Inspiration comes in many forms. You may be inspired by what you see, hear, smell, touch or taste. In addition, a great deal of us draw inspiration from quotes. In this post I am going to give you 5 photography quotes for inspiration, and a little background into the people who said them.
A Photography Quote From An Australian Landscape Photographer
“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.”
Destin Sparks
As a person who is not all that comfortable with small-talk, I love this quote from Destin Sparks. I personally would much rather communicate through my images than with words.
Destin is an award-winning photographer from Queensland in Australia. He is a self-taught photographer who has managed to amass over 70 awards and accolades. Perhaps the most inspiring thing about him is the fact that he still practices analog photography. He creates his stunning panoramic landscapes without the use of Photoshop, filters or digital manipulation. Pretty impressive.
Have a look at Destin’s work for yourself at destinsparks.com.
A Source Of Many Quotes About Photography
“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”
Ansel Adams
If you search “photography quotes” on Google, you will undoubtedly find a lot of results attributed to Ansel Adams.
Ansel Adams was a San Francisco-born landscape photographer and environmentalist. He is famous for his black and white images of the American West, in particular Yosemite National Park. He used his work to promote conservation of wilderness areas in the United States.
His most famous image was entitled “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico.” This is the photo that almost didn’t happen. Adams was unable to find his exposure meter at the time of taking the photo. He simply made a guess at what the exposure should be, and the result was an incredible capture that became his most popular.
Ansel died in Monterey, California in April 1984 at the age of 82. Watch a video telling the story of his most famous image here.
A Quote That Goes Deeper Than Words
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”
Dorothea Lange
Of the 5 photography quotes for inspiration in this post, I think this is my favourite. Since I began photography I have noticed a definite change in the way I see the world around me. Photography has taught me to not only look more closely at what is around me, but also to look at it from different angles.
Dorothea Lange was an American Documentary photographer. Her portraits of displaced farmers during the Great Depression of 1929 had a huge influence over later documentary and journalistic photography.
Dorothea survived the crippling disease Polio, which permanently damage her right leg and caused her to walk with a limp her entire life. Many believed this to be the influence behind her compassion for suffering, which was an integral part of her photography.
Dorothea passed on October 11, 1965. She was inducted into the International Photography Hall Of Fame and Museum in 1984.
A Quote From Where Photography Meets Fashion
“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.”
Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld?! Wait a minute………..wasn’t he a fashion designer? Yes indeed, he was. Lagerfeld, aside from being a prolific fashion designer, was also a skilled photographer. He shot many editorials for the magazine Harper’s BAZZAAR, including the first cover of Kim and Kanye!
His career began when he moved to Paris at the tender age of just 14. After just 2 years in Paris, Karl submitted a series of sketches and fabric samples to a design competition and won first place. This was also where he met famous French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent who would later become a good friend.
Karl Lagerfeld died on February 19th, 2019 at the age of 85.
One Last Photography Quote For Inspiration
“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life.”
Joan Miro
The true power of photography is captured in this quote from famous Spanish painter, sculptor, ceramicist, and printmaker Joan Miro. This is what excites me so much about photography. The ability to capture someone’s gaze and imagination and instantly anchor it to an unchanging place in their emotions.
Joan Miro was born in 1893 in the Catalan region of Spain, near Barcelona. He began drawing as a young boy and attended the La Lonja School of Fine Arts. It was there that he was encouraged by one of his teachers to revive the spirit of primitive Catalan art.
In 1974, Miro produced a tapestry for the World Trade Center in New York. It was one of the most valuable artworks destroyed in the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
He died of heart failure in Palma, Majorca on 25th December 1983.
Be Inspired
I hope these 5 photography quotes for inspiration truly do leave you inspired. Photography is an art form and art is nothing without inspiration.
Grab your camera, get out there and shoot what excites you. Always strive to improve your shots and be the best photographer you can be.
Above all, remember that all photography is just light and time. What you do with those two things could change the world.
Further Reading
More inspirational quotes can be found in my Follow Your Passion blog posts.
If you are inspired and want to make more time for photography, read my 10 Tips on How To Make More Time For Photography post.
References
- Destin Sparks information retrieved from https://www.destinsparks.com/#aboutdestin
- Ansel Adams information retrieved from Ansel Adams American Photographer by John Szarkowski https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ansel-Adams-American-photographer and Ansel Adams Biography https://www.biography.com/artist/ansel-adams
- Dorothea Lange information retrieved from Dorothea Lange 1895-1965 https://iphf.org/inductees/dorothea-lange/
- Karl Lagerfeld information retrieved from Karl Lagerfeld Biography https://www.biography.com/fashion-designer/karl-lagerfeld
- Joan Miro information retrieved from https://www.joan-miro.net/biography.jsp
