57 Inspirational Quotes from Master Photographers

Ansel Adams

Since the advent of photography in 1839, it is safe to say that it has changed our world. She helped uncover things that were once hidden and document important events so they will never be forgotten. These aspects affect not only the viewer, but also those who film. To understand the influence of photography, all you have to do is read what the great photographers have to say.

Many sayings speak of silent truths that the camera captures. – “I don’t trust words. I trust photographs,” photographer Gilles Peress. Aaron Siskind's quote echoes this statement: “Photography is a way to feel, to touch, to love. What you catch on film is captured forever... film preserves the memory of little things even when you have forgotten everything.” Dorothea Lange, famous for her series depicting Japanese internment camps in the United States, sums it up: “The camera is a tool that teaches people to see without a camera.”

Also, these sayings will help you learn how to take better photographs. Sometimes one simple piece of advice can help you take a step in the right direction. “Good photography is knowing where to stand,” says Ansel Adams. But if that doesn't help, just remember the words of Henri Cartier-Bresson: “your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”

Dorothea Lange

About what photography is...

“Photography is a way to feel, to touch, to love. What you catch on film is captured forever... film remembers little things, keeps the memory of little things even when you have forgotten everything." - Aaron Siskind

"Photography is a story I can't put into words" - Destin Sparks

“The best thing about a painting is that it never changes, even when there are people in it.” - Andy Warhol

“A tear contains the ocean. A photographer is aware of the tiny moments in a person's life that reveal larger truths" - Anonymous

“The camera is a tool that teaches people to see without a camera” - Dorothea Lange

"The camera is the eye of history" - Matthew Brady

“It is an illusion that photographs are made with a camera... they are made with the eye, the heart and the head” - Henri Cartier-Bresson

“Photography is a mystery about a mystery. The more she tells you, the less you know." - Diane Arbus

“All photographs are accurate. None of them are true" - Richard Avedon

“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field” - Peter Adams

“Photography does a great job of capturing appearances, but nothing is what it seems.” - Duane Michals

“What I love about photographs is that they capture a moment that is gone forever, that cannot be repeated” - Karl Lagerfeld

“All photographs are memento mori. To photograph is to participate in the mortality, vulnerability, changeability of another person (or thing). By precisely cutting off this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to the merciless melting of time." - Susan Sontag

“The desire to discover, the desire to move, to capture color – these are the three concepts that describe the art of photography” - Helmut Newton

Alfred Stieglitz

No color

For those who like to express themselves in a foreign language, let’s pay attention to the sayings in English, and for ease of understanding I will immediately give the translation.

About why they take pictures...

“When the words become unclear, I will focus on the photographs. When talking becomes inadequate, I will be content with silence." - Ansel Adams

“We take photographs to understand what our lives mean to us” - Ralph Hattersley

“What you see in my photographs is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people” - Annie Leibovitz

“The photograph you take with a camera is an imagination you mold from reality” - Scott Lorenzo

“For me, the camera is an instrument of intuition and spontaneity” - Henri Cartier-Bresson

“Photography is my passion, the search for truth, my obsession” - Alfred Stieglitz

“Taking photographs is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing cookies.” - Diane Arbus

“I don't trust words. I trust photographs" - Gilles Perez

“The camera is an excuse that teaches you to end up where you don’t belong. This gives me both a connection point and a separation point." - Susan Meiselas

“If a day goes by without me doing something related to photography, it is as if I have neglected something essential to my existence, as if I have forgotten to wake up” - Richard Avedon

“Photography means enjoying life, every hundredth of a second” - Marc Riboud

“My life is shaped by the need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport” - Steve McCurry

Walter Mittelholzer

What are they photographing with...

