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Quote by Alfred Eisenstaedt

“Yes, I sold buttons to earn living. But I took pictures to keep on living. Pictures are my life – as necessary as eating or breathing.”

Quote by Alfred Eisenstaedt

Author

Alfred Eisenstaedt

Alfred Eisenstaedt, born on December 6, 1898 in Germany and died on August 24, 1995 in the United States, was one of the most renowned photographers of the 20th century. Known for his work with Life magazine, Eisenstaedt was celebrated for his ability to capture historic moments. His most famous photograph, 'The Kiss of Victory,' taken on August 24, 1945 in New York's Times Square, became a symbol of the end of World War II. more

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“Retire? Retire from What? Life? I will only retire when I am dead!”

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“Another picture I hope to be remembered by is this one of the drum major rehearsing at the University of Michigan. It was early in this morning, and I saw a little boy running after him, all the faculty children in the playing field ran after the boy, and I ran after them. This is a completely spontaneous, unstaged picture.”

“When I photographed Marilyn Monroe, I mixed up my cameras - one had black-and-white film, the other color. I took many pictures. Only two color ones came out all right. My favorite picture of Marilyn hangs always on the wall in my office. It was taken on the little patio of her Hollywood house.”

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“In New York’s Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers.”

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“Negatives are the notebooks, the jottings, the false starts, the whims, the poor drafts, and the good draft but never the completed version of the work The print and a proper one is the only completed photograph, whether it is specifically shaded for reproduction, or for a museum wall.”

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“Hardening of the categories causes art disease.”

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“Most photographers seem to operate with a pane of glass between themselves and their subjects. They just can't get inside and know the subject.”

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“What use having a great depth of field, if there is not an adequate depth of feeling?”

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“The purpose of all art is to cause a deep and emotion, also one that is entertaining or pleasing. Out of the depth and entertainment comes value.”

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“In music I still prefer the minor key, and in printing I like the light coming from the dark. I like pictures that surmount the darkness, and many of my photographs are that way. It is the way I see photographically. For practical reasons, I think it looks better in print too.”

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