Amateur Quote by Dorothea Lange
“Photography today appears to be in a state of flight... The familiar is made strange, the unfamiliar grotesque. The amateur forces his Sundays into a series of unnatural poses.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Reflections on Modern Photography, 1935
Modern photography often distorts reality, turning the familiar into the strange and the unfamiliar into the grotesque, especially when amateurs force contrived poses.
In simple terms: Photography can make everyday scenes look odd and staged.
Key Takeaway
Be aware of authenticity when composing shots.
Themes
art
perception
authenticity
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- portrait sessions
- documentary work
- creative experiments
Key Concepts
visual distortion
subjectivity
Questions to Reflect On
- What balance between artifice and reality feels right?
- How does viewer expectation shape photographic meaning?
A Different Perspective
Over‑staging may alienate viewers seeking truth.
![“In photography we possess an extraordinary instrument for reproduction. But photography is much more than that. Today it is [a method for bringing optically] some thing entirely new into the world.” quote by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f3e/laszlo-moholy-nagy-24035_extraordinary_in-photography-we-possess-an-extraordina_2356157.jpg)
