--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The photographer is the contemporary…" description: "\"The photographer is the contemporary being par excellence; through his eyes the now becomes the past.\" — Berenice Abbott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/berenice-abbott-14021_contemporary_the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-bei_2409718.png" --- # The photographer is the contemporary being par excellence… ![“The photographer is the contemporary being par excellence; through his eyes the now becomes the past.” quote by Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/berenice-abbott-14021_contemporary_the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-bei_2409718.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/berenice-abbott-14021_contemporary_the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-bei_2409718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/berenice-abbott-14021_contemporary_the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-bei_2409718.png) > “The photographer is the contemporary being par excellence; through his eyes the now becomes the past.” [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Photographers capture present moments, turning them into historical records that shape collective memory. **In simple terms:** Photos turn now into past. Key Takeaway Use images to document and reflect. Themes memory history art Mood contemplative nostalgic Type artistic historical When to use this quote - journalism - family albums - cultural preservation Key Concepts visual storytelling temporal perception archival practice Questions to Reflect On - What story does a photograph tell you? - How can you ensure accurate historical memory? A Different Perspective Images can be misinterpreted without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [People that have those eyes that can see past the bad and see the good in someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-that-have-those-eyes-that-can-see-past-the-bad-and-see-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you look at today through the eyes of the past, you can never see what the present moment has to offer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/if-you-look-at-today-through-the-eyes-of-the-past-you-can-never-see/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Look deep in my eyes, past all the lies. Past my act, past this disguise. Past the scars and past the tears, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-deep-in-my-eyes-past-all-the-lies-past-my-act-past-this-disguise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything that I know and that I am and everything that I've done begins flashing right in front of my eyes. My past, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/everything-that-i-know-and-that-i-am-and-everything-that-i-ve-done/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [“So you see and judge the present through the eyes of the past and get a totally distorted view of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/so-you-see-and-judge-the-present-through-the-eyes-of-the-past-and-get/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [When I was little and something awful was happening my Mama would tell me to close my eyes.She was tryin' to keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-oher/when-i-was-little-and-something-awful-was-happening-my-mama-would/) [Michael Oher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-oher/) > [I looked around at what my colleagues were doing, and asked myself, 'What relationship has it with what's going on?' I found there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/i-looked-around-at-what-my-colleagues-were-doing-and-asked-myself/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [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/) > [To chart a course, one must have a direction. In reality, the eye is no better than the philosophy behind it. The photographer creates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/to-chart-a-course-one-must-have-a-direction-in-reality-the-eye-is-no-2/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Self-conscious artiness is fatal, but it certainly would not hurt to study composition in general. Having a basic understanding of composition would help construct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/self-conscious-artiness-is-fatal-but-it-certainly-would-not-hurt-to/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [To chart a course, one must have a direction. In reality, the eye is no better than the philosophy behind it. The photographer creates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/to-chart-a-course-one-must-have-a-direction-in-reality-the-eye-is-no/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. 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The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) ## More by Berenice Abbott > [The camera is no more an instrument of preservation, the image is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/the-camera-is-no-more-an-instrument-of-preservation-the-image-is/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [The challenge for me has first been to see things as they are, whether a portrait, a city street, or a bouncing ball. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/the-challenge-for-me-has-first-been-to-see-things-as-they-are-whether/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [To chart a course, one must have a direction. In reality, the eye is no better than the philosophy behind it. The photographer creates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/to-chart-a-course-one-must-have-a-direction-in-reality-the-eye-is-no/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Self-conscious artiness is fatal, but it certainly would not hurt to study composition in general. Having a basic understanding of composition would help construct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/self-conscious-artiness-is-fatal-but-it-certainly-would-not-hurt-to/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [To chart a course, one must have a direction. In reality, the eye is no better than the philosophy behind it. The photographer creates,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/to-chart-a-course-one-must-have-a-direction-in-reality-the-eye-is-no-2/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [None. They should just go out and photograph and stop talking about it. That's the only way they are going to find themselves. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/none-they-should-just-go-out-and-photograph-and-stop-talking-about-it/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [What the human eye observes casually and incuriously, the eye of the camera... notes with relentless fidelity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/what-the-human-eye-observes-casually-and-incuriously-the-eye-of-the/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [There are many teachers who could ruin you. Before you know it you could be a pale copy of this teacher or that teacher.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/there-are-many-teachers-who-could-ruin-you-before-you-know-it-you/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Abstraction in photography is ridiculous, and is only an imitation of painting. We stopped imitating painters a hundred years ago, so to imitate them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/abstraction-in-photography-is-ridiculous-and-is-only-an-imitation-of/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [I have yet to see a fine photograph which is not a good document.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/i-have-yet-to-see-a-fine-photograph-which-is-not-a-good-document/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Like every other means of expression, photography, if it is to be utterly honest and direct, should be related to the life of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/like-every-other-means-of-expression-photography-if-it-is-to-be/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [I wanted to combine science and photography in a sensible, unemotional way. Some people’s ideas of scientific photography is just arty design, something pretty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/i-wanted-to-combine-science-and-photography-in-a-sensible-unemotional/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/photography-can-only-represent-the-present-once-photographed-the/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [What the human eye observes casually and incuriously, the eye of the camera (the lens) notes with relentless fidelity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/what-the-human-eye-observes-casually-and-incuriously-the-eye-of-the-2/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Let us first say what photography is not. A photograph is not a painting, a poem, a symphony, a dance. It is not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/let-us-first-say-what-photography-is-not-a-photograph-is-not-a/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) [Explore all 48 Berenice Abbott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) ## More Contemporary quotes > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. 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What kind of example is that? A mindless twit who can't even remember where she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/and-for-god-s-sake-don-t-let-her-watch-cinderella-what-kind-of/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [“No." I pulled away just enough to lock my eyes with his. His crooked smile sent shivers down my spine. His eyes were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-witter/no-i-pulled-away-just-enough-to-lock-my-eyes-with-his-his-crooked/) [Stephanie Witter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-witter/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [I'm educating myself more about world poetry. I know a lot about contemporary American poetry, so I felt I needed to learn more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/i-m-educating-myself-more-about-world-poetry-i-know-a-lot-about/) [Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/) > [We have created indoor installations inside museums, like the Wrapped Floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 1968, and not monumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christo/we-have-created-indoor-installations-inside-museums-like-the-wrapped/) [Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christo/) > [Going back to the noir fiction of the 30s, 40s and 50s. It's very contemporary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goldblum/going-back-to-the-noir-fiction-of-the-30s-40s-and-50s-it-s-very/) [Jeff Goldblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goldblum/) > [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [“The contemporary world has turned its back on the attempt and even on the desire to live reasonably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-contemporary-world-has-turned-its-back-on-the-attempt-and-even-on/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [No, it's interesting to remake a film for the contemporary audience today. I think it's a good idea; it needs to respect the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/no-it-s-interesting-to-remake-a-film-for-the-contemporary-audience/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) Browse all 1,586 Contemporary quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The photographer is the contemporary being par excellence; through his eyes the now becomes the past.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Berenice Abbott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-being-par-excellence-through-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contemporary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-being-par-excellence-through-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/berenice-abbott-14021_contemporary_the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-bei_2409718.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/berenice-abbott-14021_contemporary_the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-bei_2409718.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/berenice-abbott-14021_contemporary_the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-bei_2409718.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The photographer is the contemporary being par excellence; through his eyes the now becomes the past.” — Berenice Abbott", "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": "Berenice Abbott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The photographer is the contemporary being...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-being-par-excellence-through-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/the-photographer-is-the-contemporary-being-par-excellence-through-his/#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 } } ] } ```