Quotes by W. Eugene Smith

“With photography a new language has been created. Now for the first time it is possible to express reality by reality. We can look at an impression as long as we wish, we can delve into it and, so to speak, renew past experiences at will.”

“The camera can photograph thought”

“Im always mentally photographing everything as practice.”

“Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph; not searching for unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual.”

“Photography to the amateur is recreation, to the professional it is work, and hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it my be.”

“Photography has the capacity to provide images of man and his environment that are both works of art and moments in history.”

“Passion is in all great searches and is necessary to all creative endeavors.”

“With out passion you dont have energy, with out energy you have nothing.”

“Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.”

“Conscience is the voice of the soul; the passions are the voice of the body”

“Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. Always, I am on the threshold.”

“Photography suits the temper of this age -- of active bodies and minds. It is a perfect medium for one whose mind is teeming with ideas, imagery, for a prolific worker who would be slowed down by painting or sculpting, for one who sees quickly and acts decisively, accurately.”