--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's almost embarrassing, but I do have…" description: "\"It's almost embarrassing, but I do have one trick for taking portraits on commission. I carry one of these little bicycle horns in my pocket, and once ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/elliott-erwitt-8735_almost_it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-o_2242489.jpg" --- # It's almost embarrassing, but I do have one trick for… ![“It's almost embarrassing, but I do have one trick for taking portraits on commission. I carry one of these little bicycle horns in my pocket, and once in a while, when someone is sour-faced or stiff, I blow my horn. It sort of shatters the barriers. It's silly, but it works.” quote by Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/elliott-erwitt-8735_almost_it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-o_2242489.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/elliott-erwitt-8735_almost_it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-o_2242489.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/elliott-erwitt-8735_almost_it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-o_2242489.jpg) > “It's almost embarrassing, but I do have one trick for taking portraits on commission. I carry one of these little bicycle horns in my pocket, and once in a while, when someone is sour-faced or stiff, I blow my horn. It sort of shatters the barriers. It's silly, but it works.” [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A playful horn can break tension and make subjects relax for better portraits. **In simple terms:** A horn helps people feel comfortable. Key Takeaway Use humor to ease awkwardness. Themes photography human connection creativity Mood lighthearted creative Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - studio sessions - street portrait shoots - client meetings Key Concepts social psychology icebreakers Questions to Reflect On - How can you gauge when humor is appropriate? - What other simple props could you use? A Different Perspective May not work with very serious subjects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [Barriers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barriers/) [Bicycle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bicycle/) [Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blow/) [Carry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carry/) [Commission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commission/) [Commission Carry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commission-carry-5089768/) [Embarrassing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassing/) [Embarrassing Trick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassing-trick-5089769/) [Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horn/) [Horns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horns/) [Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little/) [Once](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Pocket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pocket/) [Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraits/) [Portraits Commission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraits-commission-5089767/) [Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly/) [Someone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someone/) [Sort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sort/) [Stiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stiff/) [Taking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking/) [Taking Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-portraits-5089766/) [Trick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trick/) [While](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/while/) [Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works/) ## Related quotes > [my sitters get tired waiting for commissioned portraits. If they commission me they have to wait years sometimes because I discard so many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dobell/my-sitters-get-tired-waiting-for-commissioned-portraits-if-they/) [William Dobell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dobell/) > [“God break me out of this stiff life I've made”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-valentine/god-break-me-out-of-this-stiff-life-i-ve-made/) [Jean Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-valentine/) > [If two scientists are giving their papers at a symposium, and one of them is just naturally better at talking to the public or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/if-two-scientists-are-giving-their-papers-at-a-symposium-and-one-of/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“But, surely, if the mind is too long directed to one object only, it will get stiff and rigid, and unable to take in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/but-surely-if-the-mind-is-too-long-directed-to-one-object-only-it/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-hard-and-stiff-will-be-broken-the-soft-and-supple-will-prevail/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [There's nothing more frustrating then when you have someone who's a little bit stiff and you have to ease them into the shoot. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-evans/there-s-nothing-more-frustrating-then-when-you-have-someone-who-s-a/) [Gareth Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-evans/) > [“Other than that stiff, raking cock of yours, I don’t care what you have, just keep doing what you’re doing and let’s see what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-d-grace/other-than-that-stiff-raking-cock-of-yours-i-don-t-care-what-you-have/) [K.D. Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-d-grace/) > [“He didn’t look as if he’d been through a whirlwind exactly but he’d certainly endured a stiff breeze.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/he-didn-t-look-as-if-he-d-been-through-a-whirlwind-exactly-but-he-d/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [When you do a song new live on stage, it's kind of a bit weird until it gets worn in, you know, like oiled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lynne/when-you-do-a-song-new-live-on-stage-it-s-kind-of-a-bit-weird-until/) [Jeff Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lynne/) > [I'm a working stiff, baby, just like everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-m-a-working-stiff-baby-just-like-everybody-else/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [I'm a working stiff. I just happened to be around at the right time, and nobody else wanted the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-bridges/i-m-a-working-stiff-i-just-happened-to-be-around-at-the-right-time/) [Harry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-bridges/) > [Body is not stiff, mind is stiff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-pattabhi-jois/body-is-not-stiff-mind-is-stiff/) [K. Pattabhi Jois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-pattabhi-jois/) > [Stiff opinion, always in the wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/stiff-opinion-always-in-the-wrong/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Unfortunately, the suit is so stiff, I can't do this with two hands, but I'm going to try a little sand-trap shot here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/unfortunately-the-suit-is-so-stiff-i-can-t-do-this-with-two-hands-but/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [That's how we behave in this country. Stiff upper lip and all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-allen/that-s-how-we-behave-in-this-country-stiff-upper-lip-and-all-that/) [Heidi Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-allen/) ## More by Elliott Erwitt > [Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times...I just shoot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/nothing-happens-when-you-sit-at-home-i-always-make-it-a-point-to/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Photoshop is useful in many ways but must NEVER be used for the altering of photographs. My assistants and my agency do whatever Photoshop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photoshop-is-useful-in-many-ways-but-must-never-be-used-for-the/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [I don't really have a favorite camera. I use a Leica and Canon a lot. It depends, especially professionally, on the requirements. But my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/i-don-t-really-have-a-favorite-camera-i-use-a-leica-and-canon-a-lot/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Do what the client wants, not what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/do-what-the-client-wants-not-what-you-want/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [It's just seeing - at least the photography I care about. You either see or you don't see. The rest is academic. Anyone can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/it-s-just-seeing-at-least-the-photography-i-care-about-you-either-see/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [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/) > [After following the crowd for a while, I'd then go 180 degrees in the exact opposite direction. It always worked for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/after-following-the-crowd-for-a-while-i-d-then-go-180-degrees-in-the/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [It's about reacting to what you see, hopefully without preconception. You can find pictures anywhere. It's simply a matter of noticing things and organising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/it-s-about-reacting-to-what-you-see-hopefully-without-preconception/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Photography is a craft. Anyone can learn a craft with normal intelligence and application. To take it beyond the craft is something else. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photography-is-a-craft-anyone-can-learn-a-craft-with-normal/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [I see no difference between my pictures that people consider amusing and the rest. To me, it's all serious work - they're just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/i-see-no-difference-between-my-pictures-that-people-consider-amusing/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [My life has been quite interesting professionally,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/my-life-has-been-quite-interesting-professionally/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Good photography is not about Zone Printing or any other Ansel Adams nonsense. It's just about seeing. You either see or you don't see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/good-photography-is-not-about-zone-printing-or-any-other-ansel-adams/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Professionally I've evolved with what's required, but the pictures I do for pleasure haven't changed, except for the cars in the background, the clothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/professionally-i-ve-evolved-with-what-s-required-but-the-pictures-i/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Making people laugh is one of the highest achievements you can have. And when you can make someone laugh and cry, alternatively, as Chaplin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/making-people-laugh-is-one-of-the-highest-achievements-you-can-have/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [You can find pictures anywhere. It's simply a matter of noticing things and organizing them. You just have to care about what's around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/you-can-find-pictures-anywhere-it-s-simply-a-matter-of-noticing/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) [Explore all 78 Elliott Erwitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My favourite designers always create a strong silhouette, like McQueen and Tom Ford and Alaia. I like structured things that you can throw on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-favourite-designers-always-create-a-strong-silhouette-like-mcqueen/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) [Bill Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-luther/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/if-you-watch-wrestling-you-now-know-the-hip-hop-culture-is-being/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. I got on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-d-had-episodes-before-but-i-swept-them-under-the-carpet-this-time-i/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) [Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's almost embarrassing, but I do have one trick for taking portraits on commission. I carry one of these little bicycle horns in my pocket, and once in a while, when someone is sour-faced or stiff, I blow my horn. It sort of shatters the barriers. It's silly, but it works.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elliott Erwitt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-one-trick-for-taking-portraits/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Almost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-one-trick-for-taking-portraits/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/elliott-erwitt-8735_almost_it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-o_2242489.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/elliott-erwitt-8735_almost_it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-o_2242489.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/elliott-erwitt-8735_almost_it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-o_2242489.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's almost embarrassing, but I do have one trick for taking portraits on commission. I carry one of these…” — Elliott Erwitt", "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": "Elliott Erwitt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's almost embarrassing, but I do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-one-trick-for-taking-portraits/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/it-s-almost-embarrassing-but-i-do-have-one-trick-for-taking-portraits/#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 } } ] } ```