--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I just use [the camera]. I just pick it…" description: "\"I just use [the camera]. I just pick it up like an axe when I've got to chop down a tree. I pick up a camera and go out and shoot the pictures I have t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/edward-ruscha-14231_camera_i-just-use-the-camera-i-just-pick-it-up_811281.jpg" --- # I just use \[the camera\]. I just pick it up like an axe… ![“I just use [the camera]. I just pick it up like an axe when I've got to chop down a tree. I pick up a camera and go out and shoot the pictures I have to shoot.” quote by Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/edward-ruscha-14231_camera_i-just-use-the-camera-i-just-pick-it-up_811281.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/edward-ruscha-14231_camera_i-just-use-the-camera-i-just-pick-it-up_811281.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/edward-ruscha-14231_camera_i-just-use-the-camera-i-just-pick-it-up_811281.jpg) > “I just use \[the camera\]. I just pick it up like an axe when I've got to chop down a tree. I pick up a camera and go out and shoot the pictures I have to shoot.” [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The camera is treated as a tool like an axe—direct, purposeful, and necessary for capturing essential images. **In simple terms:** Use the camera purposefully. Key Takeaway Shoot with intention. Themes photography tool metaphor craftsmanship Mood reflective pragmatic Type artistic instructional When to use this quote - photojournalism - street photography - documentary Key Concepts visual storytelling discipline creative process Questions to Reflect On - How does treating a camera as a tool affect creativity? - When is spontaneity more valuable? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on utility may limit spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Camera Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera-just-243000/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Pick Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pick-camera-260761/) [Picks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picks/) [Shoot Pictures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoot-pictures-260760/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Use Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use-camera-260759/) ## Related quotes > [I would never say no to anything that sounded interesting! The thing I like about making films is that the adventure just begins when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-pennebaker/i-would-never-say-no-to-anything-that-sounded-interesting-the-thing-i/) [D. A. Pennebaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-pennebaker/) > [I am bad at memory - this is why I shoot pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-peress/i-am-bad-at-memory-this-is-why-i-shoot-pictures/) [Gilles Peress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-peress/) > [Hollywood is where they shoot too many pictures and not enough actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-winchell/hollywood-is-where-they-shoot-too-many-pictures-and-not-enough-actors/) [Walter Winchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-winchell/) > [I remember the first time I went out on the street to shoot pictures. I was in downtown Philadelphia, and I just took a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-remember-the-first-time-i-went-out-on-the-street-to-shoot-pictures/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [I got into photography in sixth grade. My father let me use his camera and then got me my first Pentax K1000.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reichardt/i-got-into-photography-in-sixth-grade-my-father-let-me-use-his-camera/) [Kelly Reichardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reichardt/) > [There is an aggression implicit in every use of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/there-is-an-aggression-implicit-in-every-use-of-the-camera/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [As a whole, I am interested in the symbolic, rather than the literal use of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-john-laughlin/as-a-whole-i-am-interested-in-the-symbolic-rather-than-the-literal/) [Clarence John Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-john-laughlin/) > [I can use the camera to make a place or landscape; the camera to a greater extent projects rather than takes in or reproduces.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olafur-eliasson/i-can-use-the-camera-to-make-a-place-or-landscape-the-camera-to-a/) [Olafur Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olafur-eliasson/) > [To be honest, I don't know... something about the camera like turns me into such a diva. Like when it's on and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bretman-rock/to-be-honest-i-don-t-know-something-about-the-camera-like-turns-me/) [Bretman Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bretman-rock/) > [Life is like a camera, just focus on whats important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives and if things dont work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-a-camera-just-focus-on-whats-important-and-capture-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like that I don't have to worry about how I look on camera. I can just express myself and make whatever sounds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-davidson/i-like-that-i-don-t-have-to-worry-about-how-i-look-on-camera-i-can/) [Tommy Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-davidson/) > [“I hate taking pictures,’ he says. ‘I feel that if you pick up a camera you take yourself out of the moment. You’re no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wallman/i-hate-taking-pictures-he-says-i-feel-that-if-you-pick-up-a-camera/) [James Wallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wallman/) > [With documentary, you just pick up a camera and start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/with-documentary-you-just-pick-up-a-camera-and-start/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [You pick up a camera because something has been revealed to you in the landscape or in the human-scape. And you have no choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/you-pick-up-a-camera-because-something-has-been-revealed-to-you-in/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) > [On practical level I can't pick up the camera until I think I know what I want. I don't wander around. It's almost impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-henson/on-practical-level-i-can-t-pick-up-the-camera-until-i-think-i-know/) [Bill Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-henson/) ## More by Edward Ruscha > [I don't do social media of any kind. If I did, I may as well join Scientology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-don-t-do-social-media-of-any-kind-if-i-did-i-may-as-well-join/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [When I paint a picture of a house, that goes back to my roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/when-i-paint-a-picture-of-a-house-that-goes-back-to-my-roots/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [Perhaps