‘Famous Photographers’ Quotes

I stumbled upon these little nuggets of wisdom last night, the Robert Capa quote is so right.

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange

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

“Which of the photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.” Imogen Cunningham

“There is a vast difference between taking a picture and making a photograph.” Robert Heinecken

“Now, to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravity before going for a walk.”  Edward Weston

“Film is cheaper than opportunity.”  Steve Silberman

“I find the single most valuable tool in the darkroom is my trash can.” John Sexton

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer, and often the supreme disappointment.” Ansel Adams

“I think all art is about control, the encounter between control and uncontrollable.” Richard Avedon

“The first half of the 20th century belongs to Picasso and the second half is about photography. They said digital would kill photography because everyone can do it but they said that about the box brownie in 1885 when it came out. It makes photography interesting because everyone thinks they can take a picture.” David Bailey

“Hardening of the categories causes art disease.” W. Eugene Smith

“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera.” Lewis Hine

“Light glorifies everything. It transforms and ennobles the most commonplace and ordinary subjects. The object is nothing, light is everything.” Leonard Misone

“The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster.” Ansel Adams

“If you are out there shooting, things will happen for you. If you’re not out there, you’ll only hear about it.” Jay Maisel

“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” Robert Capa

More quotes can be found at photoquotes.com

4 Responses to “‘Famous Photographers’ Quotes”

1. Grubby says:

   November 13, 2008 at 10:48 pm

   Ive ‘Stumbled Upon’ this before, its amazing!
2. stuart says:

   September 22, 2009 at 3:04 pm

   i love some of the quotes on this site . would i be allowed to use any of them on my site or are they copyrighted ?
3. Sydney Quiroz says:

   January 19, 2010 at 5:52 pm

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4. amy says:

   May 28, 2011 at 10:08 pm

   was the quote you attribute to Capa “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough” actually said by Robert Capa or W. Eugene Smith? (I have found conflicting information out there.)