It's easy to photograph light reflecting from a surface, the truly hard part is capturing the light in the air.
Walker EvansRead
The meaning of quality in photography's best pictures lies written in the language of vision. That language is learned by chance, not system.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Quality in photography comes from an innate understanding of visual language, developed through experience rather than structured learning.
Walker Evans emphasizes that the essence of quality in great photographs is captured in a visual language that transcends formal education. This language is acquired through serendipity and personal experiences rather than through systematic study, suggesting that true artistic vision is often instinctual and unique to each individual photographer.
Themes
PhotographyQualityVisionArtisticLanguageExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a photography workshop, one could share this quote to inspire participants to trust their instincts.
More from Walker Evans
All quotes βThatβs my idea of what a portrait ought to be, anonymous and documentary and a straightforward picture of mankind.
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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.
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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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