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Which of these street photography quotes do you identify with?
#1

I thought this was a nice collection of thought provoking, famous street photography quotes.

http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2011/...must-know/

Which one of these grabs you the most? Which ones do you identify with and most closely resemble your philosophy of taking photos?


At this point, I think the one I identify with the most is the one by the father of modern photojournalism, the French Henri Cartier Besson:

Quote:”There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”- Henri Cartier-Bresson
For me, with young kids that are growing up so quickly, it's important to record and capture the memories. It's especially nice when you capture the twinkle in the eye, or a mischievous grin or just an expression of joy in the moment.

What about you?
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#2

I agree with your Cartier-Bresson choice plus I kind of like these 2:

“Seeing is not enough; you have to feel what you photograph” – Andre Kertesz

“Be yourself. I much prefer seeing something, even it is clumsy, that doesn’t look like somebody else’s work.” – William Klein
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#3

I've never really been moved by the 'decisive moment' idea, but I'm with Robert on the William Klein sentiment. I've heard a similar idea (expressed more awkwardly) by Jasper Johns, who is an artist I admire. He took it even farther, to say that if he thought he was doing something that others do better, he would stop and do something else instead. I certainly don't have that kind of discipline – and in the images that I create there simply isn't the scope for originality that Johns could drive – but it's aspirational.

The other quotation from this list that I like is #2: “Photographers mistake the emotion they feel while taking the photo as a judgment that the photograph is good," from Garry Winogrand. Editing is a different skill from photographing, but they're both critical.

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#4

The Bresson one makes me wince really, as I remember reading that his voyeuristic and predatory prowling was quite unnnerving. The Kapa one about just getting up close, serves as a great reminder to me that it's the snapper and not the lens that should be zoomed in.

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