--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's hard for me to assess what I brought…" description: "\"It's hard for me to assess what I brought because each time you pick up a camera and point it at a person, you're trying to define that person so to ta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/eve-arnold-16752_about_it-s-hard-for-me-to-assess-what-i-brough_831127.png" --- # It's hard for me to assess what I brought because each… ![“It's hard for me to assess what I brought because each time you pick up a camera and point it at a person, you're trying to define that person so to talk generally is difficult because I have to think of a given image in order to conjure up what we're talking about.” quote by Eve Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/eve-arnold-16752_about_it-s-hard-for-me-to-assess-what-i-brough_831127.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/eve-arnold-16752_about_it-s-hard-for-me-to-assess-what-i-brough_831127.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/eve-arnold-16752_about_it-s-hard-for-me-to-assess-what-i-brough_831127.png) > “It's hard for me to assess what I brought because each time you pick up a camera and point it at a person, you're trying to define that person so to talk generally is difficult because I have to think of a given image in order to conjure up what we're talking about.” [Eve Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-arnold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She explains that photographing people forces her to define them, making general discussion hard without a specific image in mind. **In simple terms:** Photographs require a concrete image to discuss people. Key Takeaway Use specific examples when describing others. Themes photography identity representation Mood reflective analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - portrait sessions - journalistic work - art criticism - teaching photography Key Concepts visual perception subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How does a specific photo change your view of a person? - Can you discuss identity without visual reference? A Different Perspective Generalizations can misrepresent complex individuals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/image/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Those with whom we can apparently become well acquainted in a few moments are generally the most difficult to rightly know and to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/those-with-whom-we-can-apparently-become-well-acquainted-in-a-few/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Illusions connected with religion are generally most difficult to remove.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-meade-falkner/illusions-connected-with-religion-are-generally-most-difficult-to/) [John Meade Falkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-meade-falkner/) > [Speeches easy to young speakers are generally very difficult to old listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/speeches-easy-to-young-speakers-are-generally-very-difficult-to-old/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [Sometimes I just wish there was one person I could talk to all day long and would understand all the things that happened in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-just-wish-there-was-one-person-i-could-talk-to-all-day/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's rarely the loudest person in the room who's asking for the attention that's the most interesting person to talk to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rife/it-s-rarely-the-loudest-person-in-the-room-who-s-asking-for-the/) [Matt Rife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rife/) > [I'm not, I guess, the person to talk about himself a lot, but I'm also very confident in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ja-morant/i-m-not-i-guess-the-person-to-talk-about-himself-a-lot-but-i-m-also/) [Ja Morant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ja-morant/) > [I don't think you really get to know a person until you talk to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-liu/i-don-t-think-you-really-get-to-know-a-person-until-you-talk-to-them/) [Amber Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-liu/) > [That person you talk to ONCE in your life and suddenly you just CANT stop thinking about them...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-person-you-talk-to-once-in-your-life-and-suddenly-you-just-cant/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't do a lot of talking. 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Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) ## More by Eve Arnold > [If the photographer is interested in the people in front of his lens, and if he is compassionate, it's already a lot. The instrument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-arnold/if-the-photographer-is-interested-in-the-people-in-front-of-his-lens/) [Eve Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-arnold/) > [I think if I ever get satisfied, I’ll have to stop. 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