--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Technology has eliminated the basement…" description: "\"Technology has eliminated the basement darkroom and the whole notion of photography as an intense labor of love for obsessives and replaced them with a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/joe-mcnally-20875_basement_technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-d_2243095.png" --- # Technology has eliminated the basement darkroom and the… ![“Technology has eliminated the basement darkroom and the whole notion of photography as an intense labor of love for obsessives and replaced them with a sense of immediacy and instant gratification.” quote by Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/joe-mcnally-20875_basement_technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-d_2243095.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/joe-mcnally-20875_basement_technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-d_2243095.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/joe-mcnally-20875_basement_technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-d_2243095.png) > “Technology has eliminated the basement darkroom and the whole notion of photography as an intense labor of love for obsessives and replaced them with a sense of immediacy and instant gratification.” [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern tools have turned photography from a painstaking craft into an instant, effortless activity, reshaping expectations and artistic discipline. **In simple terms:** Tech makes photos quick, changing the art’s depth. Key Takeaway Balance speed with intentional practice. Themes technology art culture Mood contemplative critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - social media - journalism - personal projects - educational workshops Key Concepts instant gratification creative discipline Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain craftsmanship in a fast world? - What value does patience add to your work? A Different Perspective Risk of valuing speed over depth, reducing skill development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basement/) [Basement Darkroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basement-darkroom-5093153/) [Darkroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkroom/) [Darkroom Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkroom-notion-5093154/) [Eliminated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eliminated/) [Gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification/) [Immediacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immediacy/) [Instant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant/) [Instant gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant-gratification/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Labor of love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor-of-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Obsessives Replaced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessives-replaced-5093151/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Photography Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography-intense-5093152/) [Replaced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/replaced/) [Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Technology Eliminated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology-eliminated-5093150/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [Then I thought I was going to be a photographer. I tried a hand at darkroom technician. I played in a band. It took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-johnson/then-i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-a-photographer-i-tried-a-hand-at/) [Guy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-johnson/) > [I've found even after nearly 30 years of doing this, there are all kinds of new surprises that rear their heads at various times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/i-ve-found-even-after-nearly-30-years-of-doing-this-there-are-all/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I've always been interested in taking pictures. I've enjoyed taking classes in photography, and I'm building a darkroom in my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacey-chabert/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-taking-pictures-i-ve-enjoyed-taking/) [Lacey Chabert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacey-chabert/) > [There's something magical still about it when I get in a darkroom, and you've shot a roll of film and you develop it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-lange/there-s-something-magical-still-about-it-when-i-get-in-a-darkroom-and/) [Jessica Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-lange/) > [Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White is remarkable for its truth-telling about two important issues concerning Alabama's past and present: the civil rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sena-jeter-naslund/darkroom-a-memoir-in-black-and-white-is-remarkable-for-its-truth/) [Sena Jeter Naslund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sena-jeter-naslund/) > [The inner chambers of the soul are like the photographer's darkroom. Like a laboratory. One cannot stay there all the time or it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-inner-chambers-of-the-soul-are-like-the-photographer-s-darkroom/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [It was soon evident in my lodgings that I had become a dangerous lunatic, and there would be nothing left to destroy if strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-peach-robinson/it-was-soon-evident-in-my-lodgings-that-i-had-become-a-dangerous/) [Henry Peach Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-peach-robinson/) > [My father was a keen photographer; he had his own darkroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/my-father-was-a-keen-photographer-he-had-his-own-darkroom/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [I believe Photoshop is in some way the contemporary darkroom, the creative area that all photographers have available today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kirkland/i-believe-photoshop-is-in-some-way-the-contemporary-darkroom-the/) [Douglas Kirkland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kirkland/) > [I'm not against digital photography. It's great for newspapers. And there are photographers doing great work digitally. When they use Photoshop as a darkroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-not-against-digital-photography-it-s-great-for-newspapers-and/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Cameras always were seductive. And then a darkroom became available, and that's when I stopped doing anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/cameras-always-were-seductive-and-then-a-darkroom-became-available/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [It's equally hard and labor intensive to create an image on the computer as it is in a darkroom. Believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-uelsmann/it-s-equally-hard-and-labor-intensive-to-create-an-image-on-the/) [Jerry Uelsmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-uelsmann/) > [The darkroom is just the means to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-weston/the-darkroom-is-just-the-means-to-an-end/) [Kim Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-weston/) > [I never stopped photographing. There were a couple of years when I didn't have a darkroom, but that didn't stop me from photographing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imogen-cunningham/i-never-stopped-photographing-there-were-a-couple-of-years-when-i/) [Imogen Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imogen-cunningham/) > [I still do all my developing and printing in my darkroom. Being in New York, you get tremendous exposure to great arts. In my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sung-jin-park/i-still-do-all-my-developing-and-printing-in-my-darkroom-being-in-new/) [Sung Jin Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sung-jin-park/) ## More by Joe McNally > [We make pictures. At the end of the day, we create something potentially significant that did not exist at the beginning of the day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/we-make-pictures-at-the-end-of-the-day-we-create-something/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [Seán Manchester is, unsurprisingly, very well read in both classical and more recent sources on vampires and vampirism, and cites them with great authority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/se-n-manchester-is-unsurprisingly-very-well-read-in-both-classical/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [To me, pictures are about memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/to-me-pictures-are-about-memory/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [“I slid down in the seat and began to weep. I wept for her, for me, but mostly because the siren call of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/i-slid-down-in-the-seat-and-began-to-weep-i-wept-for-her-for-me-but/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [John Loengard, the picture editor at Life, always used to tell me, ”If you want something to look interesting, don’t light all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/john-loengard-the-picture-editor-at-life-always-used-to-tell-me-if/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [A career in photography is a journey without a destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/a-career-in-photography-is-a-journey-without-a-destination/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [Don’t pack up your camera until you’ve left the location.