Topic: Words to live by

[hookstrapped]

If you want to change your photographs, you need to change cameras. Changing cameras means that your photographs will change. A really good camera has something I suppose you might describe as its own distinctive aura.

-- Nobuyoshi Araki



I don’t think about what camera I should use that much. I just pick up the one that looks nicest on the day.

-- William Eggleston



(courtesy of the Tokyo Camera Style tumblr)

[jharr]

I think I fall into the Eggleston camp. Some days I think "a folder would be cool". Other days I think "Brownie... where's my Brownie?" 

[p4portra]

It's not exactly something to live by, but I always quite liked:

”I photograph to find out what something will look like photographed.” - Garry Winogrand.

In any case, it's a pretty accurate description of some of my photographs!

[Francois]

I'm more with HCB
“To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.”

[gothamtomato]

I prefer what Ansel had to say:

“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” ~Ansel Adams

[02Pilot]

The words by which I live are not specifically photography-related. Frankly I'm not sure they're related to anything, at least anything rational, or even coherent.

"Life is like an anole. Sometimes it's green, and sometimes it's brown, but it's always a small Caribbean lizard."

I actually used that in a wedding toast once. Really, I did. I have witnesses.

[hookstrapped]

I'm glad to see that this has generated these thoughtful comments.  But I originally posted those two statements from Araki and Eggleston as a bit of a joke as those words are contradictory...

Carry on!

[Indofunk]

"Life is like an anole. Sometimes it's green, and sometimes it's brown, but it's always a small Caribbean lizard."

I love this Also, since "anole" sounds like "cannoli", it inspired me to come up with my own words to live by:

"Life is like a connoli. You leave the gun, but take the cannoli."

[02Pilot]

"Life is like an anole. Sometimes it's green, and sometimes it's brown, but it's always a small Caribbean lizard."

I love this Also, since "anole" sounds like "cannoli", it inspired me to come up with my own words to live by:

"Life is like a connoli. You leave the gun, but take the cannoli."

But if you take the gun, then you can take the cannoli (and anything else you might want) at your leisure....

[Jack Johnson]

I don’t think about what camera I should use that much. I just pick up the one that looks nicest on the day.

-- William Eggleston

I take the one that feels nicest. Unfortunately, it's always the one I'm holding.

[limr]

The words by which I live are not specifically photography-related. Frankly I'm not sure they're related to anything, at least anything rational, or even coherent.

"Life is like an anole. Sometimes it's green, and sometimes it's brown, but it's always a small Caribbean lizard."

I actually used that in a wedding toast once. Really, I did. I have witnesses.

Yes, I was there. He really did. He also quotes Dante's Inferno at weddings. The lesson here is to not let him speak at your wedding

I'm more with HCB
“To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.”

Of the quotes mentioned here, this is the one that speaks to me the most.

Otherwise, I'm oddly reminded of a quote by Ernest Hemingway about writing, but which could also be applied to photography: "'All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.' So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there. It was easy then because there was always one true sentence that I knew or had seen or had heard someone say."

Of course, the quote I'm most often heard muttering comes from Dorothy Parker: "Oh what fresh hell is this?"

[Indofunk]

"Life is like an anole. Sometimes it's green, and sometimes it's brown, but it's always a small Caribbean lizard."

I love this Also, since "anole" sounds like "cannoli", it inspired me to come up with my own words to live by:

"Life is like a connoli. You leave the gun, but take the cannoli."

But if you take the gun, then you can take the cannoli (and anything else you might want) at your leisure....

Well, apparently not if you've just killed a man in a car in the Meadowlands NJ ,,,

[gsgary]

When i'm shooting on the street i think of Capa, " if your pictures are not good enough your not close enough" and another great Capa quote
I hope to stay unemployed as a war photographer till the end of my life.

[Aksel]

For me it´s two things -

worst case scenario - then I ask my self; would it matter in a year from now.
I`ll take the snap and have the pint please.

[zapsnaps]

I live on the charity of others (kept man).

But the original Araki quote reminded me that he has a 'happy camera'. He says that he would never shoot a sad photo with his happy camera. I suppose that rather depends on whether one is a feminist or a member of the Octopus Protection Society.
Would love to keep typing, but I need to catch my commuter train and head off to the big wide world which is London.

[Francois]

But the original Araki quote reminded me that he has a 'happy camera'. He says that he would never shoot a sad photo with his happy camera. I suppose that rather depends on whether one is a feminist or a member of the Octopus Protection Society.

You mean you don't have a "Happy Camera"?
I thought everyone did!
For me, it's my Instax...

[jharr]

But the original Araki quote reminded me that he has a 'happy camera'. He says that he would never shoot a sad photo with his happy camera. I suppose that rather depends on whether one is a feminist or a member of the Octopus Protection Society.

You mean you don't have a "Happy Camera"?
I thought everyone did!
For me, it's my Instax...

I am happiest when taking sad photos. Therefore my happy camera is my Voigtländer Bessa 6x9.

[Jeff Warden]

This thread has turned into a collection of great quotes.  Cool!

"No place is boring, if you've had a good night's sleep and have a pocket full of unexposed film." - Robert Adams

[zapsnaps]

My happy camera is the one a model takes a liking to (comments range from 'Cool!' 'Awesome!' to 'What is that piece of old junk, grandad? Don't you ave one of them digital cameraz wiv the telly on d' back?'). I promise that it can (but not always does) make a difference. My Leica R8 (apparently) looks like any other Nikon or Canon film camera. But my 20 year-old £500 Blad makes them go wild! They assume because I can drive a Blad, that somehow they will look better than when snapped on the R8, rather than it being a better photo per se.

[kentish cob]

Here's a couple of quotes I quite like... the first, I think, falls into the "words to live by" category. The second, just a nice quote that illustrates the humility of the man.

"If you are out there shooting, things will happen for you. If you're not out there, you'll only hear about it." - Jay Maisel

"If I knew how to take a good photograph, I'd do it every time." - Robert Doisneau

[zapsnaps]

Words to live by?

"Waste more film" (anon)

[Indofunk]

Was the phrase "the best camera is the one you have in your hand right now" attributed to someone or is it an "anon"? Because that's my quote to live by. Last weekend I had no camera except my cellphone (gasp!) and felt the need to take some foliage shots. They came out not too bad all things considered...

[Late Developer]

Literally just got through the door from holiday in Malta. I had my Rolleiflex 2.8e with me (as well as a digital thingy) and shot about 15 rolls of Delta 400 with it.  However, there were a few occasions (the reasons for which are unknown to me) when I craved my Hassy 500c/m.

Still, I shall be sending the film off to a lab for a dev and scan package that will save me a LOT of time and I can start to piece together an album of Lara and my travels across Malta and Gozo.

[gothamtomato]

'Technique is a part of our craft, and it plays an integral role. However, it should not be at the core of our work. Ours should be a pursuit of the soul.'
~Dan Winters