---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I'm documenting can be hard to…"
description: "\"What I'm documenting can be hard to distill, because it's all around us like the air we breathe. I often need to go to a place where I can capture extr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/lauren-greenfield-24218_breathe_what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-dist_2709522.jpg"
---

#  What I'm documenting can be hard to distill, because it's…

![“What I'm documenting can be hard to distill, because it's all around us like the air we breathe. I often need to go to a place where I can capture extreme moments.” quote by Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/lauren-greenfield-24218_breathe_what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-dist_2709522.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/lauren-greenfield-24218_breathe_what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-dist_2709522.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/lauren-greenfield-24218_breathe_what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-dist_2709522.jpg)

> “What I'm documenting can be hard to distill, because it's all around us like the air we breathe. I often need to go to a place where I can capture extreme moments.”

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She struggles to capture fleeting moments because they are ubiquitous and intangible.

**In simple terms:** Hard to isolate and record fleeting moments.

Key Takeaway

Find focused environments to capture clarity.

Themes

creativity observation documentation

Mood

contemplative inquisitive

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- photo shoots
- field research
- journalism

Key Concepts

attention focus visual storytelling

Questions to Reflect On

- Where can you find a quiet space for observation?
- What tools help isolate moments?

A Different Perspective

Over‑analysis can hinder spontaneous capture.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Documenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documenting/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“When thinking over one's life, it's the extreme moments that stand out. The peaks and the valleys. He was one of the highest peaks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-laplante/when-thinking-over-one-s-life-it-s-the-extreme-moments-that-stand-out/)

[Alice LaPlante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-laplante/)

> [When we were filming 'The Darkest Hour,' we didn't even know what the aliens were going to look like, we didn't even have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-thirlby/when-we-were-filming-the-darkest-hour-we-didn-t-even-know-what-the/)

[Olivia Thirlby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-thirlby/)

> [I always tend to remember the funny moments. When I lost my shoe (even though it was funny) there was something motivating about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bell-bundy/i-always-tend-to-remember-the-funny-moments-when-i-lost-my-shoe-even/)

[Laura Bell Bundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bell-bundy/)

> [Money is kind of just like air - if you don't have air, you can't breathe. If you don't have money, I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/money-is-kind-of-just-like-air-if-you-don-t-have-air-you-can-t/)

[Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/)

> [“Though I probably didn't have much of a heart left to break, you broke mine, and now I can hardly breathe. I need you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alysha-speer/though-i-probably-didn-t-have-much-of-a-heart-left-to-break-you-broke/)

[Alysha Speer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alysha-speer/)

> [“Please, save your breathe, you might need it to blow up your doll later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-zolendz/please-save-your-breathe-you-might-need-it-to-blow-up-your-doll-later/)

[Christine Zolendz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-zolendz/)

> [“Stop there, Breathe. For a while you need to leave, live. Stop pushing your face into that photo called past, stuck in the photo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameer-khan/stop-there-breathe-for-a-while-you-need-to-leave-live-stop-pushing/)

[Sameer Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameer-khan/)

> [I always needed time on my own I never thought I'd Need you there when I cry And the days feel like years when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/i-always-needed-time-on-my-own-i-never-thought-i-d-need-you-there-2/)

She's\_gone

> [You made it hard for me to breathe. You're all that I need, Baby, I'm intrigued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/you-made-it-hard-for-me-to-breathe-you-re-all-that-i-need-baby-i-m/)

[Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/)

> [Just don't give up on me I need a second to breathe I need you to see Just how fucked up I can be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-don-t-give-up-on-me-i-need-a-second-to-breathe-i-need-you-to-see/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [¥ I'll wait Till the last breathe. And what I need only, Your precious company ¥](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-dutta/i-ll-wait-till-the-last-breathe-and-what-i-need-only-your-precious/)

[Jasmine Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-dutta/)

> [Music is a lady that I still love because she gives me the air that I breathe. We need all sorts of nourishment. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-stevens/music-is-a-lady-that-i-still-love-because-she-gives-me-the-air-that-i/)

[Cat Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-stevens/)

> [I rarely do shows just by myself, I've had vocalists or musicians so I can look at them and connect - and say 'can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-coyle/i-rarely-do-shows-just-by-myself-i-ve-had-vocalists-or-musicians-so-i/)

[Nadine Coyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-coyle/)

> [“I um, well – air, you know – we all need it to breathe, but some of us need something else too – that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mar-gerrison/i-um-well-air-you-know-we-all-need-it-to-breathe-but-some-of-us-need/)

[Heather Mar-Gerrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mar-gerrison/)

> [To breathe, we do not only need air and lungs, but also freedom!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/to-breathe-we-do-not-only-need-air-and-lungs-but-also-freedom/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

