---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We should think of a photographer as a…"
description: "\"We should think of a photographer as a Samurai who makes rituals, moves and gestures in order to develop his techniques and his instinct.\" — Alex Majoli"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/alex-majoli-78026_gestures_we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-s_1089772.png"
---

#  We should think of a photographer as a Samurai who makes…

![“We should think of a photographer as a Samurai who makes rituals, moves and gestures in order to develop his techniques and his instinct.” quote by Alex Majoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/alex-majoli-78026_gestures_we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-s_1089772.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/alex-majoli-78026_gestures_we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-s_1089772.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/alex-majoli-78026_gestures_we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-s_1089772.png)

> “We should think of a photographer as a Samurai who makes rituals, moves and gestures in order to develop his techniques and his instinct.”

Alex Majoli

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Photographer is likened to a Samurai, emphasizing disciplined rituals and gestures that hone technique and instinct.

**In simple terms:** Photographers develop skill through disciplined practice like a Samurai.

Key Takeaway

Practice photography with disciplined rituals.

Themes

art discipline craft photography

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- photo shoots
- creative workshops
- skill development

Key Concepts

mindfulness ritual instinct

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance ritual with creative freedom?
- What rituals improve your photographic intuition?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on ritual may stifle spontaneity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual/) [Samurai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/samurai/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [“She realized that the photograph had caused his reaction. It came to her almost as a revelation. Think of it: a photographer presses a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soheir-khashoggi/she-realized-that-the-photograph-had-caused-his-reaction-it-came-to/)

[Soheir Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soheir-khashoggi/)

> [People think: 'If this photographer's looking like a big jerk-off, maybe it's okay if I do.' I like to catch my subjects off balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/people-think-if-this-photographer-s-looking-like-a-big-jerk-off-maybe/)

[Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/)

> [Truthfully, I don't really think of myself as a photographer. I don't have all the disciplines and knowledge of a person who's spent their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/truthfully-i-don-t-really-think-of-myself-as-a-photographer-i-don-t/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [I think that the photographer must completely control his picture and bring to it all his personality, and in this area most photographs never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-think-that-the-photographer-must-completely-control-his-picture-and/)

[Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/)

> [When I first started making photo pieces it wasn't with the idea of a commitment to the medium. I didn't think I would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wegman/when-i-first-started-making-photo-pieces-it-wasn-t-with-the-idea-of-a/)

[William Wegman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wegman/)

> [I think that any photographer is an investigator. Photography is a pretext to know the world, to know life. To know yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graciela-iturbide/i-think-that-any-photographer-is-an-investigator-photography-is-a/)

[Graciela Iturbide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graciela-iturbide/)

> [I think you reveal yourself by what you choose to photograph, but I prefer photographs that tell more about the subject. There's nothing much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-think-you-reveal-yourself-by-what-you-choose-to-photograph-but-i/)

[Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/)

> [I don't think of myself as a photographer. I've engaged questions regarding photography's role in culture... but it is an engagement with a problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-charlesworth/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-photographer-i-ve-engaged-questions/)

[Sarah Charlesworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-charlesworth/)

> [... I think it is fair to say that all war photographers hide behind their cameras. I hid behind mine for years and years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-mydans/i-think-it-is-fair-to-say-that-all-war-photographers-hide-behind/)

Carl Mydans

> [“And when the moment came, even then Genji would be fortunate. He would die without fear, drenched in his own heart's blood, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takashi-matsuoka/and-when-the-moment-came-even-then-genji-would-be-fortunate-he-would/)

Takashi Matsuoka

> [My mentality is like a samurai they used to train every day, work on their technique to make themselves better, almost perfect, perfection is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-st-pierre/my-mentality-is-like-a-samurai-they-used-to-train-every-day-work-on/)

[Georges St-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-st-pierre/)

> [You must concentrate upon and consecrate yourself wholly to each day, as though a fire were raging in your hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taisen-deshimaru/you-must-concentrate-upon-and-consecrate-yourself-wholly-to-each-day/)

[Taisen Deshimaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taisen-deshimaru/)

> [When one has made a decision to kill a person, even if it will be very difficult to succeed by advancing straight ahead, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/when-one-has-made-a-decision-to-kill-a-person-even-if-it-will-be-very/)

[Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/)

> [I look at the Samurai because they were the artists of their time. What I think struck me when I read Bushido is compassion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cruise/i-look-at-the-samurai-because-they-were-the-artists-of-their-time/)

[Tom Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cruise/)

> [“«Like a fossil tree From which we gather no flowers Sad has been my life Fated no fruit to produce.» Death poem composed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-turnbull/like-a-fossil-tree-from-which-we-gather-no-flowers-sad-has-been-my/)

Stephen Turnbull

## More by Alex Majoli

> [I really don't have any idea about photography, but I take pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-majoli/i-really-don-t-have-any-idea-about-photography-but-i-take-pictures/)

Alex Majoli

> [I think my interest gets sparked when I recognize a memory. That is when I take a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-majoli/i-think-my-interest-gets-sparked-when-i-recognize-a-memory-that-is/)

Alex Majoli

Explore all 3 Alex Majoli quotes

## More Gestures quotes

> [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/)

[Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/)

> [A fine lady; by which term I wish to express the result of that perfect education in taste and manner, down to every gesture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/a-fine-lady-by-which-term-i-wish-to-express-the-result-of-that/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. Out of memory - a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/poems-come-from-ordinary-experiences-and-objects-i-think-out-of/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [“Life is a series of successful gestures...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/life-is-a-series-of-successful-gestures/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [A man has only a limited number of ways in which he can express strong emotions or violent passions. He uses the same gestures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadeusz-borowski/a-man-has-only-a-limited-number-of-ways-in-which-he-can-express/)

[Tadeusz Borowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadeusz-borowski/)

> [Let us ask... how things work at the level of on-going subjugation, at the level of those continuous and uninterrupted processes which subject our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/let-us-ask-how-things-work-at-the-level-of-on-going-subjugation-at/)

[Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/)

> [When you play somebody, you pick up a lot of their gestures, his voice, the way he speaks, his body language. You don't often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-loggia/when-you-play-somebody-you-pick-up-a-lot-of-their-gestures-his-voice/)

[Robert Loggia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-loggia/)

> [Fanatics are picturesque, mankind would rather see gestures than listen to reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/fanatics-are-picturesque-mankind-would-rather-see-gestures-than/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Geric," she called. He turned back around. "What kind of flowers were they?" "I don't rightly know," he said. He made faltering gestures with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/geric-she-called-he-turned-back-around-what-kind-of-flowers-were-they/)

[Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/)

> [Personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/personality-is-an-unbroken-series-of-successful-gestures/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Never raise your hand menacingly, but only in a friendly gesture!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-von-la-roche/never-raise-your-hand-menacingly-but-only-in-a-friendly-gesture/)

Sophie von La Roche

> [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [As much preparation as I had made for the old man Salieri, gestures and so on, the fact is after sitting for hours, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/as-much-preparation-as-i-had-made-for-the-old-man-salieri-gestures/)

[F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/)

> [My art is just an effort to express the truth of my being in gesture and movement. It has taken me long years to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/my-art-is-just-an-effort-to-express-the-truth-of-my-being-in-gesture/)

[Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/)

> [“Ivy waved the wet handkerchief, as much as to say, words cannot possibly articulate my profound distress. Then, because Ivy never settled for meaningful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carriger/ivy-waved-the-wet-handkerchief-as-much-as-to-say-words-cannot/)

[Gail Carriger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carriger/)

[Browse all 800 Gestures quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We should think of a photographer as a Samurai who makes rituals, moves and gestures in order to develop his techniques and his instinct.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alex Majoli"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-majoli/we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-samurai-who-makes-rituals/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Gestures"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-majoli/we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-samurai-who-makes-rituals/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/alex-majoli-78026_gestures_we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-s_1089772.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/alex-majoli-78026_gestures_we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-s_1089772.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75b/alex-majoli-78026_gestures_we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-s_1089772.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We should think of a photographer as a Samurai who makes rituals, moves and gestures in order to develop his…” — Alex Majoli",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alex Majoli",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-majoli/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We should think of a photographer...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-majoli/we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-samurai-who-makes-rituals/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-majoli/we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-samurai-who-makes-rituals/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
