I can’t stand these damn shows on museum walls with neat little frames, where you look at the images as if they were pieces of art. I want them to be pieces of life!
W. Eugene SmithRead
Many claim I am a photographer of tragedy. In the greater sense I am not, for though I often photograph where the tragic emotion is present, the result is almost invariably affirmative.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the idea that photographs capture tragedy, but they also convey hope and positivity.
W. Eugene Smith expresses that while his work often captures scenes of tragedy, his intention is not to dwell on despair. Instead, he emphasizes the affirmative aspects that can arise from these moments, revealing depth and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Themes
PhotographyTragedyAffirmativeEmotionArt
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire discussions on the role of art in expressing human emotion at a gallery opening.
More from W. Eugene Smith
All quotes →I've never made any picture, good or bad, without paying for it in emotional turmoil.
W. Eugene SmithRead
Most photographers seem to operate with a pane of glass between themselves and their subjects. They just can't get inside and know the subject.
W. Eugene SmithRead
Up to and including the moment of exposure, the photographer is working in an undeniably subjective way. By his choice of technical approach, by the selection of the subject matterand by his decision as to the exact cinematic instant of exposure, he is blending the variables of interpretation into an emotional whole.
W. Eugene SmithRead
I try to take what voice I have and I give it to those who don’t have one at all.
W. Eugene SmithRead
The photographer must bear the responsibility for his work and its effect …[for] photographic journalism, because of its tremendous audience reached by publications using it, has more influence on public thinking than any other branch of photography.
W. Eugene SmithRead
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