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 for 15 minutes with any of these great photographers. The learning you can gain from these photography icons is simply priceless. His knowledge and legacy in photography are valid for any time and place. That's why today I bring you 10 photography quotes from 10 great masters.
It doesn't matter if you are from Nikon, Canon, Pentax or whatever brand. 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.
Forget 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 the art of photography and who have produced a legacy of "knowledge" valid for all time.
10 QUOTES ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY
«You do not do photography only with the camera. You make it with all the images 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 example that the camera or the equipment are not what matters, what really matters is the photographer, the artist behind the camera, with all his 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 Lange ( 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 be 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 will not be a better photographer by attending more courses or by 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 and period. As a photographer you are an artist. A creator. With your camera you engender emotions and provoke feelings. The strength of your photographs can surpass the beauty of a poem.
"Consulting the rules of composition before taking photos is a bit like consulting the rules of gravity before going for a walk." ? Edward Weston ( Tweet it)
Edward Weston's quote does not take away from the rules of photographic composition. On the contrary, it gives them great importance to the point of considering them rules of nature. In a way it is so, 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 days of Lewis Hine (1874-1940), carrying a camera with you 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 in an intense and credible way.
«Never a photo came out the way I wanted. They always come out better or worse for me.» – Diane Arbus ( Tweet it)
On more than one occasion you will be pleasantly surprised or disappointed when you see the result of your photo session on your computer. Learn from those unintentional hits and find out why you failed so you can do better next time.
And my favorite…
«Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I'm going to take tomorrow." – Imogen Cunningham ( Tweet it)
At a very advanced age, past 90 tacos, 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.
