Robert Mapplethorpe
[Photographer, b. 1946, Floral Park, Long Island, d. 1989, Boston, Massachusetts.]
I went into photography because it seemed like the perfect vehicle for commenting on the madness of today’s existence.
Berenice Abbott
[Photographer, writer, teacher, b. 1898, Springfield, Ohio, d. 1991, Monson, Maine.]
I think the important decision for a photographer is to choose a subject that intensely interests him or her.
Ruth Orkin
[Photographer, b. 1921, Boston, Massachusetts, d. 1985, New York.]
My mother said that when I was young I was constantly saying, “Look at this—Look at that.” I think that taking pictures must be my way of asking people to “Look at this—Look at that.” If my photographs make the viewer feel what I did when I first took them—“Isn’t this funny... terrible... moving... beautiful?”—then I’ve accomplished my purpose.
Julia Margaret Cameron
[Photographer, b. 1815, Calcutta, India, d. 1879, Kalutara, Ceylon.]
I longed to arrest all beauty that came before me, and at length the longing has been satisfied.
Anders Petersen
[Photographer, b. 1944, Solna, Sweden, lives in Stockholm.]
That 15th of a second. Once you’ve been there,
you keep on wanting to get back.
Chris Burden
[Artist, b. 1946, Boston, Massachusetts, d. 2015, Los Angeles.]
It’s about trying to frame something. And draw attention to it and say, “Here’s the beauty in this. I’m going to put a frame around it, and I think this is beautiful.” That’s what artists do. It’s really a pointing activity.
Man Ray (Emanuel Radnitsky)
[Artist, b. 1890, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, d. 1976, Paris.]
Speaking of nudes, I have always had a great fondness for this subject, both in my paintings and in my photos, and I must admit, not for purely artistic reasons.
Robert Adams
[Photographer and writer, b. 1937, Orange, New Jersey, lives in Astoria, Oregon.]
Mainly, you photograph because it’s fun. It’s serious too, but that’s the other side of fun.
