They say, "Enjoy the moment and put down that camera." But what if I want to enjoy the moment long after it's gone? Photography is one way to ensure that the dearest memories and moments last. Figuratively, looking at the photo we took takes us down memory lane to a moment that likely will never happen again. What else, if not images, causes that mind-bending sense of nostalgia? Locations, music, and other things do that too. However, there's an extraordinary power encapsulated in the now, very often digital, imagery.
The many photography quotes out there indicate the very essence of photography: a picture is a moment frozen in time. A moment that will last a lifetime even when all the things in the photo change. Other than being inspiring, quotes about photography tell the dear reality of why people are obsessed with taking photos. When all is long gone, sometimes pictures are all that we have left. So many inspiring quotes are written about living in the moment and capturing things with your heart, not through a camera lens. And that's true; we remember certain things so vividly because our emotions were at their peak.
However, our brain doesn't store all "memory-worthy" moments neatly stacked on a shelf that we can revisit anytime. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. So when we endure another moment that skyrockets our emotions, that memory is quickly replaced by a new one and perhaps won't be remembered as sharply. It doesn't necessarily mean that previous memories are less important. However, it does mean that we have lost our emotional attachment to things that happened a while ago.
So next time someone tells you to put down that camera, tell them you will as soon as you've taken a picture with it first. Because memories fade, while memories captured in photos last. Below, we've gathered an abundance of inspirational quotes and quotes about art, specifically photography. Is there a photography quote or a quote about the art of catching a moment on film that spoke to you? Let us know!
#1
“A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” — Dorothea Lange
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#2
“I used to think that I could never lose anyone if I photographed them enough. In fact, my pictures show me how much I’ve lost.” ― Nan Goldin
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#3
“All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth.” — Richard Avedon
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#4
“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.” — Ansel Adams
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#5
“The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.” — Andy Warhol
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#6
“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” — Paul Caponigro
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#7
“To me, photography must suggest, not insist or explain.” – Brassai
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#8
“Results are uncertain even among the more experienced photographers.” – Matthew Brady
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#9
“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” — Don McCullin
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#10
“Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.” — Diane Arbus
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#11
“No place is boring, if you’ve had a good night’s sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film.” — Robert Adams
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#12
“The earth is art, the photographer is only a witness.” – Yann Arthus-Bertrand
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#13
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” — Elliott Erwitt
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#14
“If it excites me, there is a good chance it will make a good photograph.” — Ansel Adams
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#15
“Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.” — Berenice Abbott
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#16
“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” — Karl Lagerfeld
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#17
“Wherever there is light, one can photograph.” — Alfred Stieglitz
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#18
“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at the picture for a second and think of it all your life.” — Joan Miro
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#19
“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.” — George Eastman
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#20
“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.” — Jim Richardson
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