Photography is essentially an act of recognition by street photographers, not an act of invention. Photographers might respond to an old man’s face, or an Arbus freak, or the way light hits a building–and then they move on. Whereas in all the other art forms, take William Blake, everything that came to that paper never existed before. It’s the idea of alchemy, of making something from nothing. . Duane Michals
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Many people think of photography as the natural evolution of art, but it is really the opposite. Art has progressed so far that it is now more about invention than recognition. The new invention seems to have the same value as the old invention. Take, for instance, Blake's painting of "The Ghost of a Flea." It is art because Blake invented it. It is also art because people recognize it as an original creation.

Some Similar Quotes
  1. Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second. - Marc Riboud
  2. The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. - Dorothea Lange
  3. When I look at my old pictures, all I can see is what I used to be but am no longer. I think: What I can see is what I am not. - Aleksandar Hemon
  4. Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have somone click the shutter. - Ansel Adams
  5. A photographer is like a cod, which produces a million eggs in order that one may reach maturity. - George Bernard Shaw
More Quotes By Duane Michals
  1. Photography is like exploring a new dimension, only I can go there but I can show you where I've been.
  2. Some days you just get lucky… Other days you wait patiently for luck to happen
  3. Photography is the art of making memories tangible.
  4. The horizon is the fine line between golden hour and blue hour.
  5. Photography is the story I fail to put into words.
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