--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good photograph is knowing where to…" description: "\"A good photograph is knowing where to stand.\" — Ansel Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/ansel-adams-2687_knowing_a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-st_2817854.jpg" --- # A good photograph is knowing where to stand. ![“A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” quote by Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/ansel-adams-2687_knowing_a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-st_2817854.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/ansel-adams-2687_knowing_a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-st_2817854.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/ansel-adams-2687_knowing_a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-st_2817854.jpg) > “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A good photograph requires understanding the optimal perspective and positioning. **In simple terms:** Great photos stem from knowing where to stand. Key Takeaway Master composition through perspective. Themes photography composition vision technique Mood instructive inspirational Type technical artistic When to use this quote - studio setups - travel photography Key Concepts landscape shooting portrait framing Questions to Reflect On - How does positioning affect storytelling? - What tools help find the right angle? A Different Perspective May ignore spontaneous moments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-photograph-421349/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Knowing Stand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-stand-903048/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photograph Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph-knowing-3566392/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Stand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand/) ## Related quotes > [In my mind's eye, I visualize how a particular... sight and feeling will appear on a print. If it excites me, there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/in-my-mind-s-eye-i-visualize-how-a-particular-sight-and-feeling-will/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [If what I see in my mind excites me, there is a good chance it will make a good photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/if-what-i-see-in-my-mind-excites-me-there-is-a-good-chance-it-will/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [The good photograph is not the object, the consequences of the photograph are the objects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-lange/the-good-photograph-is-not-the-object-the-consequences-of-the/) [Dorothea Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-lange/) > [A good photograph will prove to the viewer how little our eyes permit us to see](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-levinstein/a-good-photograph-will-prove-to-the-viewer-how-little-our-eyes-permit/) [Leon Levinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-levinstein/) > [I'm quite taken aback when I get something that appears to be technically a good photograph, because it's not necessarily my intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-m-quite-taken-aback-when-i-get-something-that-appears-to-be/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [A good photograph is like a good hound dog, dumb, but eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-atget/a-good-photograph-is-like-a-good-hound-dog-dumb-but-eloquent/) [Eugene Atget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-atget/) > [I have been a photographer all my life…and have made photographs of many things and for many reasons. But one thing that becomes more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-have-been-a-photographer-all-my-life-and-have-made-photographs-of/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [Not knowing where you stand with someone is the worst feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-knowing-where-you-stand-with-someone-is-the-worst-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Not knowing where you stand with someone, can make it hard to know where you could go with someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-knowing-where-you-stand-with-someone-can-make-it-hard-to-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Its not easy putting yourself out there, but knowing where you stand beats not knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-not-easy-putting-yourself-out-there-but-knowing-where-you-stand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Knowing this, stand up and fight!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/knowing-this-stand-up-and-fight/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [There is a peace in knowing where you stand but you have to stand first!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-peace-in-knowing-where-you-stand-but-you-have-to-stand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Not knowing where you stand is a confusing feeling...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-knowing-where-you-stand-is-a-confusing-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We give to God of our strength, not our weakness. But we also say: “Da lifneh mi ata omed”—Know before whom you stand. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovadya-ben-malka/we-give-to-god-of-our-strength-not-our-weakness-but-we-also-say-da/) [Ovadya ben Malka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovadya-ben-malka/) > [The most frustrating feeling has to be not knowing where you stand with someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-frustrating-feeling-has-to-be-not-knowing-where-you-stand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ansel Adams > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/it-is-easy-to-take-a-photograph-but-it-is-harder-to-make-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Black and white photography is truly quite a 'departure from reality', and the transition from one aspect of visual magic to another was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/black-and-white-photography-is-truly-quite-a-departure-from-reality/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Wilderness is rapidly becoming one of those aspects of the American dream which is more of the past than of the present. Wilderness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/wilderness-is-rapidly-becoming-one-of-those-aspects-of-the-american/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-single-most-important-component-of-a-camera-is-the-twelve-inches/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [We make images to "honor what is greater and more interesting than we are."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater-and-more-interesting-than-we/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Photographers and artists contribute a lot to the world and have a right to exist in relative security and comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/photographers-and-artists-contribute-a-lot-to-the-world-and-have-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [There are worlds of experience beyond the world of the aggressive man, beyond history, and beyond science. The moods and qualities of nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/there-are-worlds-of-experience-beyond-the-world-of-the-aggressive-man/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term-meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-have-often-thought-that-if-photography-were-difficult-in-the-true/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/yosemite-valley-to-me-is-always-a-sunrise-a-glitter-of-green-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [To visualize an image (in whole or in part) is to see clearly in the mind prior to exposure, a continuous projection from composing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/to-visualize-an-image-in-whole-or-in-part-is-to-see-clearly-in-the/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [To the vast majority of people a photograph is an image of something within their direct experience: a more-or-less factual reality. It is difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/to-the-vast-majority-of-people-a-photograph-is-an-image-of-something/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Photograph not only what you see but also what you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/photograph-not-only-what-you-see-but-also-what-you-feel/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is thereby a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/a-great-photograph-is-a-full-expression-of-what-one-feels-about-what/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surfaces and record the qualities of nature and humanity which live or are latent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/to-photograph-truthfully-and-effectively-is-to-see-beneath-the/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) [Explore all 154 Ansel Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## More Knowing quotes > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [Therefore, brethren, pray until God gives us revelation so that "knowing this" in our spirit we may truly confess "that our old man has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/therefore-brethren-pray-until-god-gives-us-revelation-so-that-knowing/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Knowing does not always allow us to prevent, but at least the things that we know, we hold them, if not in our hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/knowing-does-not-always-allow-us-to-prevent-but-at-least-the-things/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Life and death were so unpredictable. So close to each other. We existed moment to moment, never knowing who would be the next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/life-and-death-were-so-unpredictable-so-close-to-each-other-we/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [They have no right to complain! If women were cool with knowing their man is cheating on them then they have no right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-williams/they-have-no-right-to-complain-if-women-were-cool-with-knowing-their/) [Eric Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-williams/) > [Those who are the most happy appear to know it the least; happiness is something that for the most part seems to mainly consist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/those-who-are-the-most-happy-appear-to-know-it-the-least-happiness-is/) [Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/) > [So few men are really worth knowing, that it seems a shameful waste to let an anthropoid prejudice stand in the way of free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/so-few-men-are-really-worth-knowing-that-it-seems-a-shameful-waste-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Trying to find this industry's tendency to celebrate the physical is a waste of time. So I'm happy to play the game. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/trying-to-find-this-industry-s-tendency-to-celebrate-the-physical-is/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-the-way-there-is-no-going-without-the-truth-there-is-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,350 Knowing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A good photograph is knowing where to stand.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ansel Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-stand/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Knowing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-stand/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/ansel-adams-2687_knowing_a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-st_2817854.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/ansel-adams-2687_knowing_a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-st_2817854.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/ansel-adams-2687_knowing_a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-st_2817854.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” — Ansel Adams", "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": "Ansel Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A good photograph is knowing where...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-stand/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/a-good-photograph-is-knowing-where-to-stand/#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 } } ] } ```