96 Most Inspirational Photography Quotes in 2023

It’s no wonder that photography quotes are one of the most popular things to share on social media, usually by other photographers, of course.

Reading one line that encapsulates our love for photography and art is powerful and often reminds us of the importance of documenting moments with our cameras.

Here’s a selection of the most inspirational photography quotes primarily made by great and famous photographers over the past 100 years.

No matter whether you’re an amateur learning more about photography or you’re looking for the best picture caption, our favorite list of 96 iconic quotes about photography will definitely inspire you.

Feel free to download any of these aesthetic pictures with quotes to use on Instagram – just be sure to hashtag Shotkit so we can see them!

Also, make sure you don’t miss our articles on nature photography quotes and funny photography quotes.

What Are The Best Photography Quotes?

• “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”
  – Henri Cartier-Bresson
• “Photography is an austere and blazing poetry of the real.”
  – Ansel Adams
• “Photography is the story I fail to put into words.”
  – Destin Sparks
• “When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.”
  – Ansel Adams
• “When I photograph I make love.”
  – Alfred Stieglitz

• “The negative is the equivalent of the composer’s score and the print the performance.”
  – Ansel Adams
• “There is one thing the photo must contain – the humanity of the moment.”
  – Robert Frank
• “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”
  – Aaron Siskind
• “If you are out there shooting, things will happen for you. If you’re not out there, you’ll only hear about it.”
  – Jay Maisel
• “Photography is the art of making memories tangible.”
  – Destin Sparks

• “When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!”
  – Ted Grant
• “A good snapshot keeps a moment that s gone from running away.”
  – Eudora Welty
• “Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.”
  – Duane Michals
• “ If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”
  – Don McCullin
• “It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart, and head.”
  -Henri Cartier-Bresson

• “A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.”
  – Edward Steichen
• “It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.”
  – Paul Caponigro
• “Taking pictures is like tiptoeing into the kitchen late at night and stealing Oreo cookies.”
  – Diane Arbus

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• “A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.”
  – Annie Leibovitz
• I go and get the camera and do it. Photography is a medium in which if you don’t do it then, very often you don’t do it at all, because it doesn’t happen twice.”
  – Paul Strand

• “The photo that you took with your camera is the imagination you want to create with reality.”
  – Scott Lorenzo
• “In the world of photography, you get to share a captured moment with other people.”
  – James Wilson
• “Your photography is a record of your living, for anyone who really sees.”
  – Paul Strand
• “If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it’s already a lot. The instrument is not the camera but the photographer.”
  – Eve Arnold
• “Photographers stop photographing subjects too soon before they have exhausted the possibilities.” 
  – Dorothea Lange

• “The painter constructs, the photographer discloses.”
  – Susan Sontag
• “It is my intention to present – through the medium of photography – intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators.”
  – Ansel Adams
• “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”
  – Dorothea Lange
• “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
• “In my mind, I visualize how a particular… sight will appear on a print. If it excites me, there is a good chance it will make a good photograph. It is an intuitive sense, an ability that comes from a lot of practice.”
  – Ansel Adams

• “Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”
  – Marc Riboud
• “Once you learn to care, you can record images with your mind or on film. There is no difference between the two.”
  – Anon
• “Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art.”
  – Ambrose Bierce
• “My own eyes are no more than scouts on a preliminary search, or the camera’s eye may entirely change my idea.”
  – Edward Weston
• “Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second.”
  – Jean-Luc Godard

• “The camera makes you forget you’re there. It’s not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much.”
  – Annie Leibovitz
• “If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment.”
  – Linda McCartney
• “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.”
  – Henri Cartier-Bresson
• “There are always two people in every photo: the photographer and the viewer.”
  – Ansel Adams
• “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”
  – Diane Arbus

• “Always shoot from the shadow side.”
  – Ted Grant
• “Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.”
  – George Eastman
• “What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.”
  – Karl Lagerfeld
• “The artist’s world is limitless. It can be found anywhere far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep.” 
  – Paul Strand
• “God creates the beauty. My camera and I are a witness.”
  Mark Denman

• “Photography is an immediate reaction, drawing is a meditation.”
  – Henri Cartier-Bresson
• “Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.”
  – Matt Hardy
• “If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera.”
  – Lewis Hine
•  “Photography has been my way of bearing witness to the joy I find in seeing the extraordinary in ordinary.”
  -Harold Feinstein
• “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”
  – Ansel Adams

• “The camera is much more than a recording apparatus, it is a medium via which messages reach us from another world.”
  – Orson Welles
• “I never have taken a picture I’ve intended. They’re always better or worse.”
  – Diane Arbus
• “To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place…”
  – Eliott Erwitt
• “Today everything exists to end in a photograph.”
  – Susan Sontag
• “The art of photography is all about directing the attention of the viewer.”
  – Steven Pinker

