Photography has always reminded me of the second child.. trying to prove itself. The fact that it wasn't really considered an art.. that it was considered a craft.. has trapped almost every serious photographer.
Interpretation
Photography is often undervalued as an art form, leading photographers to seek validation for their craft.
In this quote, Richard Avedon reflects on the struggle of photography to be recognized as a true art form rather than merely a craft. He compares photography to a second child, emphasizing how it seeks validation and recognition in a world that has often marginalized its artistic value, thus affecting the perception and ambitions of serious photographers who feel constrained by this stigma.
In practice
This quote can be used in a photography workshop to emphasize the importance of seeking artistic validation.
There's always been a separation between fashion and what I call my 'deeper' work. Fashion is where I make my living. I'm not knocking it. It's a pleasure to make a living that way. It's pleasure and then there's the deeper pleasure of doing my portraits. It's not important what I consider myself to be, but I consider myself to be a portrait photographer.
I am, and forever will be, devastated by the gift of Audrey Hepburn before my camera. I cannot lift her to greater heights. She is already there. I can only record. I cannot interpret her. There is no going further than who she is. She has achieved in herself her ultimate portrait.
I never wanted to be called an artist. I wanted to be called a photographer.
My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph.
When you pose for a photograph, it's behind a smile that isn't yours. You are angry and hungry and alive. What I value in you is that intensity. I want to make portraits as intense as people.
I think all art is about control, the encounter between control and uncontrollable.
I think all creative people are operating from the fear that, of the best of what they did, will anybody remember it? Will anybody tell stories about them? Will anybody keep those pictures on the mantle long after they are gone? It's why people write stories. It's peoples' grave markers.
Even in the most beautiful music there are some silences, which are there so we can witness the importance of silence.
The genius of poetry must work out its own salvation in a man; it cannot be matured by law and precept, but by sensation and watchfulness in itself. That which is creative must create itself.
A hundred years from now, people will listen to the music of the Beatles the same way we listen to Mozart.
Music is not a profession. Music is a way of life - one that requires much professionalism.
I don't think I handle the notes much differently from other pianists. But the pauses between the notes - ah, there is where the artistry lies!!
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.