“Anything that excites me, I will photograph; not by looking for the unusual object, but by making the ordinary unusual” - Edward Weston

“I used to think that I would never lose anyone if I took enough photos. In fact, my photographs show me how much I have lost." - Nan Goldin

“I have a vision of life, and I try to find equivalents for it in the form of photographs” - Alfred Stieglitz

“When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means is that I would like to know. I photograph everyone I know." - Annie Leibovitz

“I truly believe that there are things that no one will see unless I photograph them” - Diane Arbus

“I was a witness, and these photographs are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and should not be repeated." - James Nachtwey

“Most of my shots are based on people. I look at a vulnerable moment, the essence of the soul peering out, an experience etched on a person's face." - Steve McCurry

“My paintings are my eyes. I photograph what I see and what I want to see” - Mario Testino

“I like to create images that from a distance appear seductive, colorful, lush and attractive, and then you realize that you are looking at something completely opposite. I find it boring to follow the typical idea of beauty because it is the simplest and most obvious way to see the world. It's harder to look at the other side" - Cindy Sherman

Walker Evans

Life captured in a split second. Photographer Cliff Harvey and his 25 frames

photographer: Cliff Harvey

Meet Cliff Harvey, an American street photographer, retiree and former firefighter living in England. He came to photography in the mid-60s, when he photographed everything from fashion and crime scenes, model brochures and nudes, and was also torn between wildlife and landscapes. However, after retiring, Cliff realized that what he enjoyed most was shooting in genres such as street (street), portrait, architecture and monochrome photography.

photographer: Cliff Harvey

Good evening Cliff, tell our readers a little about yourself.

My name is Cliff Harvey. I am a 77 year old American expat living in England. My first “real” camera was a Pentax Spotmatic with a standard 50mm lens. I bought it back in the mid 60's while still serving in the Royal Air Force in Chicksands, England while serving in the US Air Force. I immediately became interested in “folk” photography, as fad fashion and new age music were prevalent in England at the time; London and Liverpool were perfect places for photography! This exciting time has given me the perfect opportunity to begin learning the craft of photography!

After completing my service in the US Air Force, I moved to Boulder, Colorado, USA. There, with my wife, by the way, she is British by birth, and two small children, I found a job that was supposed to support us, but I also did not give up photography and was always looking for subjects to shoot. The University of Colorado Boulder has a large student population, so I was able to work on fashion brochures and fashion photography at local clothing stores. And a little later I joined the Boulder fire department, so I had enough free time during my work shifts to do photography.

This was followed by numerous assignments for magazine covers for various models and many commissions in the genre of fashion photography, as well as a three-year stint as the official photographer for the Denver, Colorado, Playboy Club. By this time I had moved on to more professional equipment, I bought a Hasselblad 500C, several lenses and filters, and a suitable tripod! I also had a Nikon F DSLR with multiple lenses.

photographer: Cliff Harvey

Also, my 27+ years in the fire department also introduced me to arson and crime scene photography; I took advantage of the moments to take a beautiful shot.

After retirement, I moved to the Pacific Coast of Oregon, USA. There I joined the local camera club and received several honorary and service awards. I built a house that had an unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean, so sunset photos were a regular occurrence for me. I also loved photographing wildlife as it was in abundance there. Not far from us lived a small herd of elk wandering around the back garden, and I also occasionally saw bears, foxes, lynxes, deer, all kinds of birds and sea life.

But you can take millions of pictures of sunsets or birds before you get bored, so when the situation in my family changed, I returned to England, now with my second wife. Now it's near a river in the countryside, a classic English village. I now have the enviable opportunity to expand my photographic pursuits to a whole new canvas – the UK!

photographer: Cliff Harvey

What genres do you prefer to work in?

I love all genres and as I said, I've dabbled in them all, but my photographic interests have now settled into four main areas; portrait painting, monochrome, architecture and “street”. I belong to the Bedford (UK) Camera Club, where I have held various Committee positions (including President) and performed well in competitions. I am also a member of the Royal Photographic Society. Membership in such groups allows me to discuss ideas, meet like-minded people and exchange opinions.

photographer: Cliff Harvey

Do you have any other hobbies besides photography?

I enjoy reading. I actually read quite a lot. Photography books, various magazines, photography magazines - everything I can get my hands on. I study other people's photography and read about how they "see" their world. I talk to local photographers whose work I admire, learn about their vision and how they capture the images I love.

Can you name any photographers you admire?

