--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I often try to photograph things about a…" description: "\"I often try to photograph things about a person that are not visible.\" — Duane Michals" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/duane-michals-10800_persons_i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a_2988859.png" --- # I often try to photograph things about a person that are… ![“I often try to photograph things about a person that are not visible.” quote by Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/duane-michals-10800_persons_i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a_2988859.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/duane-michals-10800_persons_i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a_2988859.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/duane-michals-10800_persons_i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a_2988859.png) > “I often try to photograph things about a person that are not visible.” [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Capturing unseen aspects of a person reveals deeper truth. **In simple terms:** Photograph unseen personal aspects. Key Takeaway Seek deeper truth beyond the visible. Themes photography identity depth Mood introspective artistic Type visual philosophical When to use this quote - portraiture - documentary - art therapy Key Concepts visual storytelling psychology Questions to Reflect On - What unseen qualities matter most? - How can photography respect privacy? A Different Perspective May intrude on privacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [I try to photograph things that are near to me because I work best among things I know. I'm not concerned with startling anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-decarava/i-try-to-photograph-things-that-are-near-to-me-because-i-work-best/) [Roy DeCarava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-decarava/) > [“If you’re an invisible person, of course you’re going to dress ostentatiously and flamboyantly, so people will finally start seeing you. I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-you-re-an-invisible-person-of-course-you-re-going-to-dress/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I do photograph things for people to look at 100 years from now. But we're such a mediated society that things become historical the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-opie/i-do-photograph-things-for-people-to-look-at-100-years-from-now-but/) [Catherine Opie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-opie/) > [I try and photograph people as they are. I do not want to hide anything. I want to bring across a personality, a humanity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juergen-teller/i-try-and-photograph-people-as-they-are-i-do-not-want-to-hide/) [Juergen Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juergen-teller/) > [What I really try to do is photograph people at rest, in a state of serenity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/what-i-really-try-to-do-is-photograph-people-at-rest-in-a-state-of/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [I try to photograph with love and sympathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-armstrong-jones/i-try-to-photograph-with-love-and-sympathy/) [Antony Armstrong-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-armstrong-jones/) > [I try to photograph what can't be photographed - psychological or subjective reality, which seems more real than physical or consensual reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ess/i-try-to-photograph-what-can-t-be-photographed-psychological-or/) Barbara Ess > [I try to photograph my own and society's hypocrisy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/i-try-to-photograph-my-own-and-society-s-hypocrisy/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [I try to photograph thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-giacomelli/i-try-to-photograph-thoughts/) [Mario Giacomelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-giacomelli/) > [“He wanted to live life in such a way that if a photograph were taken at random, it would be a cool photograph. Things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/he-wanted-to-live-life-in-such-a-way-that-if-a-photograph-were-taken/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I photograph the things that I do not wish to paint, the things which already have an existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/i-photograph-the-things-that-i-do-not-wish-to-paint-the-things-which/) [Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/) > [If you scratch a great photograph, you find two things; a painting and a photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/if-you-scratch-a-great-photograph-you-find-two-things-a-painting-and/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [I paint what cannot be photographed, something from the imagination... I photograph the things I don't want to paint, things that are already in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/i-paint-what-cannot-be-photographed-something-from-the-imagination-i/) [Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/) > [Why can't a photograph be all four things at once? -be an art object; be a document, what ever that means exactly, but deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-shore/why-can-t-a-photograph-be-all-four-things-at-once-be-an-art-object-be/) [Stephen Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-shore/) > [I have asked students at the beginning of their careers, what things of that sort might haunt them – what things they must photograph,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/i-have-asked-students-at-the-beginning-of-their-careers-what-things/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) ## More by Duane Michals > [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/) > [All good children's books, I think, address metaphysical issues in some kind of way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/all-good-children-s-books-i-think-address-metaphysical-issues-in-some/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [My work is about my life as an event, and I find myself to be very temporal, transient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/my-work-is-about-my-life-as-an-event-and-i-find-myself-to-be-very/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [And in not learning the rules, I was free. I always say, you're either defined by the medium or you redefine the medium in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/and-in-not-learning-the-rules-i-was-free-i-always-say-you-re-either/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [Photography does deal with 'truth' or a kind of superficial reality better than any of the other arts, but it never questions the nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/photography-does-deal-with-truth-or-a-kind-of-superficial-reality/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [People of my generation who became photographers in the late fifties, early sixties, there were no rewards in photography. There were no museum shows.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/people-of-my-generation-who-became-photographers-in-the-late-fifties/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [Taking photographs and writing is my way of saying I was here, I saw this, I felt this, I heard this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/taking-photographs-and-writing-is-my-way-of-saying-i-was-here-i-saw/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [I write in order to express what the photo itself cannot say. A photograph of my father doesn't tell me what I thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-write-in-order-to-express-what-the-photo-itself-cannot-say-a/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [If I indulge myself and surrender to memory, I can still feel the knot of excitement that gripped me as I turned the corner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/if-i-indulge-myself-and-surrender-to-memory-i-can-still-feel-the-knot/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [Art has to address eternal issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/art-has-to-address-eternal-issues/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [I believe in the invisible. I do not believe in the definitive reality of things around us. For me, reality is the intuition and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-believe-in-the-invisible-i-do-not-believe-in-the-definitive-reality/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [All good work has magic in it, and addresses the mind in a subtle way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/all-good-work-has-magic-in-it-and-addresses-the-mind-in-a-subtle-way/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [Art is not fashionable. That's why fashion and art are two different things. Fashion can never be art because fashion deals with whim, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/art-is-not-fashionable-that-s-why-fashion-and-art-are-two-different/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [There are those photographers who have made a whole career doing commercial work but have never had a museum show, and then there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/there-are-those-photographers-who-have-made-a-whole-career-doing/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/photography-deals-exquisitely-with-appearances-but-nothing-is-what-it/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) [Explore all 62 Duane Michals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) ## More Persons quotes > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. 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If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [A low-minded person should not be given good advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/a-low-minded-person-should-not-be-given-good-advice/) [Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should - so hard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/when-we-are-struck-at-without-a-reason-we-should-strike-back-again/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kavner/i-sound-new-york-i-sound-east-coast-much-more-than-a-blonde-person/) [Julie Kavner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kavner/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/every-saved-person-this-side-of-heaven-owes-the-gospel-to-every-lost/) [David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/) > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) Browse all 27,579 Persons quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I often try to photograph things about a person that are not visible.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Duane Michals" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a-person-that-are-not-visible/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Persons" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a-person-that-are-not-visible/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/duane-michals-10800_persons_i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a_2988859.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/duane-michals-10800_persons_i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a_2988859.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/duane-michals-10800_persons_i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a_2988859.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I often try to photograph things about a person that are not visible.” — Duane Michals", "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": "Duane Michals", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I often try to photograph things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a-person-that-are-not-visible/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-often-try-to-photograph-things-about-a-person-that-are-not-visible/#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 } } ] } ```