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Quote by Gregory Crewdson

“Since a photograph is frozen and mute, since there is no before and after, I don't want there to be a conscious awareness of any kind of literal narrative. And that's why I really try not to pump up motivation or plot or anything like that.”

Quote by Gregory Crewdson

Author

Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson is an American photographer known for his meticulously crafted, narrative-driven photographs. His work often depicts fictional, surreal scenes with a cinematic narrative style. Crewdson's photographs delve into the complexities and contradictions of middle-class American life. more

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“I want to privilege the moment.”

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“The viewer is more likely to project their own narrative onto the picture.”

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“I'm very moved by the fact that people are drawn into the pictures and that they do bring their own history and their own interpretation to the photograph. I think that's why they work in a certain way.”

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“I do think that dread is about a certain kind of expectation. And the fact that a picture can never resolve itself the way a movie can - maybe that's a specific kind of dread that becomes associated with a picture.”

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“I was never conscious of filming except for when I was location scouting. In a way, that is the most important part of the entire process - and the most private. I'm so used to doing that alone. Unlike every other part, it's just me, alone, on location.It's very hard to describe what I'm looking for - something that feels both familiar and strange at the same time. It's not enough for it just to be strange or mysterious, it also has to feel very ordinary, very familiar, and very nondescript.”

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Author:Gregory Crewdson

“Usually I'll drive to certain locations over and over again, over a course of months really. And then it might just be I hit it at the right time, and the right light. And then I might go to that location over and over again, and then what happens in that lag time where - the image sort of locks in - all of a sudden I see it in my mind's eye.”

Mind Light Might Happens Eye Certain Courses Months Locks Location Right Time Lag

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“Making that final commitment is really hard. Because once you decide to move forward, it becomes a whole process which is really hard to stop.”

Hard Whole Moving Process Commitment Finals Moving Forward

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“In "Twilight," the narratives are more literal, and the event is much more spectacular. The pictures in "Beneath the Roses" are much more psychological and grounded in reality.”

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Author:Gregory Crewdson

“I think that's the nature of representation. No matter what it will disappoint, it will fail in some way.But that's also part of the magic of art. If every picture met my expectation in exactly the right way, there'd be no mystery; there'd be no gap between what's in my head and the picture I make.”

Ifs Thinking Way Art Matter Failing Magic Mystery Mets Expectations No Matter What Gaps Representation Right Way Disappoint

Author:Gregory Crewdson

“You have this ambition to make something perfect, exactly right. Of course, necessarily, it fails in some way and you have to accept that for what it is, and then you're on to the next thing.”

Way Courses Next Perfect Accepting Failing Ambition

Author:Gregory Crewdson