--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The very best pictures adapt themselves…" description: "\"The very best pictures adapt themselves to many changes in meaning.\" — John Szarkowski" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/john-szarkowski-20414_best-picture_the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves_2094147.jpg" --- # The very best pictures adapt themselves to many changes in… ![“The very best pictures adapt themselves to many changes in meaning.” quote by John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/john-szarkowski-20414_best-picture_the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves_2094147.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/john-szarkowski-20414_best-picture_the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves_2094147.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/john-szarkowski-20414_best-picture_the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves_2094147.jpg) > “The very best pictures adapt themselves to many changes in meaning.” [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Images gain depth when they can be read in multiple ways, reflecting shifting contexts and interpretations. **In simple terms:** Pictures become richer with flexible meanings. Key Takeaway Embrace ambiguity in visual storytelling. Themes art interpretation flexibility Mood contemplative analytical Type critical educational When to use this quote - photography exhibitions - education - media analysis - advertising - curation Key Concepts semiotics visual literacy Questions to Reflect On - How can you design images that invite varied readings? - When does flexibility become vagueness? A Different Perspective Too much ambiguity can confuse the audience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-picture/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [Our best pictures happen by grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/our-best-pictures-happen-by-grace/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don't find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-albert-allard/i-think-the-best-pictures-are-often-on-the-edges-of-any-situation-i/) [William Albert Allard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-albert-allard/) > [You can also see sometimes that the best pictures are the ones where you didn't try so hard, where you were just enjoying the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/you-can-also-see-sometimes-that-the-best-pictures-are-the-ones-where/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [My best Pictures are the ones I don’t understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/my-best-pictures-are-the-ones-i-don-t-understand/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [Virtually always I get my best pictures when everybody thinks the shoot's done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/virtually-always-i-get-my-best-pictures-when-everybody-thinks-the/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [The best pictures are yet to be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-capra/the-best-pictures-are-yet-to-be-made/) [Frank Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-capra/) > [The best pictures differentiate themselves by nuances...a tiny relationship - either a harmony or a disharmony - that creates a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haas/the-best-pictures-differentiate-themselves-by-nuances-a-tiny/) [Ernst Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haas/) > [“The tone of voice changes the meaning of the word no matter if the definition stays the same”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-b-aka-truthly-speaking/the-tone-of-voice-changes-the-meaning-of-the-word-no-matter-if-the/) T.R.B. aka Truthly Speaking > [Change is the only constant in life. Ones ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/change-is-the-only-constant-in-life-ones-ability-to-adapt-to-those/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [The markets are always changing, and the successful trader needs to adapt to these changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-steinhardt/the-markets-are-always-changing-and-the-successful-trader-needs-to/) [Michael Steinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-steinhardt/) > [However spontaneous I hope a photograph will look, I always put a lot of thought into how I can make it happen. The very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/however-spontaneous-i-hope-a-photograph-will-look-i-always-put-a-lot/) [Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/) > ['Le Reve' may be one of the three best pictures Pablo Picasso ever painted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wynn/le-reve-may-be-one-of-the-three-best-pictures-pablo-picasso-ever/) [Steve Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wynn/) > [Treat your friends as you do your best pictures, and place them in their best light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/treat-your-friends-as-you-do-your-best-pictures-and-place-them-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best pictures are always taken when you don't know your being pictured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/the-best-pictures-are-always-taken-when-you-don-t-know-your-being/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Here he is, best picture I could get at the moment. He will watch over you, and keep you safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/here-he-is-best-picture-i-could-get-at-the-moment-he-will-watch-over/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) ## More by John Szarkowski > [To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer's craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/to-quote-out-of-context-is-the-essence-of-the-photographer-s-craft/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [Because we see reality in different ways, we must understand that we are looking at different truths rather than the truth and that, therefore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/because-we-see-reality-in-different-ways-we-must-understand-that-we/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [Whatever else a photograph may be about, it is inevitably about photography, the container and vehicle of all its meanings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/whatever-else-a-photograph-may-be-about-it-is-inevitably-about/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [Photography's central sense of purpose and aesthetic: the precise and lucid description of significant fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/photography-s-central-sense-of-purpose-and-aesthetic-the-precise-and/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [The central act of photography, the act of choosing and eliminating, forces a concentration on the picture edge - the line that separates in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/the-central-act-of-photography-the-act-of-choosing-and-eliminating/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [One of the leading uses of photography by the mass media came to be called photojournalism. From the late 'twenties' to the early 'fifties'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/one-of-the-leading-uses-of-photography-by-the-mass-media-came-to-be/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [It isn't what a picture is of, it is what it is about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/it-isn-t-what-a-picture-is-of-it-is-what-it-is-about/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [Photography is choosing where to point your eye-cone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/photography-is-choosing-where-to-point-your-eye-cone/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [The photographer’s vision convinces us to the degree that the photographer hides his hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/the-photographer-s-vision-convinces-us-to-the-degree-that-the/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [In practice a photographer does not concern himself with philosophical issues while working; he makes photographs, working with subject matter that he thinks will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/in-practice-a-photographer-does-not-concern-himself-with/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [ Trained as a musician, \[photographer Ansel\] Adams understood the richness of variation that could be unfolded from a simple theme. