--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The photographic image has great…" description: "\"The photographic image has great possibilities. The magical photograph attempts to go beyond the immediate context of the recorded experience into the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/arthur-tress-48538_appearance_the-photographic-image-has-great-possibi_1133928.jpg" --- # The photographic image has great possibilities. The… ![“The photographic image has great possibilities. The magical photograph attempts to go beyond the immediate context of the recorded experience into the realm of the indefinable. The photographer as magician is acutely aware of the multiplicity of associations submerged in the appearance of the…” quote by Arthur Tress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/arthur-tress-48538_appearance_the-photographic-image-has-great-possibi_1133928.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/arthur-tress-48538_appearance_the-photographic-image-has-great-possibi_1133928.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a09/arthur-tress-48538_appearance_the-photographic-image-has-great-possibi_1133928.jpg) > “The photographic image has great possibilities. The magical photograph attempts to go beyond the immediate context of the recorded experience into the realm of the indefinable. The photographer as magician is acutely aware of the multiplicity of associations submerged in the appearance of the objective world.” [Arthur Tress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-tress/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes photography as a transformative art that transcends mere representation, invoking hidden meanings and magical associations. **In simple terms:** Photography can reveal deeper, unseen meanings. Key Takeaway Explore the symbolic layers of images. Themes art perception magic Mood contemplative inspired Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - gallery curation - storytelling - advertising Key Concepts visual semiotics aesthetics Questions to Reflect On - How does a photographer balance reality and imagination? - What emotions do hidden associations evoke? A Different Perspective The magical view may overlook documentary truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Magician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magician/) [Multiplicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/multiplicity/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Realms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realms/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [My work never directly addresses the literal subject matter of the photograph, but attempts to ask questions about vision itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uta-barth/my-work-never-directly-addresses-the-literal-subject-matter-of-the/) [Uta Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uta-barth/) > [The photographic image... is a message without a code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-photographic-image-is-a-message-without-a-code/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [I would say that the emblematic photographic image is a picture from inside a room looking out. I think this defines photography. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-polidori/i-would-say-that-the-emblematic-photographic-image-is-a-picture-from/) [Robert Polidori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-polidori/) > [Once we came to accept the photographic image as reality, the way to its future simulation was open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-manovich/once-we-came-to-accept-the-photographic-image-as-reality-the-way-to/) [Lev Manovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-manovich/) > [I am interested in the relationships and play between an unfamiliar picture/object context and the familiar photographic image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-heinecken/i-am-interested-in-the-relationships-and-play-between-an-unfamiliar/) [Robert Heinecken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-heinecken/) > [Every part of the photographic image carries some information that contributes to its total statement; the viewer's responsibility is to see, in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-s-becker/every-part-of-the-photographic-image-carries-some-information-that-2/) [Howard S. Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-s-becker/) > [Every part of the photographic image carries some information that contributes to its total statement; the viewer's responsibility is to see, in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-s-becker/every-part-of-the-photographic-image-carries-some-information-that/) [Howard S. Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-s-becker/) > [When the object that is produced, the photographic image has the ability to make tears come to your eyes; to inspire you to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/when-the-object-that-is-produced-the-photographic-image-has-the/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [Any photograph has multiple meanings: indeed, to see something in the form of a photograph is to encounter a potential object of fascination. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/any-photograph-has-multiple-meanings-indeed-to-see-something-in-the/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [He fills heaven and earth as the ocean fills the bucket that is submerged in it, and as the ocean surrounds the bucket so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/he-fills-heaven-and-earth-as-the-ocean-fills-the-bucket-that-is/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“You drown not by falling in the river but by staying submerged in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-drown-not-by-falling-in-the-river-but-by-staying-submerged-in-it/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [There is nothing to be found in a beehive that is not submerged in a bee. And yet you can search a bee forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/there-is-nothing-to-be-found-in-a-beehive-that-is-not-submerged-in-a/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [I am simply submerged in work from five in the morning to eleven at night; almost need a few days off to escape a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-neutra/i-am-simply-submerged-in-work-from-five-in-the-morning-to-eleven-at/) [Richard Neutra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-neutra/) > [Go out and speak for the inarticulate and the submerged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-aitken-lord-beaverbrook/go-out-and-speak-for-the-inarticulate-and-the-submerged/) [Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-aitken-lord-beaverbrook/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## More by Arthur Tress > [Photography has an amazing ability to capture the fine detail of surface textures. But far too often these intricate patterns are loved by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-tress/photography-has-an-amazing-ability-to-capture-the-fine-detail-of/) [Arthur Tress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-tress/) > [Photography is my method for defining the confusing world that rushes constantly toward me. It is my defensive attempt to reduce our daily chaos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-tress/photography-is-my-method-for-defining-the-confusing-world-that-rushes/) [Arthur Tress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-tress/) > [My urge to photograph is activated by an almost biological instinct for preservation from disorder. The camera is a mechanical apparatus that extends my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-tress/my-urge-to-photograph-is-activated-by-an-almost-biological-instinct/) [Arthur Tress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-tress/) > [I believe it is the photographer's function to reveal that which is concealed, even if it be repugnant to the majority, not merely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-tress/i-believe-it-is-the-photographer-s-function-to-reveal-that-which-is/) [Arthur Tress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-tress/) > [Perhaps why so much of today's photography doesn't grab us or mean anything to our personal lives is that it fails to touch upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-tress/perhaps-why-so-much-of-today-s-photography-doesn-t-grab-us-or-mean/) [Arthur Tress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-tress/) > [The gay life is filled with as much cruelty and loneliness as the heterosexual life... I search into my dreams or desires and try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-tress/the-gay-life-is-filled-with-as-much-cruelty-and-loneliness-as-the/) [Arthur Tress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-tress/) > [The photographic frame is no longer used as a documentary window into undisturbed private lives, but as a stage on which the subjects consciously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-tress/the-photographic-frame-is-no-longer-used-as-a-documentary-window-into/) [Arthur Tress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-tress/) [Explore all 8 Arthur Tress quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-tress/) ## More Appearance quotes > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/) [Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/) > [We must, however, note that what are usually called the high religions made their appearance within about twenty-five hundred years - most of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/we-must-however-note-that-what-are-usually-called-the-high-religions/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [You can have a nice body, dress with the latest fashion. But if you don't have self-confidence sweetheart, forget about looking sexy, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/you-can-have-a-nice-body-dress-with-the-latest-fashion-but-if-you-don/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I cannot be convinced that great artists are moralists. Art is first appearances, then meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-cannot-be-convinced-that-great-artists-are-moralists-art-is-first/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [I'm OK with my appearance. I have made my peace with it after a long and frankly exhausting battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-m-ok-with-my-appearance-i-have-made-my-peace-with-it-after-a-long/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Appearance records are pretty special. Mine means a lot to me, not only because I love stats, but because it shows that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/appearance-records-are-pretty-special-mine-means-a-lot-to-me-not-only/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [Every man would fall in love with their voice, their lovely appearance, but no man would ever get past that. They'd never really know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/every-man-would-fall-in-love-with-their-voice-their-lovely-appearance/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I already know what things look like - I don't want description. People believe in appearances, and I don't believe in appearances at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-already-know-what-things-look-like-i-don-t-want-description-people/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) Browse all 2,446 Appearance quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The photographic image has great possibilities. The magical photograph attempts to go beyond the immediate context of the recorded experience into the realm of the indefinable. 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