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
Negatives are the notebooks, the jottings, the false starts, the whims, the poor drafts, and the good draft but never the completed version of the work The print and a proper one is the only completed photograph, whether it is specifically shaded for reproduction, or for a museum wall.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Negatives represent the early, imperfect stages of creativity, while the final print is the polished outcome.
This quote by W. Eugene Smith emphasizes the importance of the process in art and creativity. Negatives symbolize the unrefined beginnings of work—the drafts and notes that may not be perfect, but are crucial in the journey of creation. The completed photograph, on the other hand, signifies the culmination of that creative effort, showcasing the final, polished product that is ready for appreciation, whether in reproduction or display.
Themes
CreativityProcessArtNegativesCompletion
In practice
Example use cases
In a presentation about the creative process in photography, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of the initial phases of artistic work.
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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