--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The difference in 'seeing' between the…" description: "\"The difference in 'seeing' between the eye and the lens should make it obvious that a photographer who merely points his camera at an appealing subject..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/andreas-feininger-22291_cameras_the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye_2857410.png" --- # The difference in 'seeing' between the eye and the lens… ![“The difference in 'seeing' between the eye and the lens should make it obvious that a photographer who merely points his camera at an appealing subject and expects to get an appealing picture in return, may be headed for a disappointment.” quote by Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/andreas-feininger-22291_cameras_the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye_2857410.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/andreas-feininger-22291_cameras_the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye_2857410.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/andreas-feininger-22291_cameras_the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye_2857410.png) > “The difference in 'seeing' between the eye and the lens should make it obvious that a photographer who merely points his camera at an appealing subject and expects to get an appealing picture in return, may be headed for a disappointment.” [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A photographer cannot rely solely on subject appeal; technical skill and vision are essential for good images. **In simple terms:** Good photos need more than just a nice subject. Key Takeaway Develop technical skill. Themes photography skill expectations Mood educational practical Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - artistic projects - education - media production Key Concepts visual composition technical mastery creative vision Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve beyond point‑and‑shoot? - What role does practice play in photography? A Different Perspective May discourage beginners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [The self is merely the lens through which we see others and the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-self-is-merely-the-lens-through-which-we-see-others-and-the-world/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [ \[It's\] the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality. And if we can change the lens, not only can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-achor/it-s-the-lens-through-which-your-brain-views-the-world-that-shapes/) [Shawn Achor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-achor/) > [My lens of choice was always the 35 mm. It was more environmental. You can't come in closer with the 35 mm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/my-lens-of-choice-was-always-the-35-mm-it-was-more-environmental-you/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [Everything at Apple can be best understood through the lens of designing. Whether it's designing the look and feel of the user experience, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/everything-at-apple-can-be-best-understood-through-the-lens-of/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [! discovered photography completely by chance. My wife is an architect; when we were young and living in Paris, she bought a camera to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/discovered-photography-completely-by-chance-my-wife-is-an-architect/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I have a thing with the camera. The lens is unconditional. It doesn't judge you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-winger/i-have-a-thing-with-the-camera-the-lens-is-unconditional-it-doesn-t/) [Debra Winger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-winger/) > [The best zoom lens is your legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haas/the-best-zoom-lens-is-your-legs/) [Ernst Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haas/) > [We are the strongest filter we can place before the lens. We point the lens both outward and inward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-caponigro/we-are-the-strongest-filter-we-can-place-before-the-lens-we-point-the/) [John Paul Caponigro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-caponigro/) > [Best wide-angle lens? Two steps backward. Look for the 'ah-ha'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haas/best-wide-angle-lens-two-steps-backward-look-for-the-ah-ha/) [Ernst Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haas/) > [If life were a camera, I'd have the lens cap on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/if-life-were-a-camera-i-d-have-the-lens-cap-on/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [The keyhole is my lens as a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-rodrigues/the-keyhole-is-my-lens-as-a-writer/) [Nelson Rodrigues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-rodrigues/) > [A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I've always had the utmost respect and awe of what the lens can do and what a director can do with just a camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-gray-gubler/i-ve-always-had-the-utmost-respect-and-awe-of-what-the-lens-can-do/) [Matthew Gray Gubler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-gray-gubler/) > [Peace can be a lens through which you see the world. Be it. Live it. Radiate it out. Peace is an inside job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/peace-can-be-a-lens-through-which-you-see-the-world-be-it-live-it/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Music is a lens through which to see who we are. Every phrase of every piece of music is trying to tell a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/music-is-a-lens-through-which-to-see-who-we-are-every-phrase-of-every/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) ## More by Andreas Feininger > [Know - how is worthless unless guided by know - why and know - when.