Next to my love for photography, I\u2019ve always been a fan of reading, words, Quotes and inspiration. I read a lot, and every once in a while, I find a passage, a line of such significance, that you want to save it for later. This is one of the reasons why you will find a quote in the header of each story on this blog. This article is a selection of quotes that resonate with me. Some will be known, some might not be. Some will be used in the aforementioned headers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nTaking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.<\/em><\/p>\nDiane Arbus<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
At the time I was just starting my venture into\u00a0street photography<\/a>. In my opinion,\u00a0Diane<\/a>\u2018s comparison between tiptoeing to steal Oreo cookies and being in \u201cstealth\u201d mode to \u201csteal\u201d a beautiful picture makes for a cool and funny quote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On quality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nTwelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop<\/em><\/p>\nAnsel Adams<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Nowadays, it\u2019s easy to get overwhelmed by the number of images we are shown. A lot of them good, some of them excellent, and a lot of them, well, let\u2019s put it mildly, not so good. Social media want to trap us more and more into their advertising web, and when you don\u2019t post regularly, you\u2019re just not shown. I had thought a lot about this and was getting tired of social media, and having to post mediocre photos just to keep up. Ansel<\/a> said it right, so I decided to only post good stuff (in my eyes) anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On photography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nThe best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.<\/em><\/p>\nAndy Warhol<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Well, Andy<\/a> said it, and he\u2019s right. Life is just a string of fleeting moments. People come, people go, and people change. With photography, you capture such a fleeting moment and can keep it. Until your hard drive crashes of course, but that\u2019s a different story altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On observation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nTo me, photography is an art of observation. It\u2019s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place\u2026 I\u2019ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.<\/em><\/p>\nElliott Erwitt<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Isn\u2019t this quote by Erwitt<\/a> true also? On the one hand, you can take beautiful photos everywhere. On the other hand, not all of us can! And, on the other hand, all photos we make, are in some way a mirror of our own self. Of how we see the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Beauty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nWe are often taught to look for the beauty in all things, so in finding it, the layman asks the philosopher while the philosopher asks the photographer.<\/em><\/p>\nCriss Jami<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
In no way do I want to say that photographers know or see more than philosophers or \u201claymen\u201d. But, I do think that when your passion lies with photography, you tend to look at your surroundings a bit more, and maybe see appreciate the beauty in the world in a different way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nPhotography is a love affair with life.<\/em><\/p>\nBurk Uzzle<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The more I started letting go during my life, the more I started thinking about this quote by Burk Uzzle, and the more I found that I was in love with life. And I savour every second of it, either good or bad. And I am fortunate enough to be able to document this life in my own way, through photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On portraiture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nIt\u2019s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it\u2019s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.<\/em><\/p>\nPaul Caponigro<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
As I was contemplating my past, present, and future endeavours as a photographer, I found that indeed, you can make beautiful photos of people. But it doesn\u2019t cut it for me. I want to photograph people as they are. I often find myself loving the candid, in-between shots on a photoshoot more than the posed ones. So I agree with Paul<\/a> on this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On falling in love<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nA thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.<\/em><\/p>\nAnnie Leibovitz<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
I think Annie<\/a> said it, and I don\u2019t know about other photographers, but it happens to me, all the time. I think in order to get intimacy into a portrait, you have to open your heart to your subject, be it a person, an abandoned building, or a landscape. So don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not a creepy \u201cI\u2019ll stalk you\u201d love, but having an open heart for the one in front of your camera. I think that is important. That\u2019s also why I don\u2019t shoot just anyone and want to get to know the people I shoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On burning out<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nWe tediously create calendars filled with empty duties, and then we foolishly let those calendars empty us.<\/em><\/p>\nCraig D. Lounsbrough<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Well, that was a time in my life I would not recommend to anyone, so Lounsbrough\u2019s text felt right in place. I was in a burnout for a couple of months. The good thing about this time in my life is that I no longer let those calendars empty me. I decide what I want to do with my life, and leave ample time for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On rules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nI didn\u2019t write the rules. Why would I follow them?<\/em><\/p>\nW. Eugene Smith<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Well, the old anarchist in me had to rear its (not so) ugly head. This is of course true in life as well as in photography. In life, of course, there\u2019s the stuff that\u2019s considered normal behaviour. Like being a decent human being. And there are agreements on how to behave in situations, so you won\u2019t crash cars into each other on every crossroad. And it\u2019s ok to live by these. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there are enough situations in which you can bend those rules as long as nobody comes to harm. The same for photography, if everybody would always follow the \u201crules\u201d, photography would be a dull place. So there\u2019s no shame in understanding and then breaking them from time to time. So hats off to you, W. Eugene<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On new beginnings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nAnd now let us welcome the new year, full of things that never were.<\/em><\/p>\nRainer Maria Rilke<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
I posted this one by Rilke<\/a> around this time last year. Well, 2020 has been a year full of things that never were. Damn. Let\u2019s hope 2021 will be a bit easier for all of us again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On balance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\nMost people get a fair amount of fun out of their lives, but on balance, life is suffering, and only the very young or the very foolish imagine otherwise.<\/em><\/p>\nGeorge Orwell<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Another burnout quote actually. And very Buddhist of Mr. Orwell<\/a>. Life is suffering. And when you know that, it\u2019s okay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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