Photography in our time leaves us with a grave responsibility. While we are playing in our studios with broken flowerpots, oranges, nude studies and still lifes, one day we know that we will be brought to account: life is passing before our eyes without our ever having seen a thing.
Interpretation
Photography requires awareness and responsibility, as it captures fleeting moments of life.
This quote by Brassai highlights the profound responsibility that comes with photography, emphasizing that while we may be engaged in our creative pursuits, we must not lose sight of the fleeting nature of life around us. It serves as a reminder to be present and truly observe the beauty of the world, lest we find ourselves accountable for missing what truly matters.
In practice
During a photography workshop, when discussing the importance of being present while capturing images.
I hate outlines. I have a broad sense of where the story is going; I know the end, I know the end of the principal characters, and I know the major turning points and events from the books, the climaxes for each book, but I don't necessarily know each twist and turn along the way. That's something I discover in the course of writing and that's what makes writing enjoyable. I think if I outlined comprehensively and stuck to the outline the actual writing would be boring.
My paintings are not about what is seen. They are about what is known forever in the mind.
ALL ART, OF COURSE, IS INTELLECTUAL, BUT FOR ME, ALL THE ARTS, AND CINEMA EVEN MORE SO, MUST ABOVE ALL BE EMOTIONAL AND ACT UPON THE HEART.
Whatever I do with music, I try to make it align deeply with the values and principles of who I am and what I believe the purpose of my life is.
My directors of photography light my films, but the colours of the sets, furnishings, clothes, hairstyles - that's me. Everything that's in front of the camera, I bring you.
I prefer the old masters, by which I mean John Ford, John Ford, and John Ford.
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