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Everything is a subject. Every subject has a rhythm. To feel it is the raison detre. The photograph is a fixed moment of such a raison detre, which lives on in itself.
Andre Kertesz
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing the rhythm and essence of subjects in photography, capturing moments that hold deeper meaning.

Andre Kertesz suggests that everything around us has its own unique presence or 'rhythm,' and understanding this is crucial to appreciating life and art. A photograph serves as a freeze-frame of this essence, allowing viewers to connect with a fleeting moment and its intrinsic meaning, thereby immortalizing its significance.

Themes

PhotographyArtMomentRhythmMeaning

In practice

Example use cases

In a photography class, discussing how Kertesz's quote captures the essence of a great shot.

More from Andre Kertesz

If you want to write you should learn the alphabet. You write and write and in the end you hava a beautiful, perfect alphabet. But it isn’t the alphabed that is important. The important thing is what you are writing, what you are expressing. The same thing goes for photography. Photographs can be technically perfect and even beautiful, but they have no expression.
Andre KerteszRead
The moment always dictates in my work. What I feel, I do. This is the most important thing for me. Everybody can look, but they don't necessarily see. I never calculate or consider; I see a situation and I know that it's right, even if I have to go back to get the proper lighting.
Andre KerteszRead

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