A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.
—Diane Arbus (1923–71) American Photographer
To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
For half a century, photography has been the art form of the untalented. Obviously some pictures are more satisfactory than others, but where is credit due? To the designer of the camera? To the finger on the button? To the law of averages?
—Gore Vidal (1925–48) American Novelist, Essayist, Journalist, Playwright
Actually, I’m not all that interested in the subject of photography. Once the picture is in the box, I’m not all that interested in what happens next. Hunters, after all, aren’t cooks.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
A photograph is neither taken nor seized by force. It offers itself up. It is the photo that takes you. One must not take photos.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
If the man who paints only the tree, or flower, or other surface he sees before him were an artist, the king of artists would be the photographer. It is for the artist to do something beyond this.
—James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) American Painter, Etcher
Above all, I craved to seize the whole essence, in the confines of one single photograph, of some situation that was in the process of unrolling itself before my eyes.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees.
—Paul Valery (1871–1945) French Critic, Poet
The charm, one might say the genius, of memory is that it is choosy, chancy and temperamental; it rejects the edifying cathedral and indelibly photographs the small boy outside, chewing a hunk of melon in the dust.
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973) Irish Novelist, Short-story Writer
A photograph is a most important document, and there is nothing more damning to go down to posterity than a silly, foolish smile caught and fixed forever.
—George A. Tice
The most refined skills of color printing, the intricate techniques of wide-angle photography, provide us pictures of trivia bigger and more real than life. We forget that we see trivia and notice only that the reproduction is so good. Man fulfils his dream and by photographic magic produces a precise image of the Grand Canyon. The result is not that he adores nature or beauty the more. Instead he adores his camera — and himself.
—Daniel J. Boorstin (1914–2004) American Historian, Academic, Attorney, Writer
If I were just curious, it would be very hard to say to someone, “I want to come to your house and have you talk to me and tell me the story of your life.” I mean people are going to say, “You’re crazy.” Plus they’re going to keep mighty guarded. But the camera is a kind of license. A lot of people, they want to be paid that much attention and that’s a reasonable kind of attention to be paid.
—Diane Arbus (1923–71) American Photographer
People think that all cameramen do is point the camera at things, but it’s a heck of a lot more complicated than that.
—Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910) American Christian Science Religious Leader, Humanitarian, Writer
In the absence of a subject with which you are passionately involved, and without the excitement that drives you to grasp it and exhaust it, you may take some beautiful pictures, but not a photographic oeuvre.
—Brassai (1899–1984) French-Hungarian Photographer
Do you know what will soon be the ultimate in truth?
—Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) French Post-Impressionist Painter
I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.
—Diane Arbus (1923–71) American Photographer
The photograph itself doesn’t interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
The world is going to pieces and people like Adams and Weston are photographing rocks!
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
It is not merely the likeness which is precious… but the association and the sense of nearness involved in the thing… the fact of the very shadow of the person lying there fixed forever! It is the very sanctification of portraits I think — and it is not at all monstrous in me to say that I would rather have such a memorial of one I dearly loved, than the noblest Artist’s work ever produced.
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–61) English Poet
Photography is truth. And cinema is truth twenty-four times a second.
—Jean-luc Godard (b.1930) French-born Swiss Film Director, Film Critic
The creative act lasts but a brief moment, a lightning instant of give-and-take, just long enough for you to level the camera and to trap the fleeting prey in your little box.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little, human detail can become a Leitmotiv.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
To take photographs is to hold one’s breath when all faculties converge in the face of fleeing reality. It is at that moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
Memory is very important, the memory of each photo taken, flowing at the same speed as the event. During the work, you have to be sure that you haven’t left any holes, that you’ve captured everything, because afterwards it will be too late.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
The painter constructs, the photographer discloses.
—Susan Sontag (1933–2004) American Writer, Philosopher
Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.
—Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) French Photographer, Journalist
A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.
—Eudora Welty (1909–2001) American Short Story Writer, Novelist
It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.
—Vincent van Gogh (1853–90) Dutch Painter
There is no art which affords less opportunity to execute expression than photography. Everything is concentrated in a few seconds, when after perhaps an hours seeking, waiting, and hesitation, the photographer sees the realization of his inward vision, and in that moment he has one advantage over most arts – his medium is swift enough to record his momentary inspiration
—Sadakichi Hartmann (1867–1944) American Art Critic, Novelist, Poet
Using a camera appeases the anxiety which the work-driven feel about not working when they are on vacation and supposed to be having fun. They have something to do that is like a friendly imitation of work: they can take pictures.
—Susan Sontag (1933–2004) American Writer, Philosopher