--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always stood in awe of the camera…" description: "\"I have always stood in awe of the camera. I recognize it for the instrument it is, part Stradivarius, part scalpel.\" — Irving Penn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/irving-penn-24767_always_i-have-always-stood-in-awe-of-the-camera_2911318.png" --- # I have always stood in awe of the camera. I recognize it… ![“I have always stood in awe of the camera. I recognize it for the instrument it is, part Stradivarius, part scalpel.” quote by Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/irving-penn-24767_always_i-have-always-stood-in-awe-of-the-camera_2911318.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/irving-penn-24767_always_i-have-always-stood-in-awe-of-the-camera_2911318.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/irving-penn-24767_always_i-have-always-stood-in-awe-of-the-camera_2911318.png) > “I have always stood in awe of the camera. I recognize it for the instrument it is, part Stradivarius, part scalpel.” [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He expresses deep respect for the camera as a precise, artistic tool, likening it to a fine instrument. **In simple terms:** The camera is a powerful, artistic instrument. Key Takeaway Treat photography with reverence and precision. Themes art photography creativity instrument precision Mood inspirational reflective artistic Type photography art creativity When to use this quote - portrait sessions - studio work - documentary projects Key Concepts visual storytelling technical mastery aesthetic judgment Questions to Reflect On - What does treating a tool as an instrument change your approach? - How does reverence affect creative output? A Different Perspective The camera can be both a weapon and a gift. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe/) [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Instrument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrument/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [I myself have always stood in the awe of the camera. I recognize it for the instrument it is, part Stradivarius, part scalpel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/i-myself-have-always-stood-in-the-awe-of-the-camera-i-recognize-it/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [Fidel Castro, whatever people may think of him, is a hero in Latin America, primarily because he stood up to the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/fidel-castro-whatever-people-may-think-of-him-is-a-hero-in-latin/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“the Missus stood like a ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/the-missus-stood-like-a-ghost/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“How long he stood he did not know, but there was a foolish and yet delicious sense of knowing himself as an animal come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/how-long-he-stood-he-did-not-know-but-there-was-a-foolish-and-yet/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I took one look at you That's all I meant to do And my heart stood still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorenz-hart/i-took-one-look-at-you-that-s-all-i-meant-to-do-and-my-heart-stood/) [Lorenz Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorenz-hart/) > [For even if you should have stood your ground, he said, yet what ground was it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/for-even-if-you-should-have-stood-your-ground-he-said-yet-what-ground/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“it wasn't so much like the hands of time had stood still here, more like they'd been thrown in the air in exasperation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/it-wasn-t-so-much-like-the-hands-of-time-had-stood-still-here-more/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“and we stood next to each other because that is what friends do in the presence of evil or love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/and-we-stood-next-to-each-other-because-that-is-what-friends-do-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“I stood in the middle between my past and my future, and the symbolism wasn't lost on me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-suzanne/i-stood-in-the-middle-between-my-past-and-my-future-and-the-symbolism/) [Lisa Suzanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-suzanne/) > [You knew where you stood with Sir Alex Ferguson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-scholes/you-knew-where-you-stood-with-sir-alex-ferguson/) [Paul Scholes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-scholes/) > [“Please do not forget those who have always stood by your side and supported you. If you do not fail to keep them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-rainsworth/please-do-not-forget-those-who-have-always-stood-by-your-side-and/) Sharon Rainsworth > [“She knew where she stood, when she stood among books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-graham/she-knew-where-she-stood-when-she-stood-among-books/) M.R. Graham > [I'd always wanted the show to be more reality based science fiction, something along the lines of The Day the Earth Stood Still, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-gerard/i-d-always-wanted-the-show-to-be-more-reality-based-science-fiction/) [Gil Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-gerard/) > [“I stood by you at your lowest, but you left me for another at your highest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/i-stood-by-you-at-your-lowest-but-you-left-me-for-another-at-your/) [Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) ## More by Irving Penn > [Photographing a cake can be art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/photographing-a-cake-can-be-art/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [I am a professional photographer because it is the best way I know to earn the money I require to take care of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/i-am-a-professional-photographer-because-it-is-the-best-way-i-know-to/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [A beautiful print is a thing in itself, not just a halfway house on the way to the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/a-beautiful-print-is-a-thing-in-itself-not-just-a-halfway-house-on/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [I share with many people the feeling that there is a sweetness and constancy to light that falls into a studio from the north…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/i-share-with-many-people-the-feeling-that-there-is-a-sweetness-and/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [I feed on art more than I ever do on photographs. I can admire photography, but I wouldn't go to it out of hunger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/i-feed-on-art-more-than-i-ever-do-on-photographs-i-can-admire/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [Sometime in 1964 I realized that I was a victim of a printmaking obsession, a condition that persists today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/sometime-in-1964-i-realized-that-i-was-a-victim-of-a-printmaking/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [Liberman said to me, 'I must cut back on the work you do for Vogue. The editors don't like it. They say the photographs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/liberman-said-to-me-i-must-cut-back-on-the-work-you-do-for-vogue-the/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [Many photographers feel their client is the subject. My client is a woman in Kansas who reads Vogue. I'm trying to intrigue, stimulate, feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/many-photographers-feel-their-client-is-the-subject-my-client-is-a/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [Working on photography is working on oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/working-on-photography-is-working-on-oneself/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [I've tried a few times to depart from what I know I can do, and I've failed. I've tried to work outside the studio,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/i-ve-tried-a-few-times-to-depart-from-what-i-know-i-can-do-and-i-ve/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/a-good-photograph-is-one-that-communicates-a-fact-touches-the-heart/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [Over the years I must have spent thousands of hours silently brushing on the liquid coatings, preparing each sheet in anticipation of reaching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/over-the-years-i-must-have-spent-thousands-of-hours-silently-brushing/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [In portrait photography there is something more profound that we seek inside a person, while being painfully aware that a limitation of our medium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/in-portrait-photography-there-is-something-more-profound-that-we-seek/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [I can get obsessed by anything if i look at it long enough. That's the curse of being a photographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/i-can-get-obsessed-by-anything-if-i-look-at-it-long-enough-that-s-the/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [What I really try to do is photograph people at rest, in a state of serenity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/what-i-really-try-to-do-is-photograph-people-at-rest-in-a-state-of/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) [Explore all 24 Irving Penn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always stood in awe of the camera. 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