Quotes by Robert Frank

“There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment. This kind of photography is realism. But realism is not enough - there has to be vision, and the two together can make a good photograph.”

“Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.”

“I have been frequently accused of deliberately twisting subject matter to my point of view. Above all, I know that life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference. Opinion often consists of a kind of criticism. But criticism can come out of love.”

“My photographs are not planned or composed in advance, and I do not anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind, something has been accomplished.”

“I always say that I dont want to be sentimental, that the photographs shouldnt be sentimental, and yet, I am conscious of my sentimentality.”

“It is always the instantaneous reaction to oneself that produces a photograph.”

“Were looking at a big picture. We need to know whats going on out there - to be able to tell people whats working and not working, and what needs to be under review.”

“Teams that play games on Saturday, half of them win and half of them lose no matter how much everybody spends. The real finding is there is absolutely not a shred of evidence that if all major college athletic programs were to cut spending by, say, 25 percent or even 50 percent that there would be any reduction in the gains attributed to athletic programs -- financial, alumni donations. All of those gains would proceed on pace.”

“It sounds like hes gone nuclear. That puts pressure on all other programs to keep up — and theyll try.”

“Its not that attention doesnt matter. But the surprising thing is that it doesnt matter more than it does.”

When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice.

The eye should learn to listen before it looks.

Above all, life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference

There are too many images, too many cameras now. We’re all being watched. It gets sillier and sillier. As if all action is meaningful. Nothing is really all that special. It’s just life. If all moments are recorded, then nothing is beautiful and maybe photography isn’t an art anymore. Maybe it never was

Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.

You do your work as a photographer and everything becomes past. Words are more like thoughts; the photographers picture is always surrounded by a kind of romantic glamor - no matter what you do, and how you twist it.