--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Photography is an art of observation…" description: "\"Photography is an art of observation - it's about creating something extraordinary out of the ordinary. You choose a frame and then wait until the righ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/elliott-erwitt-8735_art_photography-is-an-art-of-observation-it_2282832.jpg" --- # Photography is an art of observation - it's about creating… ![“Photography is an art of observation - it's about creating something extraordinary out of the ordinary. You choose a frame and then wait until the right time for something magical to come along and fill it.” quote by Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/elliott-erwitt-8735_art_photography-is-an-art-of-observation-it_2282832.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/elliott-erwitt-8735_art_photography-is-an-art-of-observation-it_2282832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef0/elliott-erwitt-8735_art_photography-is-an-art-of-observation-it_2282832.jpg) > “Photography is an art of observation - it's about creating something extraordinary out of the ordinary. You choose a frame and then wait until the right time for something magical to come along and fill it.” [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. Photography requires patient observation and timing to transform ordinary scenes into extraordinary images. **In simple terms:** Patience and timing turn the mundane into magic. Key Takeaway Observe, wait, then capture the moment. Themes art patience observation creativity Mood inspirational contemplative Type artistic motivational When to use this quote - street photography - event coverage - nature photography - portrait sessions Key Concepts visual storytelling timing composition Questions to Reflect On - What ordinary moments could become extraordinary with attention? - How do you decide when to press the shutter? A Different Perspective Waiting too long may miss fleeting opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [You choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-choose/) ## Related quotes > [Art's whatever you choose to frame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fleur-adcock/art-s-whatever-you-choose-to-frame/) [Fleur Adcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fleur-adcock/) > [When I go on set, it's very important, the lenses I choose, what I choose to frame or not frame and that's how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lin/when-i-go-on-set-it-s-very-important-the-lenses-i-choose-what-i/) [Justin Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lin/) > [We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/we-are-not-permitted-to-choose-the-frame-of-our-destiny-but-what-we/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [“Quality is not an independent force in the universe; it depends on what you choose as your frame of reference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/quality-is-not-an-independent-force-in-the-universe-it-depends-on/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [I know that some filmmakers strive for a kind of naturalistic approach, but you're never going to capture something that's really natural - just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/i-know-that-some-filmmakers-strive-for-a-kind-of-naturalistic/) [Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/) > [To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/to-me-photography-is-an-art-of-observation-it-s-about-finding/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [I've always thought photography was an art form, but it had very low appreciation in the beginning, except for some Europeans, and of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-ve-always-thought-photography-was-an-art-form-but-it-had-very-low/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [... photography is just a medium. It's like a typewriter. Photography as an art doesn't interest me an awful lot; as a participant, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-stoller/photography-is-just-a-medium-it-s-like-a-typewriter-photography-as-an/) Ezra Stoller > [Photography is art when it's used by an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bernhard/photography-is-art-when-it-s-used-by-an-artist/) [Ruth Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bernhard/) > [I'd love to go off to college to study photography, art history, humanities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-d-love-to-go-off-to-college-to-study-photography-art-history/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [There are two dirty words in photography, one is art, the other is good taste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-newton/there-are-two-dirty-words-in-photography-one-is-art-the-other-is-good/) [Helmut Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-newton/) > [... the battle for the acceptance of photography as Art was not only counter-productive but counter-revolutionary. The most important photography is most emphatically not Art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-d-coleman/the-battle-for-the-acceptance-of-photography-as-art-was-not-only/) [A. D. Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-d-coleman/) > [Some people's photography is an art. Not mine. Art is a dirty word in photography. All this fine art crap is killing it already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-newton/some-people-s-photography-is-an-art-not-mine-art-is-a-dirty-word-in/) [Helmut Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-newton/) > [Some people's photography is an art. Mine is not. If they happen to be exhibited in a gallery or a museum, that's fine. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-newton/some-people-s-photography-is-an-art-mine-is-not-if-they-happen-to-be/) [Helmut Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-newton/) > [It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/it-is-easy-to-take-a-photograph-but-it-is-harder-to-make-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## 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 Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Photography is an art of observation - it's about creating something extraordinary out of the ordinary. 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