Photographers typically reach fame thanks to one or several iconic shots, or perhaps thanks to a unique style they may have developed. They share their unique point of view with the world, captured through their lens.
But, every now and then a pearl of wisdom gets passed on, and here at Agora we wanted to share them with you. So here are the top 10 photographer quotes you will ever need to read (and a bonus here one to get you started)!
Of what use are lens and light to those who lack in mind and sight?
– Anonymous
“You can find pictures anywhere. It’s simply a matter of noticing things and organizing them. You just have to care about what’s around you and have a concern with humanity and the human comedy.”
– Elliott Erwitt
“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
– Ansel Adams
“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”
– Don McCullin
“One doesn’t stop seeing. One doesn’t stop framing. It doesn’t turn off and turn on. It’s on all the time.”
– Annie Leibovitz
“…looking at, studying, and absorbing good photography serves the same purpose for a beginning photographer. That is because learning the components of a good image – composition, lighting, gesture – and seeing those elements used differently over and over by different masters, makes it easier for a person to achieve the same end on his or her own over time. And there is simply is no alternative to this, no shortcut.”
– Frank Van Riper
“In photography, you’ve got to be quick, quick, quick, quick. Like an animal and a prey.”
– Henri Cartier-Bresson
“Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.”
– Yousuf Karsh
“A photographer must possess and retain the receptive faculties of a child who watches the world for the first time.”
– Bill Brandt
“If your pictures aren’t good enough you’re not close enough.”
– Robert Capa
“Don’t pack up your camera until you’ve left the location.”
– Joe McNally
QUESTIONS FOR THE AGORA COMMUNITY
Which of these photographer quotes is your favorite ? Want to see another blog post like this; share your favorite photographer quote with us below!