--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a process of getting to know people…" description: "\"It's a process of getting to know people. That's what photography is to me. It's about paying attention, not screwing up and blowing a great opportunit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/eugene-richards-38595_attention_it-s-a-process-of-getting-to-know-people_3032119.png" --- # It's a process of getting to know people. That's what… ![“It's a process of getting to know people. That's what photography is to me. It's about paying attention, not screwing up and blowing a great opportunity.” quote by Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/eugene-richards-38595_attention_it-s-a-process-of-getting-to-know-people_3032119.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/eugene-richards-38595_attention_it-s-a-process-of-getting-to-know-people_3032119.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe6/eugene-richards-38595_attention_it-s-a-process-of-getting-to-know-people_3032119.png) > “It's a process of getting to know people. That's what photography is to me. It's about paying attention, not screwing up and blowing a great opportunity.” [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Photography is a process of learning about people by paying attention and avoiding missed opportunities. **In simple terms:** Photography teaches people through attentive observation. Key Takeaway Practice attentive, respectful photography. Themes art communication human connection mindfulness Mood thoughtful inspired Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - portrait sessions - street photography - documentary work Key Concepts visual storytelling ethical observation relationship building Questions to Reflect On - How does attention improve your photos? - What does respectful observation mean to you? A Different Perspective May overlook technical skill development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Getting To Know People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-to-know-people/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Paying Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-attention/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) ## Related quotes > [I am a big believer in getting to know people off the court. If we are close, it's more likely you'll fight for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domantas-sabonis/i-am-a-big-believer-in-getting-to-know-people-off-the-court-if-we-are/) [Domantas Sabonis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domantas-sabonis/) > [Getting to know people as they are is very, very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/getting-to-know-people-as-they-are-is-very-very-important/) [Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/) > [For me, I try to live life every day by getting to know people for who they are and learning from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-huntsman/for-me-i-try-to-live-life-every-day-by-getting-to-know-people-for-who/) [Abby Huntsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-huntsman/) > [I'm from Leeds so it's a big part of me and I like getting to know people, find out about them, see different backgrounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalvin-phillips/i-m-from-leeds-so-it-s-a-big-part-of-me-and-i-like-getting-to-know/) [Kalvin Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalvin-phillips/) > [I definitely enjoy getting to know people I find inspiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-definitely-enjoy-getting-to-know-people-i-find-inspiring/) [Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/) > [There's never a time that I'm not intrusive. That's the base of what we - photographers - do: we're intrusive. Anyone saying the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/there-s-never-a-time-that-i-m-not-intrusive-that-s-the-base-of-what/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [I love it if a man makes an effort to get to know my parents and sisters. Getting to know the people who matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-glau/i-love-it-if-a-man-makes-an-effort-to-get-to-know-my-parents-and/) [Summer Glau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-glau/) > [I don't think there's any such thing as teaching people photography, other than influencing them a little. People have to be their own learners.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imogen-cunningham/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-such-thing-as-teaching-people-photography/) [Imogen Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imogen-cunningham/) > [I admire photographers who can take much more ordinarily subject matter and make it transcend that ordinariness, so that it becomes something else fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-summers/i-admire-photographers-who-can-take-much-more-ordinarily-subject/) [Andy Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-summers/) > [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/) > [You can't teach people photography, they've got to learn how to do it the best way possible for them. They can learn from looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-beaton/you-can-t-teach-people-photography-they-ve-got-to-learn-how-to-do-it/) [Cecil Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-beaton/) > [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/) > [“I usually get distracted when I’m on the internet. I open one or two tabs to look something up for school but it turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdullah-abu-snaineh/i-usually-get-distracted-when-i-m-on-the-internet-i-open-one-or-two/) Abdullah Abu Snaineh > [ \[ Being director\] is really reassuring to me that it's just about who is right for that role and less about if you ace… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alden-ehrenreich/being-director-is-really-reassuring-to-me-that-it-s-just-about-who-is/) [Alden Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alden-ehrenreich/) > [I was gregarious as a kid, but I think the idea of actually getting to know people, I'm just shy. It sort of takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-thompson/i-was-gregarious-as-a-kid-but-i-think-the-idea-of-actually-getting-to/) [Tessa Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-thompson/) ## More by Eugene Richards > [I chose to be a photographer twenty-two years ago, but I don't know that I'd make that choice again. Back in the early eighties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/i-chose-to-be-a-photographer-twenty-two-years-ago-but-i-don-t-know/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [Photojournalist? With a few exceptions, those of us working as photojournalists might now more appropriately call ourselves illustrators. For, unlike real reporters, whose job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/photojournalist-with-a-few-exceptions-those-of-us-working-as/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [I can photograph someone if I can touch them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/i-can-photograph-someone-if-i-can-touch-them/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [War all comes down to these little tiny stories about people's lives that will never be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/war-all-comes-down-to-these-little-tiny-stories-about-people-s-lives/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [My biggest problem is I'm so uninteresting that all these people forget I'm around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/my-biggest-problem-is-i-m-so-uninteresting-that-all-these-people/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [...it is pretentious for photographers to believe that their pictures alone change things. If they did, we wouldn't be besieged by war, by incidents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/it-is-pretentious-for-photographers-to-believe-that-their-pictures/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [Approaching people is not - it's ironic that it's what I do - but it's not necessarily what I enjoy doing. Later on, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/approaching-people-is-not-it-s-ironic-that-it-s-what-i-do-but-it-s/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [I'm often uncomfortable taking pictures, especially if people are grieving, or hurt, or hungry. At such times I have to remind myself that I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/i-m-often-uncomfortable-taking-pictures-especially-if-people-are/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [That's one of the troubles of photography; the implication that what you have in that photograph is the way it is, and of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/that-s-one-of-the-troubles-of-photography-the-implication-that-what/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) > [There's never a time that I'm not intrusive. That's the base of what we - photographers - do: we're intrusive. Anyone saying the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-richards/there-s-never-a-time-that-i-m-not-intrusive-that-s-the-base-of-what/) [Eugene Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) [Explore all 11 Eugene Richards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-richards/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a process of getting to know people. 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