## More by Lauren Greenfield

> [I'm also looking for the psychological elements that fuel commodity culture. For example, if we imbue girls with deep insecurity about their bodies through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/i-m-also-looking-for-the-psychological-elements-that-fuel-commodity/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [I've often looked at the extremes as a way to shed light on the mainstream. Even though everybody says, "Money doesn't buy you happiness,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/i-ve-often-looked-at-the-extremes-as-a-way-to-shed-light-on-the/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [I've been a documentary photographer for much longer than I have been a filmmaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/i-ve-been-a-documentary-photographer-for-much-longer-than-i-have-been/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [I've often used the extremes in my work to comment on the mainstream. I think that sometimes a subject that I'm working on, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/i-ve-often-used-the-extremes-in-my-work-to-comment-on-the-mainstream/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [My first book, Fast Forward, was about growing up in the shadow of Hollywood and how kids are affected by the culture of materialism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/my-first-book-fast-forward-was-about-growing-up-in-the-shadow-of/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [My photography is often a sociological look at American culture, and it's been very well published in the U.K.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/my-photography-is-often-a-sociological-look-at-american-culture-and/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [I've also been documenting an unsustainable way of life. And you see in peoples' stories that this world of consumerism does not support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/i-ve-also-been-documenting-an-unsustainable-way-of-life-and-you-see/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [I'm constantly trying to deconstruct what I see and to show its beauty and its attraction. I use bright colors and strobes to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/i-m-constantly-trying-to-deconstruct-what-i-see-and-to-show-its/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [I've long been interested in looking at the culture of consumerism and also was interested in this connection between the American dream and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/i-ve-long-been-interested-in-looking-at-the-culture-of-consumerism/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [The economist Juliet Schor talks about how our reference group has changed over the last twenty-five years. As we spend less time with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/the-economist-juliet-schor-talks-about-how-our-reference-group-has/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [You have these relationships with people that you care about, but I also try to stick to my job as filmmaker and be fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/you-have-these-relationships-with-people-that-you-care-about-but-i/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [The people in the popular group say there is no peer pressure because they are at the top of the food chain. Really what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/the-people-in-the-popular-group-say-there-is-no-peer-pressure-because/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [Hip-hop has been so important in my work, because it speaks to the idea of money being tied to cultural capital in an honest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/hip-hop-has-been-so-important-in-my-work-because-it-speaks-to-the/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [The 1970s were the height of social mobility. College was accessible. My grandfather was a poor immigrant who went to a public school in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/the-1970s-were-the-height-of-social-mobility-college-was-accessible/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

> [I am very lucky that my first film was fully commissioned by HBO.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/i-am-very-lucky-that-my-first-film-was-fully-commissioned-by-hbo/)

[Lauren Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

[Explore all 24 Lauren Greenfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/)

## More Breathe quotes

> [“Well come and stand a little bit closer, breathe in and get a bit higher. You'll ever know what hit you when I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savage-garden/well-come-and-stand-a-little-bit-closer-breathe-in-and-get-a-bit/)

[Savage Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savage-garden/)

> [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/)

[Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/)

> [“Live your dreams. Breathe your dreams. Never give up on your dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/live-your-dreams-breathe-your-dreams-never-give-up-on-your-dreams/)

[Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/)

> [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/)

[Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/)

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/)

[Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/)

> [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [“Before we can make seismic professional, economic, and sociological changes, we have to squeeze out of our Spanx and remember how it feels to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hays-coomer/before-we-can-make-seismic-professional-economic-and-sociological/)

[Sarah Hays Coomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hays-coomer/)

> [Manchester United breathe football. When I have to make hard decisions, I always listen to little boy inside me and what he wants. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-van-persie/manchester-united-breathe-football-when-i-have-to-make-hard-decisions/)

[Robin van Persie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-van-persie/)

> [I drink to feel / I smoke to breathe / Just look what love / Has done to me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/i-drink-to-feel-i-smoke-to-breathe-just-look-what-love-has-done-to-me/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [Wherever you are is the perfect place to awaken. This moment is the exact place to practice compassion and loving awareness. You have all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/wherever-you-are-is-the-perfect-place-to-awaken-this-moment-is-the/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [If I had lost a leg, I would tell them, instead of a boy, no one would ever ask me if I was 'over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/if-i-had-lost-a-leg-i-would-tell-them-instead-of-a-boy-no-one-would/)

[Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/)

> [In some ways, what I learned is that you can take a character and breathe with them, and its up to the audience to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aden-young/in-some-ways-what-i-learned-is-that-you-can-take-a-character-and/)

[Aden Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aden-young/)

Browse all 2,793 Breathe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What I'm documenting can be hard to distill, because it's all around us like the air we breathe. I often need to go to a place where I can capture extreme moments.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lauren Greenfield"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-distill-because-it-s-all-around/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Breathe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-distill-because-it-s-all-around/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/lauren-greenfield-24218_breathe_what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-dist_2709522.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/lauren-greenfield-24218_breathe_what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-dist_2709522.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/900/lauren-greenfield-24218_breathe_what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-dist_2709522.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What I'm documenting can be hard to distill, because it's all around us like the air we breathe. I often…” — Lauren Greenfield",
                "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": "Lauren Greenfield",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-greenfield/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What I'm documenting can be hard...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-distill-because-it-s-all-around/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-greenfield/what-i-m-documenting-can-be-hard-to-distill-because-it-s-all-around/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