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/trained-as-a-musician-photographer-ansel-adams-understood-the/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [Pure photography is a system of picture-making that describes more or less faithfully what might be seen through a rectangular frame from a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/pure-photography-is-a-system-of-picture-making-that-describes-more-or/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [A photographer's best work is, alas, generally done for himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/a-photographer-s-best-work-is-alas-generally-done-for-himself/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [The invention of photography provided a radically new picture-making process - a process based not on synthesis but on selection. The difference was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/the-invention-of-photography-provided-a-radically-new-picture-making/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [“There is a terrible truthfulness about photography. The ordinary academician gets hold of a pretty model, paints her as well as he can, calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/there-is-a-terrible-truthfulness-about-photography-the-ordinary/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) [Explore all 31 John Szarkowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) ## More Best picture quotes > [Here he is, best picture I could get at the moment. He will watch over you, and keep you safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/here-he-is-best-picture-i-could-get-at-the-moment-he-will-watch-over/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [Best picture ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/best-picture-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beauty and the Beast became the first animated feature ever nominated for best picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-maltin/beauty-and-the-beast-became-the-first-animated-feature-ever-nominated/) [Leonard Maltin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-maltin/) > [The best picture has not yet been painted; the greatest poem is still unsung; the mightiest novel remains to be written; the divinest music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-best-picture-has-not-yet-been-painted-the-greatest-poem-is-still/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [My nominee for Best Picture of the year - maybe the best picture ever, because it's essentially made up of and is an ecstatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/my-nominee-for-best-picture-of-the-year-maybe-the-best-picture-ever/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [This is my girlfriend ONLY THE BEST PICTURE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig/this-is-my-girlfriend-only-the-best-picture/) [Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig/) > [Success has many ways of coming to you. Sometimes it comes right away, and then the film's instantly forgotten. Sometimes you can't remember what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-lansing/success-has-many-ways-of-coming-to-you-sometimes-it-comes-right-away/) [Sherry Lansing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-lansing/) > [The best pictures differentiate themselves by nuances...a tiny relationship - either a harmony or a disharmony - that creates a picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-haas/the-best-pictures-differentiate-themselves-by-nuances-a-tiny/) [Ernst Haas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-haas/) > [You can't reinvent the wheel. You've got to just take the best from all the other shows and try to make it work, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-ratner/you-can-t-reinvent-the-wheel-you-ve-got-to-just-take-the-best-from/) [Brett Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-ratner/) > [Moonstruck... was one of the few romantic comedies to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-jewison/moonstruck-was-one-of-the-few-romantic-comedies-to-be-nominated-for-a/) [Norman Jewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-jewison/) > [The picture that approaches sculpture nearest Is the best picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-picture-that-approaches-sculpture-nearest-is-the-best-picture/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [I'm very surprised at Carol didn't get a best picture. Todd Haynes is an Academy darling, his period pieces are nothing short of brilliant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bun-b/i-m-very-surprised-at-carol-didn-t-get-a-best-picture-todd-haynes-is/) [Bun B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bun-b/) > [The best pictures are yet to be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-capra/the-best-pictures-are-yet-to-be-made/) [Frank Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-capra/) > [Best picture ever for people who feel like there are alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/best-picture-ever-for-people-who-feel-like-there-are-alone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is a great quote from a female writer. She said, 'If you don't break out in a sweat of fear when you write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-mann/there-is-a-great-quote-from-a-female-writer-she-said-if-you-don-t/) [Sally Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-mann/) [Browse all 58 Best picture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-picture/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The very best pictures adapt themselves to many changes in meaning.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Szarkowski" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves-to-many-changes-in-meaning/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Best picture" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves-to-many-changes-in-meaning/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/john-szarkowski-20414_best-picture_the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves_2094147.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/john-szarkowski-20414_best-picture_the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves_2094147.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/john-szarkowski-20414_best-picture_the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves_2094147.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The very best pictures adapt themselves to many changes in meaning.” — John Szarkowski", "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": "John Szarkowski", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The very best pictures adapt themselves...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves-to-many-changes-in-meaning/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/the-very-best-pictures-adapt-themselves-to-many-changes-in-meaning/#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 } } ] } ```