truthfully.
«A photo never turned out the way I wanted. They always come out better or worse.» – Diane Bush (tweet it)
On more than one occasion you will be pleasantly surprised or disappointed when viewing the result of your photo session on your computer. Learn from those unintentional successes and figure out why you failed so you can do better next time.
And my favourite…
«Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” – Imogene Cunningham (tweet it)
At a very advanced age, past 90 heels, Imogen Cunningham still believed that her best photograph would be the one she would take the next day. In photography the learning process has no end.
And for those who prefer to see and listen to read, here I bring a video with photographic phrases that will not leave you indifferent:
I hope you have enjoyed these photo quotes and have taken away the lessons behind each of them.
Thanks for reading this.