• “It’s amazing how photography can capture just a split second of something exquisite.”
  – Kiera Cass
• “The camera sees more than the eye, so why not make use of it?”
  – Edward Weston
• “I love the people I photograph. I mean, they’re my friends. I’ve never met most of them or I don’t know them at all, yet through the image, I live with them.”
  – Bruce Gilden
• “Photography is the simplest thing in the world, but it is incredibly complicated to make it really work.”
  – Martin Parr
• “In photography, there are no shadows that cannot be illuminated.”
  – August Sander

• “One advantage of photography is that it’s visual and can transcend language.”
  – Lisa Kristine
• “My camera is my passport.”
  – Steve McCurry
• .”Photography, to me, is catching a moment which is passing, and which is true.”
  – Jacques-Henri Lartigue
• “The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong. It gives me both a point of connection and a point of separation.”
  – Susan Meiselas
• “Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure.”
  – Tony Benn

• “It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.”
  – Alfred Eisenstaedt
• “I like to photograph others before they know what their best angles are.”
  – Ellen Von Unwerth
• “We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.”
  – Ralph Hattersley
• “Photography is an itch that won’t go away. No matter how much you scratch it.”
  – Dara McGrath
• “Photography is the recording of strangeness and beauty with beguiling precision.”
  – Sebastian Smee

• “Life is like a camera. Just focus on what’s important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don’t work out, just take another shot.”
  – Anon
• “Only photograph what you love.”
  – Tim Walker
•  The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”
  – Ernst Hass
• “When I photograph, what I’m really doing is seeking answers to things.”
  – Wynn Bullock
• “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”
  – Dorothea Lange

•  “When the world asks, “what was it like?” Only the photographers can say, “See!”
  – Mark Denman
• “Once photography enters your bloodstream, it is like a disease.”
  – Anon
• “When a photo of a person looks deep into your spirit and tells you a thousand stories….. Stories from your past even before you existed, then the photo is way above any description.”
  – Sameh Elsayed
• “I didn’t choose photography, photography chose me.”
  – Gerardo Suter
• “With photography, a new language has been created. Now, for the first time, it is possible to express reality by reality. We can look at an impression as long as we wish, we can delve into it and, so to speak, renew past experiences at will.”
  – Ernst Haas

• “Photography is a means by which we learn to see the ordinary.”
  – David Bailey
• “Photography has no rules, it is not a sport. It is the result which counts, no matter how it is achieved.”
  – Bill Brandt
• “Kodak sells film, but they don’t advertise film; they advertise memories.”
  – Theodore Levitt
• “A photograph is like a recipe – the memory is the finished dish.”
  – Carrie Latet
• “Contrast is what makes photography interesting.”
  – Conrad Hall

• “Every artist has a central story to tell, and the difficulty, the impossible task, is trying to present that story in pictures”
  – Gregory Crewdson
• “I have always been fascinated by the poetic condition of twilight. By its transformative quality. Its power of turning the ordinary into something magical and otherworldly. “
  – Gregory Crewdson
• “Skill in photography is acquired by practice, and not by purchase.”
  -Percy W. Harris
• “You photograph with all your ideology.”
  – Sebastiao Salgado
• “Your inspiration is better if it comes from many different sources and your sensibilities will transform all those influences and inspiration into your own visual world. It’s like reading the book instead of watching the movie.”
  – Peter Lindbergh
• “The formula for doing a good job in photography is to think like a poet.”
  -Imogen Cunningham
• “We see in colour all the time. Black and white is therefore immediately an interpretation of the world, rather than a copy.”
  – Michael Kenna
• “The golden rule in the arts, as far as I am concerned, is that all rules are meant to be broken.”
  -Michael Kenna
• “If I have any ‘message’ worth giving to a beginner it is that there are no shortcuts in photography.” 
  – Edward Weston
• “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
• “To me, photography must suggest, not insist or explain.” 
  – Brassai

Need Some More Photography Quotes? I’ve Got You Covered!

Here’s a great selection of quotes for when you need a quick caption for a photography post on Instagram:

What are some ‘Best compliment for a photographer’ quotes?

• “Your images have a way of capturing emotions and memories that last a lifetime.”
• “Your attention to detail is what sets your work apart from the rest.”
• “You have a unique vision and your photographs truly tell a story.”
• “Your compositions are always stunning – you clearly have an eye for beauty.”
• “You have a way of capturing light that is truly magical.”
• “You make my amateur snapshots look like they were taken with a tomato!”
• “You make the world look better than it really is. Can I hire you to follow me around and make my life look more interesting?!”
• “You have a gift for capturing the essence of a moment.”
• “You have a special talent for making the ordinary look extraordinary.”

What are the best quotes on a photo pose (posing for the camera)?

