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Minor White

Minor White Books

Photographer

Minor White (July 9, 1908 – June 24, 1976) was an American photographer, critic, and educator, renowned for his abstract, symbolic black-and-white photographs. He was a key figure in mid-20th-century photography, advocating for the medium as a means of spiritual expression. White served as editor of Aperture magazine and taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, influencing generations of photographers. His work often explores the deep connections between nature and human emotion, blending mysticism with visual aesthetics.

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Related Quotes

“To get from the tangible to the intangible (which mature artists in any medium claim as part of their task) a paradox of some kind has frequently been helpful. For the photographer to free himself of the tyranny of the visual facts upon which he is utterly dependent, a paradox is the only possible tool. And the talisman paradox for unique photography is to work "the mirror with a memory" as if it were a mirage, and the camera is a metamorphosing machine, and the photograph as if it were a metaphor…. Once freed of the tyranny of surfaces and textures, substance and form [the photographer] can use the same to pursue poetic truth" (Minor White, Newhall, 281).”

Art Wisdom Reality Inspiration Artist Photography Illusion Metaphor Concept Minor White

Author:Minor White

“Watching the way the current moves a blade of grass - sometimes I've seen that happen and it has just turned me inside out.”

Way Sometimes Happens Moving Currents Grass Blades Blades Of Grass

Author:Minor White

“Sometimes we work so fast that we don't really understand what's going on in front of the camera. We just kind of sense that, 'Oh my God, it's significant!' and photograph impulsively while trying to get the exposure right. Exposure occupies my mind while intuition frames the images.”

Trying Mind Kind Sometimes Fronts Cameras Photograph Intuition Significant Exposure

Author:Minor White

“The state of mind of the photographer creating is a blank. I might add that this condition exists only at special times, namely when looking for pictures. -Something keeps him from falling off curbs, down open manholes, into bumpers of skidding trucks while in this condition but goes off duty at other times. . . . This is a very special kind of blank. A very active state of mind really, it is a very receptive state. . .”

Mind Kind States Might Fall Special Conditions Duty Creating Add Photographer Active State Of Mind Blank Truck Receptive Curb Bumper Falling Off Special Times

Author:Minor White

“...insight, vision, moments of revelation. During those rare moments something overtakes the man and he becomes the tool of a greater Force; the servant of, willing or unwilling depending on his degree of awakeness. The photograph, then, is a message more than a mirror, and the mans a messenger who happens to be a photographer.”

Men Moments Happens Force Vision Greater Willing He Man Degrees Messages Tools Mirrors Photographer Photograph Insight Servant Revelations Unwilling Messengers Rare Moments

Author:Minor White

“The camera is first a means of self-discovery and a means of self-growth. The artist has one thing to say - himself.”

Firsts Mean Self Artist Growth One Thing Discovery Cameras Self Discovery Self Growth

Author:Minor White

“No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen.”

Long Stills Matter Enough Film Spirit Photography Photographer Chosen Film Photography

Author:Minor White

“Be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence.”

Stills Attention Objects Photography Photographer Your Presence

Author:Minor White

“Often while traveling with a camera we arrive just as the sun slips over the horizon of a moment, too late to expose film, only time enough to expose our hearts.”

Heart Enough Moments Film Sun Travel Late Photography Cameras Too Late Horizon Slips Only Time Camera And Photography Film Photography

Author:Minor White

“I'm always mentally photographing everything as practice.”

Practice Photography Photographer

Author:Minor White

“When gifts are given to me through my camera, I accept them graciously.”

Given Accepting Photography Cameras Photographer

Author:Minor White

“There's no particular class of photograph that I think is any better than any other class. I'm always and forever looking for the image that has spirit! I don't give a damn how it got made.”

Thinking Giving Made Spirit Class Forever Particular Photography Photographer Photograph Damn Don't Give A Damn Always And Forever I Don't Give A Damn

Author:Minor White

“We emphasized the creativeness that happens at the moment of seeing over the kind that takes place in the dark room.”

Kind Moments Happens Dark Rooms Seeing Photography Dark Room Creativeness

Author:Minor White

“Reaching a 'creative' state of mind thru positive action is considered preferable to waiting for 'inspiration'.”

Mind States Inspiration Action Waiting Creative Photography Photographer Reaching State Of Mind

Author:Minor White

“Students were taught by doing.”

Students Taught Photography

Author:Minor White

“Let the subject generate its own photographs. Become a camera.”

Subjects Photography Cameras Photograph

Author:Minor White

“The development of a love of medium and a responsibility for one's own pictures is an overall goal.”

Goal Responsibility Development Photography Mediums

Author:Minor White

“Photography is a language more universal than words.”

Language Photography Universal Photographer Inspirational Photography

Author:Minor White

“At first glance a photograph can inform us. At second glance it can reach us.”

Firsts Photography Photographer Photograph Glances

Author:Minor White

“If all your life means to you is water running over rocks, then photograph it, but I want to create something that would not have existed without me.”

Ifs Want Mean Running Water Rocks Photography Photograph Life Means

Author:Minor White

“The photographer projects himself into everything he sees, identifying himself with everything in order to know it and to feel it better.”

