Inspirational photography quotes from photographers for photographers.
The best quotes of Ansel Adams about photography.
Read how Ansel Adams understands photography. Learn from his understanding of the art of photography.
“Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art“.
“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer”.
“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence”.
“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs”.
“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept”.
“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment”.
“Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution”.
“A good photograph is knowing where to stand”.
“I tried to keep both arts alive, but the camera won. I found that while the camera does not express the soul, perhaps a photograph can!”.
“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed”.
“To the complaint, ‘There are no people in these photographs,’ I respond, There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer”.
“A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words“.
“No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied — it speaks in silence to the very core of your being”.
“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”.
“When I’m ready to make a photograph, I think I quite obviously see in my minds eye something that is not literally there in the true meaning of the word. I’m interested in something which is built up from within, rather than just extracted from without”.
“It is my intention to present – through the medium of photography – intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators”.
“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop”.
“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs”.
“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept”.
“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer – and often the supreme disappointment”.
“Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution”.
“A good photograph is knowing where to stand”.
“There is nothing worse than a brilliant image of a fuzzy concept”.
“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed”.
“To the complaint, ‘There are no people in these photographs,’ I respond, There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer”.
“The negative is the equivalent of the composer’s score, and the print the performance.”
“Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe photographs”.
“We must remember that a photograph can hold just as much as we put into it, and no one has ever approached the full possibilities of the medium.”
“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.”
“I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term — meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would entail as much time and effort as the production of a good watercolor or etching — there would be a vast improvement in total output. The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster.”
“Millions of men have lived to fight, build palaces and boundaries, shape destinies and societies; but the compelling force of all times has been the force of originality and creation profoundly affecting the roots of human spirit.”