• “Posing for a photo is like telling a story with your body.”
• “A good pose is worth a thousand words.”
• “Strike a pose – Madonna said it best!”
• “The pose is the silent expression of a thousand words.”
• “A pose can either make or break a photo.”
• “Let your pose do the talking.”
• “A good pose should look natural, not forced.”
• “Posing is an art. It’s not just about standing still.”
• “A camera can capture a moment, but a good pose can tell a story.”
• “The best pose is one where you forget you’re posing.”

What are some ‘proud to be a photographer’ quotes?

• “Being a photographer is about capturing a moment and preserving a memory for a lifetime.”
• “Photography is the art of capturing light and life, and I’m proud to be part of such a magnificent tradition.”
• “Being a photographer is a privilege – it allows me to see the world in a unique and creative way.”
• “I’m proud to be a photographer because every time I pick up my camera, I have the opportunity to capture a fleeting moment in time.”
• “Photography is a way to tell stories and share my vision with the world, and I’m proud to be able to do that through my images.”
• “I’m proud to be a photographer because allows me to express myself creatively.”
• “Being a photographer is a way to capture the beauty and wonder of life, and I’m proud to have the ability to do that every day.”
• “Photography is an art that connects people and evokes emotion, and I’m proud to be a part of that.”
• “Photography is a passion that has the power to inspire and impact others, and I’m proud to be able to do that through my images.”

What are some good photography visiting card quotes?

• “Capturing moments and creating memories.”
• “Turning moments into timeless art.”
• “Preserving life’s most precious moments.”
• “Transforming light into beauty.”
• “Where moments become memories and memories become art.”
• “Turning life’s little moments into works of art.”
• “Creating memories that last a lifetime.”
• “Chasing light and capturing life.”
• “Turning your memories into beautiful artwork.”

What are some quotes about long-exposure photography?

• “Long exposures are like a dance between the camera and the world, capturing the movement and flow of time.”
• “Long exposures are a way of freezing time, capturing moments that are usually fleeting and ephemeral.”
• “Long exposures allow you to see the world in a new light, capturing the magic of movement and light.
• “Long exposures are like a window into the soul of the world, revealing the beauty and complexity of the world around us.”
• “Long exposures are a way to capture the essence of a moment, to distill the chaos and movement of life into a single frame.”

What are some good low-light photography quotes?

• “Low light photography is like capturing a secret world, where the unseen becomes visible and the ordinary becomes extraordinary.”
• “Low light photography is about capturing the mystery and mood of a scene, using light and shadow to tell a story.”
• “Low light photography is a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity to be creative and explore new ways of seeing the world.”
• “Low light photography is about capturing the essence of a moment, using light and shadow to create depth and mood.”
• “Low light photography is an adventure, where every shot is an opportunity to capture something special and unique.”

What are some great videography quotes for Instagram?

• “The best films are those that have the power to move us, to transport us to other places, and to tell us stories that we’ll never forget.” – Steven Spielberg
• “A great film should leave you with an emotional experience. It should be like a twister that you can never forget.” – Quentin Tarantino
• “A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theater admission, and the babysitter were worth it.” – Alfred Hitchcock
• “I’m not a big special effects person. I’m more into what can be done with human emotions.” – Martin Scorsese
• “Film is a very, very powerful medium. It can either confirm the idea that things are wonderful the way they are, or it can reinforce the conception that things can be changed.” – Stanley Kubrick
• “The art of film is not to create a story that is predictable, but to create a story that is emotionally satisfying.” – Christopher Nolan
• “I think cinema, movies, and magic have always been closely associated. The very earliest people who made film were magicians.” – Francis Ford Coppola
• “Movies are a fad. Audiences really want to see live actors on a stage.” – Charlie Chaplin
• “Movies are mirrors that reflect our hopes and fears, our dreams and nightmares.” – John Carpenter
• “The best films are the ones that make you feel like you’ve lived the story, not just watched it.” – Wes Anderson

What are some quotes for model photography?

• “When I photograph a model, I’m interested in capturing their soul.” – Richard Avedon
• “A model should be tough, fit, and intelligent, but most of all, a good human being.” – Tyra Banks
• “I’m always trying to capture the emotion and personality of my subject, whether it’s a model or someone on the street.” – Annie Leibovitz
• “The best part of photographing models is being able to showcase their beauty and create something that will inspire others.” – Mario Testino
• “I believe in capturing the essence of a person, and that’s what I aim to do when I’m photographing a model.” – Helmut Newton
• “I love the creative process that goes into photographing models. It’s a collaboration between the model, the photographer, and the team to bring a vision to life.” – Bruce Weber
• “For me, photographing models is not just about capturing their beauty, but also capturing the moment, the feeling, and the energy they bring to the shoot.” – Peter Lindbergh
• “The challenge of photographing models is to create an image that’s unique, captures their personality, and showcases their beauty.” – Cindy Sherman
• “I think it’s important for a model to trust the photographer, because that’s when the best shots are captured.” – Ellen von Unwerth
• “Photographing models is about creating a story, an atmosphere, and a mood that showcases their beauty and captures the moment.” – Steven Meisel

What are some funny ‘same pose in every picture’ quotes?

