“In the last workshop I taught, a woman flew in from Thailand. She's a medical doctor in Bangkok. I asked her in her one-on-one session where she wanted photography to be in her life.Did she want a second career? Was it about earning money? Or was it art? And she said "None of those. I want photography to be serious in my life." It would be like someone wanting music, like piano playing, to be a richer, deeper, and maybe even harder experience.” WantArtSaidWould BeWantedLastsCareersTaughtSeriousPhotographyDoctorsHarderDeeperMedicalPianoEarningSessionFlewWorkshopsOne On OneThailandEarning MoneyPiano PlayingBangkokMedical Doctor Author:Sam Abell
“That's who comes to my workshops. I jokingly tell my students that the class could be called "Your photographs: Better."” ClassStudentsPhotographWorkshops Author:Sam Abell
“Though Geographic didn't publish that photo in the story that it was done for, "The Life of Charlie Russell," a cowboy artist in Montana. But later, maybe a year and a half ago, they named it one of the 50 greatest pictures ever made at National Geographic.” YearsMadeDoneStoriesArtistHalfCowboyPublishCharlieMontanaNational Geographic Author:Sam Abell
“There are things that I teach, about building photographs, and that's why people come to my workshops. When people come to the workshops, they're consumed with seeking the subject, and I teach seeking the setting.” PeopleTeachSubjectsBuildingPhotographSeekingSettingSettingsConsumedWorkshops Author:Sam Abell
“I did it once, and National Geographic recruited me. I did it primarily out of curiosity. A lot of legendary photographers had worked on that campaign. Ernst Haas had done the early photography, and I knew him. There's a lore in photography about that campaign, and I was curious.” DonePhotographyCuriosityPhotographerCampaignsCuriousLegendaryNational Geographic Author:Sam Abell
“I will just say, appropriation is an intellectual idea until it happens to you. It's a philosophy, and it's got its own intellectual framework. Then there's what happens when it's your photograph. Then it's personal, and that's all I'll say.” IdeasPhilosophyHappensIntellectualPhotographFrameworkAppropriation Author:Sam Abell
“The reason I don't want to say anything about it is it has a strange power to take over the conversation. Just like it's doing with us. I was asked to participate in a documentary about Richard Prince, and be the voice of someone who was appropriated, and I declined. The reason I did is I don't want it to be the subject of the discussion of my work.” WantReasonVoiceSubjectsStrangeConversationDiscussionSay AnythingDocumentaries Author:Sam Abell
“I'm very involved in photographing America now, so I don't think of faraway places, as I did when I was young.” ThinkingAmericaYoungInvolvedFaraway Places Author:Sam Abell
