--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The negative is the score, and the print…" description: "\"The negative is the score, and the print the performance.\" — Ansel Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/ansel-adams-2687_negative_the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print_1636104.jpg" --- # The negative is the score, and the print the performance. ![“The negative is the score, and the print the performance.” quote by Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/ansel-adams-2687_negative_the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print_1636104.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/ansel-adams-2687_negative_the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print_1636104.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/ansel-adams-2687_negative_the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print_1636104.jpg) > “The negative is the score, and the print the performance.” [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. The negative captures the essence; the final print reveals the artistic performance. **In simple terms:** Negative is the score, print is the performance. Key Takeaway Master the negative for great prints. Themes photography process artistic expression technical skill Mood reflective practical Type technical inspirational When to use this quote - portrait photography - landscape photography - digital editing Key Concepts visual arts darkroom technique Questions to Reflect On - How does technology affect your workflow? - What is the role of the negative today? A Different Perspective Digital tools change the process. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Negative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative/) [Negative Score](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-score-527840/) [Performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/print/) [Score](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/score/) [Score Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/score-print-527841/) ## Related quotes > [The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-negative-is-the-equivalent-of-the-composer-s-score-and-the-print/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [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/) > [These people live again in print as intensely as when their images were captured on old dry plates of sixty years ago... I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/these-people-live-again-in-print-as-intensely-as-when-their-images/) [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/) > [The sign of a great player is not how much he scores, but how much he lifts his teammates performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-holzman/the-sign-of-a-great-player-is-not-how-much-he-scores-but-how-much-he/) [Red Holzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-holzman/) > [Composing for concert performance is a somewhat lonely occupation, but composing a film score is highly collaborative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-perry/composing-for-concert-performance-is-a-somewhat-lonely-occupation-but/) [William P. Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-perry/) > [I'm satisfied with the way I play, but I don't evaluate my performances. I worry about what I can contribute defensively. I don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ewing/i-m-satisfied-with-the-way-i-play-but-i-don-t-evaluate-my/) [Patrick Ewing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ewing/) > [Rugby has always been a game for all shapes and sizes. You have the superstars and the fast guys who score the tries, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/rugby-has-always-been-a-game-for-all-shapes-and-sizes-you-have-the/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [There is no better education than rap battling in terms of performance. It makes you fearless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-brown/there-is-no-better-education-than-rap-battling-in-terms-of/) [Doc Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-brown/) > [The most important thing about Jazz at Lincoln Center is the fact that it's the first time that perhaps the most important art form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-vinoly/the-most-important-thing-about-jazz-at-lincoln-center-is-the-fact/) [Rafael Vinoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-vinoly/) > [Every medium has its advantages and weaknesses and there are many things I can put down on paper that I might not be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/every-medium-has-its-advantages-and-weaknesses-and-there-are-many/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [In acting, you are fulfilled if you give justice to your role... if you are able to do a credible performance and touch the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-hutton/in-acting-you-are-fulfilled-if-you-give-justice-to-your-role-if-you/) [Timothy Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-hutton/) > [Performance capture is a tool that young actors will need in the next 10, 20 years. It's on the increase, as you say. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/performance-capture-is-a-tool-that-young-actors-will-need-in-the-next/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [I am always really buzzed after each performance, and at around one in the morning, Ill hit a brick wall and need to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-morahan/i-am-always-really-buzzed-after-each-performance-and-at-around-one-in/) [Hattie Morahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-morahan/) > [The best thing about the term 'performance artist' is that it includes just about everything you might want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/the-best-thing-about-the-term-performance-artist-is-that-it-includes/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) ## 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 Negative quotes > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [We're going to create factory jobs for recent immigrants, and Donald Trump is going to take care of them. That's why his numbers, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/we-re-going-to-create-factory-jobs-for-recent-immigrants-and-donald/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [Every time you think a negative thought, it's one step in the wrong direction, for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-paul/every-time-you-think-a-negative-thought-it-s-one-step-in-the-wrong/) [Sean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-paul/) > [Turning a negative into a positive is an expressway to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-evans/turning-a-negative-into-a-positive-is-an-expressway-to-success/) [Robert Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-evans/) > [Conflict isn't negative, it just is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-crum/conflict-isn-t-negative-it-just-is/) [Thomas Crum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-crum/) > [So I went to a club the other day, which is timely because my self esteem had been hovering right around 'normal' and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/so-i-went-to-a-club-the-other-day-which-is-timely-because-my-self/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [It's a pity that there's such a negative connotation about paying for sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-sprinkle/it-s-a-pity-that-there-s-such-a-negative-connotation-about-paying-for/) [Annie Sprinkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-sprinkle/) > [To be positive at all times is to ignore all that is important, sacred or valuable. To be negative at all times is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/to-be-positive-at-all-times-is-to-ignore-all-that-is-important-sacred/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. With or without a record, with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ike-turner/i-m-really-thankful-to-god-man-like-now-i-m-really-making-a-real/) [Ike Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ike-turner/) > [We often refer to loneliness as something negative. And we look at it as a weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-shetty/we-often-refer-to-loneliness-as-something-negative-and-we-look-at-it/) [Jay Shetty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-shetty/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [I am emotional, but that's not a negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franck-ribery/i-am-emotional-but-that-s-not-a-negative/) [Franck Ribery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franck-ribery/) > [To fashion stars out of dog dung, that is the Great Work. To take a negative experience and, by comparing it to something worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-david-neel/to-fashion-stars-out-of-dog-dung-that-is-the-great-work-to-take-a/) [Alexandra David-Neel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-david-neel/) > [“Do not own negative self-talk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-don-brown/do-not-own-negative-self-talk/) [Asa Don Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-don-brown/) > [When I see things through my eyes, I don't want to ever just be really negative towards someone's performance. There are many ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/when-i-see-things-through-my-eyes-i-don-t-want-to-ever-just-be-really/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) [Browse all 4,120 Negative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The negative is the score, and the print the performance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ansel Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print-the-performance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Negative" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print-the-performance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/ansel-adams-2687_negative_the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print_1636104.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/ansel-adams-2687_negative_the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print_1636104.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/ansel-adams-2687_negative_the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print_1636104.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The negative is the score, and the print the performance.” — 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": "The negative is the score, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print-the-performance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-negative-is-the-score-and-the-print-the-performance/#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 } } ] } ```