there would be more anxiety in my work if I lived in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/perhaps-there-would-be-more-anxiety-in-my-work-if-i-lived-in-new-york/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I wasn't captivated by the romance of Paris or London. I love visiting, but I'd rather be in L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-wasn-t-captivated-by-the-romance-of-paris-or-london-i-love-visiting/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I think the most interesting stuff comes from people who've just got nothing to lose. You know, let's kamikaze this thing - just throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-think-the-most-interesting-stuff-comes-from-people-who-ve-just-got/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [Yes, there's a certain power to a photograph. The camera has a way of disorienting a person, if it wants to and, for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/yes-there-s-a-certain-power-to-a-photograph-the-camera-has-a-way-of/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [ The subject \[of Los Angeles\] became a general metaphor for anxiety and the speed of modern life. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/the-subject-of-los-angeles-became-a-general-metaphor-for-anxiety-and/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [As an artist, I gotta stand up to my own work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/as-an-artist-i-gotta-stand-up-to-my-own-work/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I'm very stodgy. I'm always looking at old photos of California and Los Angeles, knowing that what I'm looking at is now full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-m-very-stodgy-i-m-always-looking-at-old-photos-of-california-and/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [There was no hope for any kind of big opportunity. I'm not saying it was hopeless. The big pay-off was to work as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/there-was-no-hope-for-any-kind-of-big-opportunity-i-m-not-saying-it/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I believe in intuition and approaching things as instant gratification. Just do the things you want to do, make the kind of pictures you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-believe-in-intuition-and-approaching-things-as-instant/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [My friends and neighbors were always fixing their cars. Soldiers who felt restless wanted to work on something, and they understood cars. Me, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/my-friends-and-neighbors-were-always-fixing-their-cars-soldiers-who/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I have no social agenda with my work. I'm deadpan about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-have-no-social-agenda-with-my-work-i-m-deadpan-about-it/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I knew I wanted to be some kind of artist from about 12. I met a neighbour who drew cartoons, and I had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-some-kind-of-artist-from-about-12-i-met-a/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I'm interested in glorifying something that we in the world would say doesn't deserve being glorified. Something that's forgotten, focused on as though it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-m-interested-in-glorifying-something-that-we-in-the-world-would-say/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) [Explore all 47 Edward Ruscha quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) ## More Camera quotes > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [When I made my debut as an actor in 'Rock On!' I was confident to get in front of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/when-i-made-my-debut-as-an-actor-in-rock-on-i-was-confident-to-get-in/) [Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/) > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) [Mitra Farahani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitra-farahani/) > [To be honest, I don't know... something about the camera like turns me into such a diva. Like when it's on and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bretman-rock/to-be-honest-i-don-t-know-something-about-the-camera-like-turns-me/) [Bretman Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bretman-rock/) > [When the camera is on, I am an actor; otherwise, I am an ordinary person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/when-the-camera-is-on-i-am-an-actor-otherwise-i-am-an-ordinary-person/) [Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/) > [“A camera is an opening in a box: that is the best emblem of the fact that a camera holding an object is holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-cavell/a-camera-is-an-opening-in-a-box-that-is-the-best-emblem-of-the-fact/) [Stanley Cavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-cavell/) > [It's such a weird thing, because you have a whole crew of people standing over there, on the other side. There's a camera pointing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/it-s-such-a-weird-thing-because-you-have-a-whole-crew-of-people/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) > [“The camera lets me see things in a different way. It's like I finally have perspective. I can't always say stuff right in words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-cook/the-camera-lets-me-see-things-in-a-different-way-it-s-like-i-finally/) [Eileen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-cook/) > [I was so green, and my background was mostly in theater. The only thing I'd done in front of a camera, besides an infomercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-britton/i-was-so-green-and-my-background-was-mostly-in-theater-the-only-thing/) [Connie Britton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-britton/) > [As far as lighting and blocking, camera angles and facial expressions, all that stuff that has to be very specific in film, as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-torres/as-far-as-lighting-and-blocking-camera-angles-and-facial-expressions/) [Eve Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-torres/) > [It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-photographer-not-the-camera-that-is-the-instrument/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like to move the camera that much anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/i-don-t-like-to-move-the-camera-that-much-anyway/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [I feel like 'Preacher's Daughter' was my Trojan horse, in a way. I'm excited to pull back, be behind the camera instead of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-feel-like-preacher-s-daughter-was-my-trojan-horse-in-a-way-i-m/) [Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/) [Browse all 2,026 Camera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I just use [the camera]. I just pick it up like an axe when I've got to chop down a tree. 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