That’s my idea of what a portrait ought to be, anonymous and documentary and a straightforward picture of mankind.
Walker EvansRead
It's easy to photograph light reflecting from a surface, the truly hard part is capturing the light in the air.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The challenge in photography lies not just in capturing visible objects, but in conveying the essence of light itself.
Walker Evans highlights a profound aspect of photography that goes beyond simple techniques. While it may be straightforward to capture images of illuminated surfaces, the true artistry lies in capturing the invisible quality of light that exists in the air, suggesting that the essence of an image often lies beyond what is immediately visible.
Themes
PhotographyLightArtistryChallengeEssence
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a photography workshop to inspire participants to look beyond the obvious.
More from Walker Evans
All quotes →The meaning of quality in photography's best pictures lies written in the language of vision. That language is learned by chance, not system.
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It is the way to educate your eye and more. Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop.
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Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.
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Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joyous sensualist, for the simple reason that the eye traffics in feelings, not in thoughts.
Walker EvansRead
It is easy to imagine fantasy as physical and myth as real. We do it almost every moment. We do this as we dream, as we think, and as we cope with the world about us. But these worlds of fantasy that we form into the solid things around us are the source of our discontent. They inspire our search to find ourselves.
Walker EvansRead
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