--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that there isn't a photograph in…" description: "\"I think that there isn't a photograph in the world that has any narrative ability... They do not tell stories - they show you what something looks like..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/garry-winogrand-2342_ability_i-think-that-there-isn-t-a-photograph-in_184447.png" --- # I think that there isn't a photograph in the world that… ![“I think that there isn't a photograph in the world that has any narrative ability... They do not tell stories - they show you what something looks like. To a camera.” quote by Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/garry-winogrand-2342_ability_i-think-that-there-isn-t-a-photograph-in_184447.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/garry-winogrand-2342_ability_i-think-that-there-isn-t-a-photograph-in_184447.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/garry-winogrand-2342_ability_i-think-that-there-isn-t-a-photograph-in_184447.png) > “I think that there isn't a photograph in the world that has any narrative ability... They do not tell stories - they show you what something looks like. To a camera.” [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement argues that photographs capture visual reality but lack narrative depth, suggesting that storytelling requires more than visual representation. **In simple terms:** Photos show images, not stories. Key Takeaway Use photos as visual aids, not sole storytellers. Themes visuality storytelling media perception communication Mood analytical inquisitive Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - photojournalism - advertising - social media - documentary work - art exhibitions Key Concepts semiotics visual literacy narrative theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you add story to a photo? - What visual cues suggest a narrative? A Different Perspective A photograph can evoke narrative through context and viewer imagination. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Isn Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isn-photograph-1964476/) [Like Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-camera/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photograph World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph-world-756362/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I photograph to see what the world looks like in photographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-photograph-to-see-what-the-world-looks-like-in-photographs/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [I don't have anything to say in any picture. But you do, from your experience, surmise something. You do give a photograph symbolic content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-don-t-have-anything-to-say-in-any-picture-but-you-do-from-your/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [You're just like a camera . Whenever I see you , I smile :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-just-like-a-camera-whenever-i-see-you-i-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I still enjoy acting. I love the moment in front of the camera, but it's all the other moments that I don't enjoy. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-garth/i-still-enjoy-acting-i-love-the-moment-in-front-of-the-camera-but-it-2/) [Jennie Garth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-garth/) > [I don't like the camera. I get very self-conscious with it and then spend way too much time not looking self-conscious instead of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-metcalf/i-don-t-like-the-camera-i-get-very-self-conscious-with-it-and-then/) [Laurie Metcalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-metcalf/) > [You know the famous quote, sometimes you have to be ready so you don't have to get ready. I do a lot of things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-green/you-know-the-famous-quote-sometimes-you-have-to-be-ready-so-you-don-t/) [Gerald Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-green/) > [Life is like a camera,you never know what you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-sablan-islam/life-is-like-a-camera-you-never-know-what-you-see/) [Florence Sablan Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-sablan-islam/) > [I don't like to move the camera that much anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/i-don-t-like-to-move-the-camera-that-much-anyway/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [Life is like a camera, hold it steady and the picture comes out clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-forgotten/life-is-like-a-camera-hold-it-steady-and-the-picture-comes-out-clear/) [The Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-forgotten/) > [Life is like a camera, just focus on whats important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives and if things dont work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-a-camera-just-focus-on-whats-important-and-capture-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do like being in front of the camera more and more. Having experience behind it has taught me about lighting and angles, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-hadid/i-do-like-being-in-front-of-the-camera-more-and-more-having/) [Bella Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-hadid/) > [I think people forget that when they see you on television, it's not like the camera's gone on and I'm doing what I want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-brooker/i-think-people-forget-that-when-they-see-you-on-television-it-s-not/) [Alex Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-brooker/) > [My normal way of filming something is, like, one camera, very well planned out, knowing exactly how we're going to get each shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/my-normal-way-of-filming-something-is-like-one-camera-very-well/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [My mom had a huge video camera that I would always play with, and there is home video of me, like, with the camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-gonzalez/my-mom-had-a-huge-video-camera-that-i-would-always-play-with-and/) [Rick Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-gonzalez/) > [I'm interested in the person I photograph. The world is so beautiful as it is; there's so much going on, which is sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juergen-teller/i-m-interested-in-the-person-i-photograph-the-world-is-so-beautiful/) [Juergen Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juergen-teller/) ## More by Garry Winogrand > [ \[Photography is \] likewise even French impressionists. So the Sculls bought pop. It was politics, and they moved with it. And I think that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/photography-is-likewise-even-french-impressionists-so-the-sculls/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [It's got to do with the contention between content and form. Invariably that's what's responsible for its energies, its tensions, its being interesting or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/it-s-got-to-do-with-the-contention-between-content-and-form/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [I don't think anything happens without the press, one way or the other. I think it's all done for it. You saw it start,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-don-t-think-anything-happens-without-the-press-one-way-or-the-other/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [I don't really have any faith in anybody enjoying photographs in a large enough sense to matter. I think it's all about finances, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-don-t-really-have-any-faith-in-anybody-enjoying-photographs-in-a/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [When I see something, I know why something's funny or seems to be funny. But in the end it's just another picture as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/when-i-see-something-i-know-why-something-s-funny-or-seems-to-be/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [There are things I photograph because I'm interested in those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/there-are-things-i-photograph-because-i-m-interested-in-those-things/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [There's no way a photograph has to look... in a sense. There are no formal rules of design that can apply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/there-s-no-way-a-photograph-has-to-look-in-a-sense-there-are-no/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [I don't have anything to say in any picture. My only interest in photography is to see what something looks like as a photograph.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-don-t-have-anything-to-say-in-any-picture-my-only-interest-in/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [I'll come back to New York. I think I'll start focusing in more on the entertainment business. I have been doing some of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-ll-come-back-to-new-york-i-think-i-ll-start-focusing-in-more-on-the/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [There is no special way a photograph should look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/there-is-no-special-way-a-photograph-should-look/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [It's a lot of work organizing something, whether it's a show or a book, and I don't want to do it every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/it-s-a-lot-of-work-organizing-something-whether-it-s-a-show-or-a-book/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [I have a good friend who's a very good printer. And he does a certain amount of printing for me. I do all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-have-a-good-friend-who-s-a-very-good-printer-and-he-does-a-certain/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [I never saw a pyramid, but I've seen photographs; I know what a pyramid or a sphinx looks like. There are pictures that do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-never-saw-a-pyramid-but-i-ve-seen-photographs-i-know-what-a-pyramid/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [I develop my own film. And I work in spurts. I pile it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-develop-my-own-film-and-i-work-in-spurts-i-pile-it-up/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [People are going to have a good time, you know. One can go have a good time at these big openings in museums. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/people-are-going-to-have-a-good-time-you-know-one-can-go-have-a-good/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) [Explore all 171 Garry Winogrand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 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