Walker Evans

“With the camera, it's all or nothing. You either get what you're after at once, or what you do has to be worthless.”

“Documentary? That’s a very sophisticated and misleading word. And not really clear... The term should be documentary style.”

“The secret of photography is, the camera takes on the character and personality of the handler.”

“I'm sometimes called a 'documentary photographer' but... a man operating under that definition could take a picture of a man killing his grandmother with an axe and say, 'I'm a documentary photographer'.”

“What I'm after, what I've always been after is a picture that tells the truth.”

“Stare. It is the way to educate your eye, and more. Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.”

“Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joy-giver.”

“I used to try to figure out precisely what I was seeing all the time, until I discovered I didn't need to. If the thing is there, why, there it is.”

“I think it's a pity that we're not taught how to look. We're taught how to read, but we're not taught how to see.”

“Good photography is not about 'shot' or 'taken'. It is about 'made'.”