Knows Feels Order Projects Photography Photographer Identifying

Author:Minor White

“We could teach photography as a way to make a living, and best of all, somehow to get students to experience for themselves photography as a way of life.”

Way Teach Students Photography Photographer

Author:Minor White

“When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave until you have captured its essence.”

Firsts Stills Attention Objects Approach Essence Photograph Captured Your Presence

Author:Minor White

“All photographs are self-portraits.”

Self Photographer Photograph Portraits Self Portrait

Author:Minor White

“It is curious that I always want to group things, a series of sonnets, a series of photographs; whatever rationalizations appear, they originate in urges that are rarely satisfied with single images.”

Want Groups Series Photographer Photograph Satisfied Curious Urges Sonnet

Author:Minor White

“To engage a sequence, we keep in mind the photographs on either side of the one in our eye.”

Mind Eye Sides Photographer Photograph Sequence

Author:Minor White

“Before he has seen the whole, how unusually perceptive and imaginative the person must be to evolve the entire sequence by meditating on its single, pair or triplet of essential images.”

Persons Whole Essentials Photographer Evolve Pairs Imaginative Sequence Meditating Triplet

Author:Minor White

“While we cannot describe its appearance (the equivalent), we can define its function. When a photograph functions as an Equivalent we can say that at that moment, and for that person the photograph acts as a symbol or plays the role of a metaphor for something that is beyond the subject photographed.”

Persons Play Moments Roles Subjects Function Photographer Photograph Metaphor Appearance Symbols That Moment

Author:Minor White

“One should not only photograph things for what they are but for what else they are.”

Should Photographer Photograph

Author:Minor White

“Camera and eye are together a time machine with which the mind and human being can do the same kind of violence to time and space as dreams.”

Mind Humans Kind Dream Eye Together Can Do Human Beings Space Violence Machines Cameras Time And Space Time Machine

Author:Minor White

“The reason why we want to remember an image varies: because we simply 'love it,' or dislike it so intensely that it becomes compulsive, or because it has made us realize something about ourselves, or has brought about some slight change in us. Perhaps the reader can recall some image, after the seeing of which he has never been quite the same.”

Want Art Made Reason Remember Realizing Creativity Seeing Reader Photography Reason Why Dislike Recalls Vary Simply Love

Author:Minor White

“If I have anything to give you through camera, it must be of myself. … A gnawing burns inside … to make something of myself worth giving.”

Ifs Giving Cameras Self Worth

Author:Minor White

“When I look at pictures I have made, I have forgotten what I saw in front of the camera and respond only to what I am seeing in the photographs.”

Looks Made Saws Seeing Fronts Cameras Photograph Forgotten

Author:Minor White

“Different levels of photography require different levels of understanding and skill. A "press the button, let George do the rest" photographer needs little or no technical knowledge of photography. A zone system photographer takes more responsibility. He visualizes before he presses the button, and afterwards calibrates for predictable print values.”

Needs Littles Different Values Understanding Levels Responsibility Skills Photography Presses Photographer Photograph Zone Print Buttons Predictable Different Levels Technical Knowledge

Author:Minor White

“Some of the young photographers today enter photography where I leave off. My "grandchildren" astound me. What I worked for they seem to be born with. So I wonder where Their affirmations of Spirit will lead. My wish for them is that their unfolding proceeds to fullness of Spirit, however astonishing or anguished their lives.”

Seems Today Young Spirit Wish Born Wonder Photography Photographer Affirmation Grandchildren Fullness Astonishing Unfolding My Grandchildren My Wish

Author:Minor White

“One does not photograph something simply for 'what it is', but 'for what else it is.”

Author:Minor White

“In putting images together I become active, and excitement is of another order - synthesis overshadows analysis.”

Together Order Photographer Active Analysis Excitement Synthesis

Author:Minor White

“A very receptive state of mind... not unlike a sheet of film itself - seemingly inert, yet so sensitive that a fraction of a second's exposure conceives a life in it.”

Mind States Film Photographer Sensitive State Of Mind Sheets Exposure Fractions Receptive Scientism

Author:Minor White

“...innocence of eye has a quality of its own. It means to see as a child sees, with freshness and acknowledgment of the wonder; it also means to see as an adult sees who has gone full circle and once again sees as a child - with freshness and an even deeper sense of wonder.”

Mean Children Eye Quality Wonder Gone Adults Photographer Deeper Circles Innocence Freshness Sense Of Wonder Acknowledgment Full Circle

Author:Minor White

“Photographers who come up with power never get accused of imitating anyone else even though they photograph the same broom, same street, same portraits.”

Streets Photographer Photograph Come Up Portraits Accused Imitating Brooms

Author:Minor White

“When I looked at things for what they are I was fool enough to persist in my folly and found that each photograph was a mirror of my Self.”

Self Enough Found Fool Mirrors Photographer Photograph Folly Persist

Author:Minor White

“I have often photographed when I am not in tune with nature but the photographs look as if I had been. So I conclude that something in nature says, 'Come and take my photograph.' So I do, regardless of how I feel.”

Ifs Feels Looks Photographer Photograph Tunes

Author:Minor White

About the Author

Born: July 9, 1908
Died: June 24, 1976
Known for: Photographer
Quotes: 42

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