Here are some of them: Ansel Adams, Don McCullin, Steve McCurry, Terrence Donovan, Terry O'Neal, Bert Hardy, Martin Parr and John Bulmer are all my "friends", as are photographers Sally Mann, Peter Zelewski, Davud Bey , Tish Murtha, Ria Mishaal, John Downing and, of course, William Albert Allard; this list has no end.

They are all well represented on my bookshelves, as are many completely unknown photographers published by small presses such as Hoxton Mini Press. This is all an opportunity for personal growth for me; watching what other photographers do, I am constantly developing. Using all this knowledge, I compare it with my own life experiences.

photographer: Cliff Harvey

What technology do you use today?

I've worked with Nikon equipment before, most recently having a D850. But after years of carrying around a camera, as well as several lenses and other accessories, I soon began to feel like it all became a heavy burden on my shoulders and back. Some of my friends were using Olympus cameras, so I followed suit and never looked back. My current kit bag contains:

One E-M1 Mark II body and one E-M1 Mark III body

And also the following lenses: M.Zuiko Digital ED 12 mm f2, M.Zuiko Digital ED 17 mm f1.8, M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40 mm f2.8 PRO, M.Zuiko Digital ED 25 mm f1.2 PRO , M.Zuiko Digital ED 40-150 mm f2.8 PRO, M.Zuiko Digital ED 45mm f1.2 PRO (My favorite lens!), M.Zuiko Digital ED 75 mm f1.8, M.Zuiko Digital 1.4x teleconverter MC‑14, Three Legged Thing Carbon Fiber Tripod.

photographer: Cliff Harvey

I can wear this entire set all day without my back or shoulders getting any tired - a win-win situation for any photographer. And although my D850 had a larger sensor, the quality of the Olympus kit was as good as any other kit I've ever used. It meets all my needs and produces crisp prints up to and including A3+, so what's not to like about this camera?!

At the end of the day, I'm much more interested in creating images that depict "life" as I see it, rather than creating a stunning, technically perfect image that is, in a word, boring. This is definitely what attracts me to the “street” genre.

I also love monochrome. I love this environment. When I work in black and white, it's for very specific reasons. This is an emphasis on detail, on drawing with light, emotions and other little things that are usually lost with color.

photographer: Cliff Harvey

What do you think makes a good monochrome photograph?

I believe that to get a good monochrome image, I first need to find the essence of the subject, I need to understand what makes the subject - be it a portrait, an architectural scene or even a good "street" photo - truly worth photographing. What did I “see” and “feel” when I released the shutter? The final image should encourage the viewer to linger, study the image and find the reasons why it caught their attention. If it almost forces the viewer to explore and learn from the image, then to me it is a successful shot. And it may be a decent, very successful image, but it is not ideal from a technical point of view. This is truly the essence of who I am as a photographer.

What software do you use when processing your photos?

I use Adobe products and the NIK Collection plugin.

There are even more works of the author on the photographer’s personal website and Instagram.

photographer: Cliff Harvey

[@N05], [bedfordcameraclub.co.uk]

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About what makes a good photograph...

“It’s easy to take a photograph of someone and call it a portrait. The challenge is to make a picture that makes the viewer think about the stranger." - Paul Strand

“A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact turns into a photograph, it is no longer a fact, but an opinion. There is no such thing as inaccuracy in a photograph. All photos are accurate. None of them are true" - Richard Avedon

“True photography needs no explanation and cannot be contained in words” - Ansel Adams

“The truth is the best picture, the best propaganda” - Robert Capa

“Good photography is unpretentious” – Walker Evans

“There is no particular genre of photography that I think is better than any other. I'm always looking for an image that has spirit! I don’t care how they did it” – Minor White

“If a painting is good, it tells many different stories” – Josef Koudelka

"Be yourself. I prefer to see something, no matter how clumsy, that doesn't look like someone else's work." - William Klein

Richard Avedon

Just for fun

There is nowhere in our world without humor. I would like to share with you, dear reader, funny and even ridiculing quotes on the topic of photography.

We smiled, maybe even laughed, but now we’re serious. I was reminded of the charming style of photography - black and white shooting. The b/w effect adds some special mystery and emphasizes the memory. It seems as if a minute has frozen in this very frame.