--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wish to state emphatically that I do…" description: "\"I wish to state emphatically that I do not believe in any sort of handwork or manipulation on a photographic negative or print.\" — Alvin Langdon Coburn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/alvin-langdon-coburn-46666_believe_i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-n_1716207.png" --- # I wish to state emphatically that I do not believe in any… ![“I wish to state emphatically that I do not believe in any sort of handwork or manipulation on a photographic negative or print.” quote by Alvin Langdon Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/alvin-langdon-coburn-46666_believe_i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-n_1716207.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/alvin-langdon-coburn-46666_believe_i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-n_1716207.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/alvin-langdon-coburn-46666_believe_i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-n_1716207.png) > “I wish to state emphatically that I do not believe in any sort of handwork or manipulation on a photographic negative or print.” [Alvin Langdon Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-langdon-coburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He rejects any manipulation of negatives, insisting on pure, unaltered photographic truth. **In simple terms:** He believes in untouched photographic images. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity in photography. Themes authenticity artistic integrity photography Mood critical artistic Type philosophical technical When to use this quote - documentary work - exhibitions - archival preservation Key Concepts negative processing handwork visual truth Questions to Reflect On - Can a photograph be both authentic and enhanced? - What defines a “true” image? A Different Perspective Modern editing tools challenge this ideal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Manipulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulation/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“With the news about Andy, it was like someone had thrown an x-ray switch and reversed everything into photographic negative, so that even with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/with-the-news-about-andy-it-was-like-someone-had-thrown-an-x-ray/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [The (photographic) negative is the equivalent of the composers score and the print is the equivalent of the conductors performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-photographic-negative-is-the-equivalent-of-the-composers-score/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [The fundamental peculiarity of the photographic medium; the physical objects themselves print their image by means of the optical and chemical action of light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/the-fundamental-peculiarity-of-the-photographic-medium-the-physical/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [Some of the people who are now manipulating photos, such as Andreas Gursky, make the argument - rightly - that the 'straight' photographs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/some-of-the-people-who-are-now-manipulating-photos-such-as-andreas/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [“Ordinary language fixes the difference between handmade images like Goya's and photographs by the convention that artists "make" drawings and paintings while photographers "take"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/ordinary-language-fixes-the-difference-between-handmade-images-like/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Knowing a great deal about what is in the world art, catastrophe, the beauties of nature through photographic images, people are frequently disappointed, surprised,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/knowing-a-great-deal-about-what-is-in-the-world-art-catastrophe-the/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [You can approach 'The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death' in a variety or combination of ways: as a startlingly eccentric hobby; as a series…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/you-can-approach-the-nutshell-studies-of-unexplained-death-in-a/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [A photograph is a meeting place where the interests of the photographer, the photographed, the viewer and those who are using the photograph are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/a-photograph-is-a-meeting-place-where-the-interests-of-the/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [I have a photographic memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-holland/i-have-a-photographic-memory/) [Tom Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-holland/) > [A photographic close-up is perhaps the purest form of portraiture, creating a confrontation between the viewer and the subject that daily interaction makes impossible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schoeller/a-photographic-close-up-is-perhaps-the-purest-form-of-portraiture/) Martin Schoeller > [In my photographic work I'm generally attracted to places that contain memories, history, atmospheres and stories. I'm interested in the places where people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/in-my-photographic-work-i-m-generally-attracted-to-places-that/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [From as far back as I can remember, I was always insecure about my looks, whether it was my flat chest, my skinny legs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/from-as-far-back-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-insecure-about-my/) [Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/) > [A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he is being photographed, and what he does with this knowledge is as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/a-photographic-portrait-is-a-picture-of-someone-who-knows-he-is-being/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [I have a photographic memory; I just haven't developed it yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-winters/i-have-a-photographic-memory-i-just-haven-t-developed-it-yet/) [Jonathan Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-winters/) > [While a painting, even one that meets photographic standards of resemblance, is never more than the stating of an interpretation, a photograph is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/while-a-painting-even-one-that-meets-photographic-standards-of/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) ## More by Alvin Langdon Coburn > [My aim in photography is always to convey a mood and not to impart local information. 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Yet nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-langdon-coburn/photography-makes-one-conscious-of-beauty-everywhere-even-in-the/) [Alvin Langdon Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-langdon-coburn/) > [It is my hope that photography may fall in line with all the other arts and with her infinite possibilities, do things strange and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-langdon-coburn/it-is-my-hope-that-photography-may-fall-in-line-with-all-the-other/) [Alvin Langdon Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-langdon-coburn/) [Explore all 8 Alvin Langdon Coburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-langdon-coburn/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. 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He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. 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It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wish to state emphatically that I do not believe in any sort of handwork or manipulation on a photographic negative or print.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alvin Langdon Coburn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-langdon-coburn/i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-not-believe-in-any-sort-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-langdon-coburn/i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-not-believe-in-any-sort-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/alvin-langdon-coburn-46666_believe_i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-n_1716207.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/alvin-langdon-coburn-46666_believe_i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-n_1716207.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/alvin-langdon-coburn-46666_believe_i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-n_1716207.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wish to state emphatically that I do not believe in any sort of handwork or manipulation on a photographic…” — Alvin Langdon Coburn", "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": "Alvin Langdon Coburn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-langdon-coburn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wish to state emphatically that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-langdon-coburn/i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-not-believe-in-any-sort-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-langdon-coburn/i-wish-to-state-emphatically-that-i-do-not-believe-in-any-sort-of/#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 } } ] } ```