Photography can never grow up if it imitates some other medium. It has to walk alone; it has to be itself.
Berenice AbbottRead
To chart a course, one must have a direction. In reality, the eye is no better than the philosophy behind it. The photographer creates, evolves a better, a more selective, more acute seeing eye by looking ever more sharply at what is going on in the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of direction and perspective in photography and life.
Berenice Abbott highlights the necessity of having a clear direction in one's creative endeavors. A photographer, akin to any artist, must cultivate their vision by observing the world profoundly and thoughtfully, evolving their understanding and appreciation of the subjects they capture. This process of developing an acute eye is not just technical; it is deeply philosophical, reflecting how one's mindset and intentions influence the way art and reality are perceived.
Themes
PhotographyDirectionPerspectiveCreativityObservation
In practice
Example use cases
During a photography workshop, I shared this quote to inspire participants to think critically about their subjects.
More from Berenice Abbott
All quotes βActually, documentary pictures include every subject in the world - good, bad, indifferent. I have yet to see a fine photograph which is not a good document.
Berenice AbbottRead
Does not the very word 'creative' mean to build, to initiate, to give out, to act - rather than to be acted upon, to be subjective? Living photography is positive in its approach, it sings a song of life - not death.
Berenice AbbottRead
The camera is no more an instrument of preservation, the image is.
Berenice AbbottRead
Photography helps people to see.
Berenice AbbottRead
Some people are still unaware that reality contains unparalleled beauties. The fantastic and unexpected, the ever-changing and renewing is nowhere so exemplified as in real life itself.
Berenice AbbottRead
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