--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... photography is just a medium. It's…" description: "\"... 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 I like to lo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ezra-stoller-78394_art_photography-is-just-a-medium-it-s-like-a_424512.jpg" --- # ... photography is just a medium. It's like a typewriter… ![“... 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 I like to look at it.” quote by Ezra Stoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ezra-stoller-78394_art_photography-is-just-a-medium-it-s-like-a_424512.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ezra-stoller-78394_art_photography-is-just-a-medium-it-s-like-a_424512.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/ezra-stoller-78394_art_photography-is-just-a-medium-it-s-like-a_424512.jpg) > “... 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 I like to look at it.” Ezra Stoller ## 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 compared to a typewriter: a tool rather than an art form, valued for participation over creation. **In simple terms:** Photography is a tool, not an art. Key Takeaway Focus on using photography to explore ideas, not just aesthetic. Themes art technology participation creativity Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type conceptual practical When to use this quote - photojournalism - creative workshops - educational settings Key Concepts medium theory visual communication artist intent Questions to Reflect On - How does viewing photography as a tool change its use? - What value does participation bring? A Different Perspective Treating photography as art can limit its functional potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that music is a force in itself. It is there and it needs an outlet, a medium. 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I'm just doing photography until I can do something better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-don-t-even-like-photography-at-all-i-m-just-doing-photography-until/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) > [In the end, photography for me is just an excuse to get to know the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graciela-iturbide/in-the-end-photography-for-me-is-just-an-excuse-to-get-to-know-the/) [Graciela Iturbide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graciela-iturbide/) > [I had no idea how I wanted to get into photography, but I just knew I wanted to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-berehulak/i-had-no-idea-how-i-wanted-to-get-into-photography-but-i-just-knew-i/) [Daniel Berehulak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-berehulak/) > [I never tried to revolutionise photography; I just do what I do and keep my fingers crossed that people will like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bailey/i-never-tried-to-revolutionise-photography-i-just-do-what-i-do-and/) [David Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bailey/) > [To me, photography is not just a visual art, but something closer to poetry - or at least to some poetry, such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-horvat/to-me-photography-is-not-just-a-visual-art-but-something-closer-to/) [Frank Horvat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-horvat/) > [You don't study photography, you just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/you-don-t-study-photography-you-just-do-it/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [“Why you like photography so much? Because it's just the camera and me showing everyone else what we can see. It's telling stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-kelk/why-you-like-photography-so-much-because-it-s-just-the-camera-and-me/) [Lindsey Kelk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-kelk/) > [The movie that you'll be in is a new challenge. Photography is just the shot - one day, two days - and the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/the-movie-that-you-ll-be-in-is-a-new-challenge-photography-is-just/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [In a world and a life that moves so fast, photography just makes the sound go out and it makes you stop and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/in-a-world-and-a-life-that-moves-so-fast-photography-just-makes-the/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [For me photography is just a way to collect material to realize the ideas in my mind. I get inspired by things around me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-johansson/for-me-photography-is-just-a-way-to-collect-material-to-realize-the/) [Erik Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-johansson/) > [I love photography. And I just eat it up. I feel like I'm an encyclopedia, you know, inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/i-love-photography-and-i-just-eat-it-up-i-feel-like-i-m-an/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) ## More by Ezra Stoller > [Photography is space, light, texture, of course, but the really important element is time - that nanosecond when the image organizes itself on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-stoller/photography-is-space-light-texture-of-course-but-the-really-important/) Ezra Stoller > [My photos tend to be confusing. I show a great many vistas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-stoller/my-photos-tend-to-be-confusing-i-show-a-great-many-vistas/) Ezra Stoller Explore all 3 Ezra Stoller quotes ## 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. 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