• “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… even if it means using the same pose in every picture!”
• “I found my signature pose, and now I stick to it like glue!”
• “Why try new poses when the same one always gets the most likes?!”
• “I may not have a diverse portfolio of poses, but at least I have consistency!”
• “I may be predictable with my poses, but at least I always look pretty damn good!”
• “Why try to reinvent the wheel with new poses when the same one always gets the best results?”
• “I’ve found my comfort zone with my signature pose, and I’m sticking to it!”
• “Consistency is key, even when it comes to using the same pose in every picture.”
•  

  “Do you have just one photo of yourself posing and just keep changing the background?!”

What are some quotes about product photography?

• “Product photography is not just about capturing the product, but telling a story and creating an emotional connection with the viewer.”
• “Product photography is about showcasing the product’s best features, creating an eye-catching image, and drawing the customer in.”
• “Good product photography is the cornerstone of successful e-commerce, and it’s all about creating a visually appealing and professional image.”
• “The key to successful product photography is attention to detail, lighting, and the ability to capture the product’s unique features and benefits.”
• “Product photography is a blend of art and science, where the photographer must understand the product, the market, and the customer’s needs.”

What are some funny ‘my girlfriend is a photographer’ quotes?

• “My girlfriend is a photographer, which means I never have a bad hair day. She just Photoshops it away!
• “I never run out of Facebook profile pictures because my girlfriend is a photographer!”
• I met my girlfriend on Tinder – you can tell she’s a photographer because her profile photo looks nothing like real life!”
• “Having a girlfriend who’s a photographer is great. She’s always ready to capture the moment. And by moment, I mean me eating pizza and drinking beer!”
• “I finally understand the meaning of ‘candid shot’ – my girlfriend is a photographer, and she just caught me mid-sneeze!”
• “My girlfriend is a photographer. She’s always capturing beauty, even when I’m hungover!”

(These can also be used as ‘my photo partner’ quotes.)

What are some early morning photography quotes?

• “Early morning light is where dreams meet reality.”
• “The morning is the start of a new story waiting to be captured.”
• “Wake up early and capture the beauty of the morning light.”
• “The morning sun brings new opportunities for stunning photos.”
• “Rise with the sun and capture its magic.”
• “The early morning hours hold a serenity and stillness that is unmatched.”
• “The morning is a fresh canvas waiting to be painted with light.”
• “The world is at its most peaceful in the early morning light.”
• “Embrace the morning light, and you’ll be amazed at what it reveals.”
• “Let the morning light guide you and inspire your photos.”

What are some funny ‘just bought a new camera’ quotes?

• “I don’t always buy new cameras, but when I do, I take way too many photos of inanimate objects!”
• “I can finally justify my obsession with taking photos of my food – I have a fancy new camera!”
• “I just bought a new camera. Now my friends are no longer safe!”
• “I told my bank account it was just a camera, not a ticket to financial ruin. It didn’t believe me.”
• “I just bought a new camera, and I’m pretty sure it’s just a bigger lens for my ego.”
• “I’m no longer a beginner photographer – I just upgraded to a professional camera!”
• “I finally bought a new camera. Now I can pretend to be a professional photographer on the weekends!”
• “I just bought a new camera. Now my dog will finally have a modeling career.”
• “I just bought a new camera – now I can finally put my Instagram followers out of their misery!”
• “It’s not the camera that makes the photo – but buying a new camera sure feels good!”

What could be used as photo credit caption quotes?

• “A picture is worth a thousand words, and this one was captured by [photographer’s name].”
• “This beautiful image was brought to life by the talent of [photographer’s name].”
• “This stunning moment was frozen in time by [photographer’s name].”
• “The magic of this image was captured by the creative eye of [photographer’s name].”
• “This moment was made eternal by [photographer’s name].”
• “The beauty of this image was captured by the expert skills of [photographer’s name].”
• “The story of this moment was told through the lens of [photographer’s name].”
• “The art of this image was created by the masterful eye of [photographer’s name].”
• “This incredible shot was captured by [photographer’s name], a true master of their craft.”

Before You Go

So, what is your favorite among the inspirational photography quotes we shared?

Ours are those that deal with the way in which a viewer can perceive your photo. In photography, everything is, in a way, subjective, and yet objective at the same time. We like to call it a photography paradox.

Do share some additional photography sayings with us if we didn’t include them here or in our web story!

And lastly, don’t forget to add the hashtag #shotkit if you end up sharing them on Instagram!