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/know-how-is-worthless-unless-guided-by-know-why-and-know-when/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [Realism and superrealism are what I'm after. This world is full of things the eye doesn't see. The camera can see more, and often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/realism-and-superrealism-are-what-i-m-after-this-world-is-full-of/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [As an amateur you have an advantage over photographers - you can do as you wish... This should make amateurs the happiest of photographers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/as-an-amateur-you-have-an-advantage-over-photographers-you-can-do-as/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [... pay attention to everything within the field of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/pay-attention-to-everything-within-the-field-of-view/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [The camera can push the new medium to its limits - and beyond. It is there - in the "beyond" - that the imaginative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/the-camera-can-push-the-new-medium-to-its-limits-and-beyond-it-is/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [Experience has shown that the more fascinating the subject, the less observant the photographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/experience-has-shown-that-the-more-fascinating-the-subject-the-less/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [The first impression of a new subject is not necessary the best. Seen from a different angle or under different condition it might look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/the-first-impression-of-a-new-subject-is-not-necessary-the-best-seen/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [With a short lens I can reveal the hidden things near at hand, with a long lens the hidden things far away. The telephoto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/with-a-short-lens-i-can-reveal-the-hidden-things-near-at-hand-with-a/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [Any good photograph is a successful synthesis of technique and art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/any-good-photograph-is-a-successful-synthesis-of-technique-and-art/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [Human vision is untrustworthy, subjective and selective. Camera vision is total and non - objective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/human-vision-is-untrustworthy-subjective-and-selective-camera-vision/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [Light is the photographic medium par excellence; it is to the photographer what words are to the writer; color and paint to the painter;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/light-is-the-photographic-medium-par-excellence-it-is-to-the/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [Photographers - idiots, of which there are so many - say, "Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/photographers-idiots-of-which-there-are-so-many-say-oh-if-only-i-had/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [Before you shoot an irresistible subject, mute all your senses except sight to find out how much is left for the camera to record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/before-you-shoot-an-irresistible-subject-mute-all-your-senses-except/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [And yet, in a superficial sense, it is true that the camera does not "lie": given a chance, it will faithfully render everything within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/and-yet-in-a-superficial-sense-it-is-true-that-the-camera-does-not/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [Unless a subject interests me, I'll pass it over and save my film for better things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/unless-a-subject-interests-me-i-ll-pass-it-over-and-save-my-film-for/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) [Explore all 27 Andreas Feininger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) ## More Cameras quotes > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/) Deon Taylor > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I can look around a room and tell you if there are hidden cameras or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ash/i-can-look-around-a-room-and-tell-you-if-there-are-hidden-cameras-or/) [Lauren Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ash/) > [There's nothing like the energy in a small comedy club room or a small theater when it's going really well. I can see everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/there-s-nothing-like-the-energy-in-a-small-comedy-club-room-or-a/) [Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/) > [When they took me to do the camera test for the vampire make up, after they put the prosthetic on, I went though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/when-they-took-me-to-do-the-camera-test-for-the-vampire-make-up-after/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Many times I've sat with a camera and another actor and seen all their fears and insecurities and struggles. You want to support them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-eccleston/many-times-i-ve-sat-with-a-camera-and-another-actor-and-seen-all/) [Christopher Eccleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-eccleston/) > [Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake-of-looking-down-your-nose-at/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/my-personal-interest-in-ordinary-people-is-unlimited-but-i-am/) [Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/) > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) Mitra Farahani > [I'm closer to being happy. I'm doing things that make me happy. In football I loved to practice and I loved to play, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-m-closer-to-being-happy-i-m-doing-things-that-make-me-happy-in/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) > [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) [Browse all 2,666 Cameras quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The difference in 'seeing' between the eye and the lens should make it obvious that a photographer who merely points his camera at an appealing subject and expects to get an appealing picture in return, may be headed for a disappointment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andreas Feininger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye-and-the-lens-should-make-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cameras" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye-and-the-lens-should-make-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/andreas-feininger-22291_cameras_the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye_2857410.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/andreas-feininger-22291_cameras_the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye_2857410.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cd/andreas-feininger-22291_cameras_the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye_2857410.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The difference in 'seeing' between the eye and the lens should make it obvious that a photographer who…” — Andreas Feininger", "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": "Andreas Feininger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The difference in 'seeing' between the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye-and-the-lens-should-make-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/the-difference-in-seeing-between-the-eye-and-the-lens-should-make-it/#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 } } ] } ```