A repost: 10 Photography Quotes that You Should Know

[dcshoeboy]

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In this post Hákon Ágústsson from PhotoQuotes.com and Search Stock Photos - Royalty Free Images - Stock Photography | Imageree. 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

ansel-adams

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?

henri-cartier-bresson

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… erwitt.

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.
imogen

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?

timothy-allen
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?

Check out more of Hákon’s work at PhotoQuotes.com and Search Stock Photos - Royalty Free Images - Stock Photography | Imageree.

[Chipmunk888]

nice article.

thanks.

[dcshoeboy]

“ I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good". – Anonymous

sakto jud..hehe

[abortretryfail]

2. “ Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. – Henri Cartier-Bresson

...Do you remember how you loved some of your first photos – do you still love them or are they now not so good anymore?...

happens to me a lot. I feel good about the pictures after a shoot. then sometime later I look again and think, "I took that?!!! Groddy!!!!"

[johnnyblues]

good stuff

[PS02]

One sig of a poster from another forum:

"Upgrade your knowledge before you upgrade your camera."

This is valuable advice for noobs like me, on thinking that a better, more expensive camera would give me great pictures. When in fact you can make a good picture even if you only have a point-and-shoot camera, the only thing to learn here is to exploit the full limits of the your existing equipment.

[abortretryfail]

"Upgrade your knowledge before you upgrade your camera."

I like that! Thanks for sharing

...exploit the full limits of the your existing equipment.

And when you've reached those limits and the equipment can no longer match your creativity,
knowledge, and skill it's only then that you should decide on upgrading. Or when you've
worn the poor thing down from so much picture taking... which ever comes first

[koto]

If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough.

-Robert Capa (father of photojournalism)

[Black kangaroo]

nice pud ni dah.

[PS02]

“The important thing is not the camera but the eye.”
Alfred Eisenstaedt

“There are two people in every photograph: the photographer and the viewer”
Ansel Adams

“A lot of photographers think that if they buy a better camera they’ll be able to take better photographs. A better camera won’t do a thing for you if you don’t have anything in your head or in your heart.”
Arnold Newman


...the last quote speaks a lot!