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/don-t-pack-up-your-camera-until-you-ve-left-the-location/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [Always remember to make room to shoot what you love. It's the only way to keep your heart beating as a photographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/always-remember-to-make-room-to-shoot-what-you-love-it-s-the-only-way/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [“When I was in school, I wanted to be W. Eugene Smith. He was a legendary staffer at Life, a consummate photojournalist, and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/when-i-was-in-school-i-wanted-to-be-w-eugene-smith-he-was-a-legendary/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [If you view your life as a piece of fabric or a tapestry, the photography is the stitching. It keeps everything together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/if-you-view-your-life-as-a-piece-of-fabric-or-a-tapestry-the/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [No matter how much crap you gotta plow through to stay alive as a photographer, no matter how many bad assignments, bad days, bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/no-matter-how-much-crap-you-gotta-plow-through-to-stay-alive-as-a/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [Ansel Adams rattled around the Southwest with his battered truck and his view camera, which looked like a giant accordion with a lens attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/ansel-adams-rattled-around-the-southwest-with-his-battered-truck-and/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [“Jay Maisel always says to bring your camera, ‘cause it’s tough to take a picture without it. Pursuant to the above aforementioned piece of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/jay-maisel-always-says-to-bring-your-camera-cause-it-s-tough-to-take/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [A professor I had in college used to tell me that if someone won’t listen to what you have to say because you’re not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/a-professor-i-had-in-college-used-to-tell-me-that-if-someone-won-t/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [I've been a big fan always of getting my camera in different places and trying to seek the unusual vantage point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/i-ve-been-a-big-fan-always-of-getting-my-camera-in-different-places/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) [Explore all 30 Joe McNally quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) ## More Basement quotes > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Ireland starts for me with the end of 'The Dead,' which my father read to me from his desk in his basement office in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jeremiah-sullivan/ireland-starts-for-me-with-the-end-of-the-dead-which-my-father-read/) [John Jeremiah Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jeremiah-sullivan/) > [Every time I get in an elevator, the operator says the same thing to me: 'Basement?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/every-time-i-get-in-an-elevator-the-operator-says-the-same-thing-to/) [Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/) > [White Zombie was a bunch of kids with the worst equipment playing in a basement. But that is what is so great about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-zombie/white-zombie-was-a-bunch-of-kids-with-the-worst-equipment-playing-in/) [Rob Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-zombie/) > [When you're writing a novel, you spend four years sitting in your basement and a year waiting for the book to come out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-you-re-writing-a-novel-you-spend-four-years-sitting-in-your/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I might be in the basement. I'll go upstairs and check.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-escher/i-might-be-in-the-basement-i-ll-go-upstairs-and-check/) [M. C. Escher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-escher/) > [I love getting into the basement of a courthouse, and all the dusty records - all that stuff makes me really happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-cameron/i-love-getting-into-the-basement-of-a-courthouse-and-all-the-dusty/) [Sharon Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-cameron/) > [I like the Hotel Costes, on rue Saint Honore, a boutique hotel near the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and the Tuileries. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-temperley/i-like-the-hotel-costes-on-rue-saint-honore-a-boutique-hotel-near-the/) [Alice Temperley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-temperley/) > [All the green-screen stuff - all the special effects stuff - I shot right there in my house, in the basement in my theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vickie-winans/all-the-green-screen-stuff-all-the-special-effects-stuff-i-shot-right/) [Vickie Winans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vickie-winans/) > [My most vivid memory of my father centers on the day he left. It was warm, and my mother was especially short with Rhonda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deval-patrick/my-most-vivid-memory-of-my-father-centers-on-the-day-he-left-it-was/) [Deval Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deval-patrick/) > [“In the basement of Sydney's new house is a little room that is about the size and shape of a coffin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/in-the-basement-of-sydney-s-new-house-is-a-little-room-that-is-about/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [After I left the Pumpkins, I went home and just sat around. I have a studio in my basement, and I found myself writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-chamberlin/after-i-left-the-pumpkins-i-went-home-and-just-sat-around-i-have-a/) [Jimmy Chamberlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-chamberlin/) > [I might be in the basement. I'll go upstairs and check. We adore chaos because we love to produce order. I don't use drugs;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-escher/i-might-be-in-the-basement-i-ll-go-upstairs-and-check-we-adore-chaos/) [M. C. Escher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-escher/) > [“He had no idea what was wrong, but he knew something was wrong. It turned out that the heart of the fire had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/he-had-no-idea-what-was-wrong-but-he-knew-something-was-wrong-it/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“lacking is a panic room in the basement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-sutter/lacking-is-a-panic-room-in-the-basement/) [C.M. Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-sutter/) [Browse all 141 Basement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Technology has eliminated the basement darkroom and the whole notion of photography as an intense labor of love for obsessives and replaced them with a sense of immediacy and instant gratification.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe McNally" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-darkroom-and-the-whole-notion/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Basement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-darkroom-and-the-whole-notion/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/joe-mcnally-20875_basement_technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-d_2243095.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/joe-mcnally-20875_basement_technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-d_2243095.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e1/joe-mcnally-20875_basement_technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-d_2243095.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Technology has eliminated the basement darkroom and the whole notion of photography as an intense labor of…” — Joe McNally", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joe McNally", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Technology has eliminated the basement darkroom...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-darkroom-and-the-whole-notion/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/technology-has-eliminated-the-basement-darkroom-and-the-whole-notion/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```