I canβt 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
What use having a great depth of field, if there is not an adequate depth of feeling?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Depth of feeling is essential for meaningful expression in art.
W. Eugene Smith emphasizes the importance of emotional connection in photography or any form of art. While technical skills such as having a great depth of field are important, they become meaningless without the ability to convey genuine feelings and emotions, highlighting that the true impact of art lies in its emotional resonance rather than its technical precision.
Themes
ArtEmotionFeelingDepthExpression
In practice
Example use cases
During an art exhibit, one could quote this to emphasize emotional depth in the displayed works.
More from W. Eugene Smith
All quotes βI'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 donβt have one at all.
W. Eugene SmithRead
The photographer must bear the responsibility for his work and its effect β¦[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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