--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think photographers are too polite…" description: "\"I think photographers are too polite. There is not enough anger in photography; it's pretty much trivialized.\" — Duane Michals" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/duane-michals-10800_enough_i-think-photographers-are-too-polite-the_1822573.png" --- # I think photographers are too polite. There is not enough… ![“I think photographers are too polite. There is not enough anger in photography; it's pretty much trivialized.” quote by Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/duane-michals-10800_enough_i-think-photographers-are-too-polite-the_1822573.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/duane-michals-10800_enough_i-think-photographers-are-too-polite-the_1822573.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/duane-michals-10800_enough_i-think-photographers-are-too-polite-the_1822573.png) > “I think photographers are too polite. There is not enough anger in photography; it's pretty much trivialized.” [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. Photography often lacks raw emotion, appearing too polite; it should provoke stronger feelings and confront discomfort. **In simple terms:** Photos should evoke powerful, sometimes uncomfortable emotions. Key Takeaway Seek to capture raw, honest emotion. Themes photography emotion authenticity artistic expression provocative Mood introspective challenging Type artistic inspirational When to use this quote - gallery talks - photography workshops - creative projects Key Concepts Emotional depth visual storytelling art criticism Questions to Reflect On - How can photographers convey anger without alienating viewers? - What subjects evoke genuine emotional response? A Different Perspective Politeness can dilute artistic impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Polite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polite/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I don't study polite anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mielya-saladdin/i-don-t-study-polite-anger/) [Mielya Saladdin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mielya-saladdin/) > [I take pleasure in working with the non-art photographs that reside in public archives, essentially authorless and owned by the world itself, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-light/i-take-pleasure-in-working-with-the-non-art-photographs-that-reside/) [Michael Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-light/) > [Photography is pretty simple stuff. You just react to what you see, and take many, many pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photography-is-pretty-simple-stuff-you-just-react-to-what-you-see-and/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [I think that something photographers find about me is that I work really hard to make sure I know what they want before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gigi-hadid/i-think-that-something-photographers-find-about-me-is-that-i-work/) [Gigi Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gigi-hadid/) > [I think most serious photographers understand that there's this large gap between the world and how the world looks through a photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-shore/i-think-most-serious-photographers-understand-that-there-s-this-large/) [Stephen Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-shore/) > [Part of the reason that these attempts at explanation fail, I think, is that photographers, like all artists, choose their medium because it allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/part-of-the-reason-that-these-attempts-at-explanation-fail-i-think-is/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) > [I still think photographers should be lashed out at. They should be put in a cage where you can poke them with a stick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-still-think-photographers-should-be-lashed-out-at-they-should-be/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [I think all photographers fit their vision to their personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-weston/i-think-all-photographers-fit-their-vision-to-their-personality/) [Kim Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-weston/) > [Normally when people say they haven't decided, they're being polite but they're definitely not voting for you. I think it's different this time. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/normally-when-people-say-they-haven-t-decided-they-re-being-polite/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [It is something that most parents hope for in life: That their children will be moderately successful, polite, decent human beings. Anything on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-kramer/it-is-something-that-most-parents-hope-for-in-life-that-their/) [Jerry Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-kramer/) > [Women are sort of like motorcycle gangs with me. They get really shy and polite. I don't know why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/women-are-sort-of-like-motorcycle-gangs-with-me-they-get-really-shy/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Most magicians consider the palm an easy move to make. They are inclined to believe that they are 'getting away with it,' when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dai-vernon/most-magicians-consider-the-palm-an-easy-move-to-make-they-are/) [Dai Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dai-vernon/) > [To be polite to everybody except the people they love most is a nervous affectation that afflicts many families ... when they come home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fishback/to-be-polite-to-everybody-except-the-people-they-love-most-is-a/) Margaret Fishback > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) ## 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 Enough quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [Failures happen. 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I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. 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