--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since a photograph is frozen and mute…" description: "\"Since a photograph is frozen and mute, since there is no before and after, I don't want there to be a conscious awareness of any kind of literal narrat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/gregory-crewdson-16134_awareness_since-a-photograph-is-frozen-and-mute-si_2365288.jpg" --- # Since a photograph is frozen and mute, since there is no… ![“Since a photograph is frozen and mute, since there is no before and after, I don't want there to be a conscious awareness of any kind of literal narrative. And that's why I really try not to pump up motivation or plot or anything like that.” quote by Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/gregory-crewdson-16134_awareness_since-a-photograph-is-frozen-and-mute-si_2365288.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/gregory-crewdson-16134_awareness_since-a-photograph-is-frozen-and-mute-si_2365288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/866/gregory-crewdson-16134_awareness_since-a-photograph-is-frozen-and-mute-si_2365288.jpg) > “Since a photograph is frozen and mute, since there is no before and after, I don't want there to be a conscious awareness of any kind of literal narrative. And that's why I really try not to pump up motivation or plot or anything like that.” [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He avoids imposing narrative on photographs, letting viewers experience the image without prescribed meaning. **In simple terms:** Let images speak without forced story. Key Takeaway Observe without assuming a story. Themes artistic freedom interpretation visual storytelling Mood contemplative open‑ended Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - gallery visits - personal reflection - creative projects - educational settings Key Concepts post‑modernism minimalism Questions to Reflect On - What does the image evoke for you? - How can you resist the urge to narrate? A Different Perspective Viewers may still create narratives subconsciously. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Before and after](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/before-and-after/) [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Conscious awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-awareness/) [Frozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frozen/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Literal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literal/) [Literal Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literal-narrative-3289352/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Mute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mute/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Narrative Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative-really-765030/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photograph Frozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph-frozen-529736/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plot/) [Pumps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pumps/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [If you have distance from the events, then your story can work as an analogy or parable rather than its literal narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/if-you-have-distance-from-the-events-then-your-story-can-work-as-an/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [Balanchine was just able to strike the balance between literal narrative and abstract dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-peck/balanchine-was-just-able-to-strike-the-balance-between-literal/) [Justin Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-peck/) > [“A photograph is a frozen moment, but a great photographer captures the soul of that moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biju-karakkonam-nature-and-wildlife-photographer/a-photograph-is-a-frozen-moment-but-a-great-photographer-captures-the/) [Biju Karakkonam, Nature and Wildlife Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biju-karakkonam-nature-and-wildlife-photographer/) > [As is often said of photography, this photograph is a frozen moment. 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One is what really took place, and the other is Spider's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-byrne/it-s-actually-pretty-complex-because-there-s-two-levels-of-reality-in/) [Gabriel Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-byrne/) > […everything has a narrative, really, and if you can’t understand a story and relate to it, figure out how you fit inside it, you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/everything-has-a-narrative-really-and-if-you-can-t-understand-a-story/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [I'm not interested in being perfect when im older. Im interested in having a narrative. It's the narrative that's really the most beautiful thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-m-not-interested-in-being-perfect-when-im-older-im-interested-in/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Love: a single word, a wispy thing, a word no bigger or longer than an edge. That's what it is: an edge; a razor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/love-a-single-word-a-wispy-thing-a-word-no-bigger-or-longer-than-an/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Our sages of blessed memory have said that we must not enjoy any pleasure in this world without reciting a blessing. If we eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmuel-yosef-agnon/our-sages-of-blessed-memory-have-said-that-we-must-not-enjoy-any/) [Shmuel Yosef Agnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shmuel-yosef-agnon/) > [Sever the edge between before and after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takuan-soho/sever-the-edge-between-before-and-after/) [Takuan Soho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takuan-soho/) > [Art has a double visage: it looks before and after. Romance is its forward-looking face. The germ of growth is in romanticism. Formalism, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-edward-woodberry/art-has-a-double-visage-it-looks-before-and-after-romance-is-its/) [George Edward Woodberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-edward-woodberry/) > [I would like my book to give people insight to the war before and after, but I don't think anyone could read my book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asne-seierstad/i-would-like-my-book-to-give-people-insight-to-the-war-before-and/) [Asne Seierstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asne-seierstad/) > [Stretching, which I do for five to 10 minutes before and after a match, is so important in general when it comes to prolonging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jozy-altidore/stretching-which-i-do-for-five-to-10-minutes-before-and-after-a-match/) [Jozy Altidore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jozy-altidore/) > [Learning is the measurement of knowledge before and after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eben-pagan/learning-is-the-measurement-of-knowledge-before-and-after/) [Eben Pagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eben-pagan/) ## More by Gregory Crewdson > [Originally, one of the reasons I was drawn to photography, as opposed to painting or sculpture or installation, is that of all the arts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/originally-one-of-the-reasons-i-was-drawn-to-photography-as-opposed/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [The suburban landscape is alien and strange and exotic. I photograph it out of longing and desire. My photographs are also about repression and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/the-suburban-landscape-is-alien-and-strange-and-exotic-i-photograph/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [I was really fixated when I was a child. Again my mother was just talking to me about this, about how I would how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/i-was-really-fixated-when-i-was-a-child-again-my-mother-was-just/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [All my pictures are very voyeuristic, but ultimately I'm looking at what lurks in my own interior. I make photographs because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/all-my-pictures-are-very-voyeuristic-but-ultimately-i-m-looking-at/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [I never know what to call the subjects in my pictures because I'm uncomfortable with the word actor. I think maybe subjects might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/i-never-know-what-to-call-the-subjects-in-my-pictures-because-i-m/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [It is really important to have an obsessive need to construct something, to understand something from your own experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/it-is-really-important-to-have-an-obsessive-need-to-construct/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [There's a parallel between me going through these enormous efforts to try to make a moment that means something - and in a way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/there-s-a-parallel-between-me-going-through-these-enormous-efforts-to/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [What the artist attempts to do is to try and tell a story. Attempting to give physical expression to a story that's internal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/what-the-artist-attempts-to-do-is-to-try-and-tell-a-story-attempting/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [I have always been fascinated by the poetic condition of twilight. By its transformative quality. Its power of turning the ordinary into something magical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-poetic-condition-of-twilight-by/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [My pictures are about everyday life combined with theatrical effect. I want them to feel outside of time, to take something routine and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/my-pictures-are-about-everyday-life-combined-with-theatrical-effect-i/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [I think my pictures are really about a kind of tension between my need to make a perfect picture and the impossibility of doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/i-think-my-pictures-are-really-about-a-kind-of-tension-between-my/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [I want to privilege the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/i-want-to-privilege-the-moment/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [I'm very moved by the fact that people are drawn into the pictures and that they do bring their own history and their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/i-m-very-moved-by-the-fact-that-people-are-drawn-into-the-pictures/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [I was never conscious of filming except for when I was location scouting. In a way, that is the most important part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/i-was-never-conscious-of-filming-except-for-when-i-was-location/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) > [My mom just recently reminded me that I used to build these little miniature worlds outside at our country house and populate it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-crewdson/my-mom-just-recently-reminded-me-that-i-used-to-build-these-little/) [Gregory Crewdson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) [Explore all 40 Gregory Crewdson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-crewdson/) ## More Awareness quotes > [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/) [Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. 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You, O worthy one, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-means-to-have-a-goal-but-finding-means-to-be-free-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) [Browse all 4,768 Awareness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Since a photograph is frozen and mute, since there is no before and after, I don't want there to be a conscious awareness of any kind of literal narrative. 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