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Photography quotations
#1

In the process of (avoiding) post processing wedding photos, I found links to a pair of articles based on photography quotations:
http://www.digital-photography-school.co...phy-quotes
http://www.digital-photography-school.co...hould-know

Here are some of my favourites, with my own commentary:

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


I'd estimate that I take five to ten digital photos for each time I'd take a photo with film. But does that mean I'd need 100,000 digital photos to improve the same amount? That seems a little conservative to me.

“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.”
– Ansel Adams


An excellent reason not to compose at arm's-length with an LCD screen.

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


I believe this very strongly, and for better or worse, it's gotten me to where I am today. When I see ten photographers pointing their lenses in the same direction - figuratively or literally - I'm compelled to go in the other direction. Maybe it's from being the youngest of three brothers, or maybe it's a result of my formative time with a camera club, but I'd prefer to take terrible photos that other people hate than to impress someone with a wonderful sunrise.

There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment.
– Jean François Paul de Gondi, cardinal de Retz, 1613-79


The word "decisive" has always felt too absolute for my taste. There's just too many possible questions for there to only be one right answer.

You don’t take a photograph, you make it.
– Ansel Adams


Avoiding the problems in this bit of wisdom is the reason why I started saying "shoot", which is problematic in its own way. I personally think that 'make' sounds pretentious; 'take' sounds exploitive or unimaginative, depending on the subject. But ultimately I've come to accept the wisdom of Collis Huntingdon, who said: "Whatever is not nailed down is mine. What I can pry loose is not nailed down." So I take pictures.

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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Messages In This Thread
Photography quotations - by matthew - Nov 27, 2010, 14:31
Photography quotations - by NT73 - Nov 27, 2010, 15:09
Photography quotations - by Toad - Nov 27, 2010, 19:54
Photography quotations - by shuttertalk - Nov 27, 2010, 22:24
Photography quotations - by matthew - Nov 28, 2010, 14:38

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