--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The greatest photographs are motivated by…" description: "\"The greatest photographs are motivated by human feeling.\" — David Burnett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/david-burnett-37563_feelings_the-greatest-photographs-are-motivated-b_2854235.png" --- # The greatest photographs are motivated by human feeling. ![“The greatest photographs are motivated by human feeling.” quote by David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/david-burnett-37563_feelings_the-greatest-photographs-are-motivated-b_2854235.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/david-burnett-37563_feelings_the-greatest-photographs-are-motivated-b_2854235.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/david-burnett-37563_feelings_the-greatest-photographs-are-motivated-b_2854235.png) > “The greatest photographs are motivated by human feeling.” [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Powerful images arise when the photographer connects emotionally with the subject. **In simple terms:** Emotion fuels great photos. Key Takeaway Capture feeling, not just scenes. Themes photography emotion artistry Mood inspirational creative Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - portrait sessions - documentary work - photojournalism Key Concepts human connection visual storytelling expression Questions to Reflect On - How does your mood affect your photography? - What emotions do you want viewers to feel? A Different Perspective Technical skill without feeling may produce technically perfect but empty images. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Greatest Photographs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-photographs-3814869/) [Human Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-feeling-355305/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Motivated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivated/) [Motivated Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivated-human-1741586/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photographs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographs/) [Photographs Motivated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographs-motivated-3814868/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [“The decisions we make lead us to complex behavioral sets, and what we decide to do can be consciously and unconsciously motivated. The human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rush/the-decisions-we-make-lead-us-to-complex-behavioral-sets-and-what-we/) [John Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rush/) > [“I am not at all sure that the majority of the human race have not been ugly, and even among those "lords of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/i-am-not-at-all-sure-that-the-majority-of-the-human-race-have-not/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Yes! Thank God; human feeling is like the mighty rivers that bless the earth: it does not wait for beauty—it flows with resistless force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/yes-thank-god-human-feeling-is-like-the-mighty-rivers-that-bless-the/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. 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It was impossible not to blame myself for what had happened, but even guilt was a comfort. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/guilt-kept-me-going-it-was-impossible-not-to-blame-myself-for-what/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The normal objective of my thought affords no insight into the dark places of human will and feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-normal-objective-of-my-thought-affords-no-insight-into-the-dark/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A man with no human feeling is like a flower without fragrance or a tree without leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-man-with-no-human-feeling-is-like-a-flower-without-fragrance-or-a/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I believe in art that is connected to real human feeling, that extends itself beyond the limits of the art world to embrace all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-chicago/i-believe-in-art-that-is-connected-to-real-human-feeling-that-extends/) [Judy Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-chicago/) ## More by David Burnett > [The satisfaction comes from working next to 500 photographers and coming away with something different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/the-satisfaction-comes-from-working-next-to-500-photographers-and/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [Shooting film is not for everybody, but if you're crazy enough it might be for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/shooting-film-is-not-for-everybody-but-if-you-re-crazy-enough-it/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [Do not settle for easy. Do not settle for that first image. Craft it, work it, and make something more out of it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/do-not-settle-for-easy-do-not-settle-for-that-first-image-craft-it/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [The fact that I have a little ten-megapixel camera with me all the time, is way better than having the greatest camera in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/the-fact-that-i-have-a-little-ten-megapixel-camera-with-me-all-the/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [I hate being away, but I understand that for me, that's where the work, the stories are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/i-hate-being-away-but-i-understand-that-for-me-that-s-where-the-work/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [I see myself as a recorder of history, sort of a visual historian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/i-see-myself-as-a-recorder-of-history-sort-of-a-visual-historian/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [When you've lived through the golden age of photojournalism, there's no point in being nostalgic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/when-you-ve-lived-through-the-golden-age-of-photojournalism-there-s/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [The loss of letters in today's world is one of the great losses we are experiencing, though we shan't know the full extent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/the-loss-of-letters-in-today-s-world-is-one-of-the-great-losses-we/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [War isn't a TV show with plot twists to keep the viewers interested. The proliferation of images and blanket media coverage have suffocated the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/war-isn-t-a-tv-show-with-plot-twists-to-keep-the-viewers-interested/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [It's a given your family will be tired of being photographed, but don't give up. In another couple of decades, those are the pictures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/it-s-a-given-your-family-will-be-tired-of-being-photographed-but-don/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) > [I love New York, but am happy to be away from it. I really like small towns, with welcoming barbecue restaurants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burnett/i-love-new-york-but-am-happy-to-be-away-from-it-i-really-like-small/) [David Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) [Explore all 12 David Burnett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burnett/) ## More Feelings quotes > [I have a strong feeling about this quick movement and changing of society and populations growing - something scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-a-strong-feeling-about-this-quick-movement-and-changing-of/) [Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [We never realize the importance of any our action until we be the hunt of same situation in reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fadi/we-never-realize-the-importance-of-any-our-action-until-we-be-the/) [Fadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fadi/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [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/) > [If someone really loves you, no matter how many other people they meet, their feelings for you wouldn't change. A real lover cant be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-really-loves-you-no-matter-how-many-other-people-they-meet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [“I urge you: don't cut short these thought-trains of yours. Follow them through to their end. Your thoughts and your feelings. Follow them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/i-urge-you-don-t-cut-short-these-thought-trains-of-yours-follow-them/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. 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