“I have this awareness that the more dynamic the situation is, the more on guard I need to be that the dynamic isn't controlling the situation. I found that myself in the Galapagos. For the first time in my life I was around very exotic animals, colorful, beautiful, and immediately present, all around. Birds, turtles, iguanas, seals. I was being seduced by their exoticism, I was taking pictures.The pictures weren't well lit, there was no moment in play, there was no depth to the pictures. I was just gawking with my camera at something I'd never seen before.” NeedsFirstsWellsPlayMomentsBeautifulFoundAnimalSituationAwarenessBirdFirst TimeCamerasDepthLitExoticSealsColorfulTurtlesTaking PicturesIguanasExotic Animals Author:Sam Abell
“First of all, I appropriate photographs.In presenting the Richard Prince photograph I tried to be as neutral as I could be. I put down the fact of it. I wanted it to be the same thing he wanted it to be, an open ended invitation to think about authorship, and who owns a created work. So I pair it with my appropriated picture.” ThinkingFirstsFactsWantedPhotographAppropriatePairsInvitationsPresentingAuthorship Author:Sam Abell
“[In the late 80's] that's the first time I heard about that astonishing idea [that most photographs would be taken on telephones]. And now I've been watching the tsunami of images.” FirstsIdeasWould BeTakenHeardLateFirst TimePhotographTelephonesAstonishingTsunami Author:Sam Abell
“In my first class at the University of Kentucky, my American Literature professor came in, and the first sentence out of his mouth was "The central theme of American Literature is an attempt to reconcile what we've done to the New World." wrote that down in my notebook, and thought, "What is he talking about?" But that's what I think about now. The New World and what we've done to it.” ThinkingWorldFirstsDoneLiteratureTalkingClassMouthsUniversitySentencesThemeProfessorsNew WorldNotebookReconcileFirst ClassKentuckyAmerican Literature Author:Sam Abell
“My first priority when taking pictures is to achieve clarity. A good documentary photograph transmits the information of the situation with the utmost fidelity; achieving it means understanding the nuances of lighting and composition, and also remembering to keep the lenses clean and the cameras steady.” FirstsMeanRememberUnderstandingSituationAchieveInformationPhotographyCamerasCleanPhotographerPhotographPrioritiesClaritySteadyCompositionDocumentariesLensesFidelityLightingNuanceTransmitTaking Pictures Author:Sam Abell
“'Woman on the Plaza,' with its distinct horizon, snow-like surfaces, wintry wall, stunning sunlight, sharp shadows, and hurrying figure, would become the most biographical of my photographs - an abstract image of the landscape and life of northern Ohio where I grew up and first practiced photography.” FirstsFiguresWallGrewPhotographyGrew UpShadowPhotographSurfaceSnowLandscapeAbstractHorizonSunlightOhioStunningHurrying Author:Sam Abell
“When I first went to 'National Geographic,' I thought I was the least qualified person to step through the doors. But because of my parents and the culture of continual learning they imposed on us, I later came to believe I was the most qualified person who ever worked there.” FirstsBelievePersonsCultureParentStepsDoorsQualifiedNational Geographic Author:Sam Abell
