“If you look at a photograph, and you think, 'My isn't that a beautiful photograph,' and you go on to the next one, or 'Isn't that nice light?' so what? I mean what does it do to you or what's the real value in the long run? What do you walk away from it with? I mean, I'd much rather show you a photograph that makes demands on you, that you might become involved in on your own terms or be perplexed by.” IfsThinkingLooksMeanLongDoeRealShowsLightMightRunningBeautifulValuesNextTermWalksNiceGoes OnInvolvedDemandPhotographLong RunsThe Next OneReal ValuePerplexed Author:Duane Michals
“I think that the photographer must completely control his picture and bring to it all his personality, and in this area most photographs never transcend being just snapshots. When a great photographer does infuse the snapshot with his personality and vision, it can be transformed into something truly moving and beautiful.” ThinkingDoeBeautifulMovingVisionPersonalityAreasPhotographerPhotographTransformedSnapshots Author:Duane Michals
“You can never capture a person in picture, never. You might get an interesting expression or gesture. I almost never research a picture subject ahead of time. I think Karsh is full of baloney. Can you imagine spending a whole week out in La Jolla with Jonas Salk soaking up his ambiance, then wind up making him look as if he's in the studio in Ottawa with his thumb under his chin?” IfsThinkingLooksPersonsWholeMightInterestingImagineWeekSubjectsExpressionWindResearchStudiosSpendingCaptureGesturesThumbsChinsAhead Of TimeSoakingBaloneyOttawaAmbiance Author:Duane Michals
“I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways.” PeopleThinkingKnowsWayShouldFacesSeeingMagicPhotographNew WaysGreat PowerProvocative Author:Duane Michals
“I still find doing portraits a terrific challenge, but even though I've done hundreds of them, I've never stopped questioning the very nature of portraiture because it deals exclusively with appearances. I've never believed people are what they look like and think it's impossible to really know what people are.” PeopleThinkingKnowsLooksStillsDoneChallengesDealsImpossibleAppearanceQuestioningPortraitsTerrificPortraiture Author:Duane Michals
“I think photographers are too polite. There is not enough anger in photography; it's pretty much trivialized.” ThinkingEnoughPhotographyPhotographerPolite Author:Duane Michals