8 Inspiring Photography Quotes

Morning Exercise

Today, I am going to shoot someone… and they will love me for it!

Unknown
This quote reminds me of a New York taxi driver who made a photography book called Drive-by Shootings.

I don’t trust words. I trust pictures.

Gilles Peress
A simple quote from Gilles Peress who has covered The Troubles in Northern Ireland for years. “Whatever you say, say nothing” is his book on The North.

We see in colour all the time. Black and white is therefore immediately an interpretation of the world, rather than a copy.

Michael Kenna
This is brilliant from Kenna, he sees colour photography as a direct copy of life where as black and white is a more surreal and abstract way of looking at things.

The eye should learn to listen before it looks.

Henri Cartier-Bresson
I like this quote form Robert Frank and what I think it means is that you should observe a seen and watch and listen to what people are saying and doing before you start taking pictures.

Actually, I’m not all that interested in the subject of photography. Once the photo is in the box, I’m not all that interested in what happens next. Hunters, after all, aren’t cooks.

Henri Cartier-Bresson
What he means here is that Bresson was only interested in the process of taking pictures and not so much into the technical part of photography. I also believe that Bresson didn’t do his own printing.

Once photography enters your bloodstream, it is like a disease.

Anon
I remember seeing a book by Don McCullin called the Destructive Business and I got hooked straight away. It was a bit like heroin for the eye, just couldn’t get enough of it.

After following the crowd for a while, I’d then go 180 degrees in the exact opposite direction. It always worked for me.

Elliott Erwitt
What I believe this quote from Erwitt means, is constantly retrace your steps find and different things that you didn’t find the first time. Constantly go back to the place you photograph before.

The photograph itself doesn’t interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.

Henri Cartier-Bresson
Bresson was obsessed about detail so much so that he forgot about the what he was taking to look for the smallest of details in people and things.

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Perth , Australia| 2025

Kirsty Greenland is a street photographer based in Perth, Western Australia. Her work explores the randomness and beauty of unposed moments, with a focus on colour, movement, and the play of light and shadow. Inspired by Perth’s beaches and the city’s vibrant parades and festivals, her photography reflects a search for connection with place. Originally from Melbourne, she spent many years living overseas before settling in Perth, where all of the photographs in this collection were taken. Her work has been exhibited and published in both Australian and international outlets.

Newport, U.K.| 1990

This series was photographed in Newport, Wales. The work looks at everyday life in the city during a period of change and uncertainty. Children played in abandoned buildings left behind by redevelopment. In church halls, ballet lessons and drawing classes carried on, giving structure and creativity to young people’s lives. At the same time, older residents kept up their routines, swimming together and holding on to traditions of community. The photographs record ordinary moments in Newport—play, learning, and leisure—set against the backdrop of a city in transition.

Several countries 2025

“Peter wanted to capture what he saw on his travels. Drawing and painting felt too slow, but in 1976 he discovered that the camera was perfect. With just a couple of lenses and a few rolls of film in his pocket, he could create memories to last a lifetime—each picture telling its own story.” www.instagram.com/colnagoeps/