I realized all of the possibilities that could exist for me with my camera: all of the images that I could capture, all of the lives I could enter, all of the people I could meet and how much I could learn from them.
Mary Ellen MarkRead
As a kid, I used to dream about airplanes before I ever flew in one. I really knew, when I started photographing, I wanted it to be a way of knowing different cultures, not just in other countries but in this country, too, and I knew I wanted to enter other lives. I knew I wanted to be a voyeur.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the desire to explore and understand different cultures through the medium of photography.
Mary Ellen Mark's quote emphasizes the transformative power of photography as a tool for cultural exploration and personal connection. She expresses how her childhood dreams of flight align with her passion for capturing diverse lives and stories, highlighting a deep sense of curiosity and the desire to engage intimately with the world around her.
Themes
PhotographyCulturesExplorationVoyeurismLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of cultural understanding, one might use this quote to emphasize how art can bridge different worlds.
More from Mary Ellen Mark
All quotes →I think you have to have a real point of view that's your own. You have to tell it your way. And, I think that it's a mistake to shoot for a specific magazine's point of view because it's never going to be as good. You have to shoot for yourself and photograph [ the way] you believe it.
Mary Ellen MarkRead
I think you reveal yourself by what you choose to photograph, but I prefer photographs that tell more about the subject. There's nothing much interesting to tell about me; what's interesting is the person I'm photographing, and that's what I try to show. [...] I think each photographer has a point of view and a way of looking at the world... that has to do with your subject matter and how you choose to present it. What's interesting is letting people tell you about themselves in the picture.
Mary Ellen MarkRead
I could spend my whole life photographing circuses. They combine everything I'm interested in - they're ironic, poetic, and corny at the same time. There's also something about a circus that's magical, sentimental, and almost tragic, like a Fellini film.
Mary Ellen MarkRead
I want my photographs not only to be real but to portray the essence of my subjects also. In order to do that, you have to be patient.
Mary Ellen MarkRead
I saw that my camera gave me a sense of connection with others that I never had before. It allowed me to enter lives, satisfying a curiosity that was always there but that was never explored before.
Mary Ellen MarkRead
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