--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The camera is a remarkable instrument…" description: "\"The camera is a remarkable instrument. Saturate yourself with your subject, and the camera will all but take you by the hand and point the way.\" — Marg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/margaret-bourke-white-15756_camera_the-camera-is-a-remarkable-instrument-sa_2867405.jpg" --- # The camera is a remarkable instrument. Saturate yourself… ![“The camera is a remarkable instrument. Saturate yourself with your subject, and the camera will all but take you by the hand and point the way.” quote by Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/margaret-bourke-white-15756_camera_the-camera-is-a-remarkable-instrument-sa_2867405.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/margaret-bourke-white-15756_camera_the-camera-is-a-remarkable-instrument-sa_2867405.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e02/margaret-bourke-white-15756_camera_the-camera-is-a-remarkable-instrument-sa_2867405.jpg) > “The camera is a remarkable instrument. Saturate yourself with your subject, and the camera will all but take you by the hand and point the way.” [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Immersing yourself in a subject guides the camera to reveal its story. **In simple terms:** Dive deep into subjects; the camera follows. Key Takeaway Engage fully with subjects to capture truth. Themes photography observation storytelling Mood reflective inspired Type artistic educational When to use this quote - portrait work - documentary - journalism - art projects Key Concepts subject immersion visual narrative intuitive shooting Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay objective while immersed? - What techniques help you connect with subjects? A Different Perspective Over‑immersion may bias perspective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Woman artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman-artist/) ## Related quotes > [Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/saturate-yourself-with-your-subject-and-the-camera-will-all-but-take/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [“The camera is a remarkable thing, you think, with its ability to transform the mundane into an immortal moment able to travel through time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-bottoms/the-camera-is-a-remarkable-thing-you-think-with-its-ability-to/) Greg Bottoms > [Photography is a very subtle thing. You must let the camera take you by the hand, as it were, and lead you into your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/photography-is-a-very-subtle-thing-you-must-let-the-camera-take-you/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [(1) The more thoroughly a photographer explores his subject with the camera (i.e., the more pictures he makes), the more he sees and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/1-the-more-thoroughly-a-photographer-explores-his-subject-with-the/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [Engaging with the subject from behind the camera feels like the least artificial way for me to conduct an interview.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wilson/engaging-with-the-subject-from-behind-the-camera-feels-like-the-least/) [John Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wilson/) > [No one was jumping up and saying, 'Yeah, let me give you money.' I had never held a camera in my hand - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-lauren-adams/no-one-was-jumping-up-and-saying-yeah-let-me-give-you-money-i-had/) [Joey Lauren Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-lauren-adams/) > [The camera... on the one hand extends our comprehension of the necessities that rule our lives; on the other, it manages to assure us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/the-camera-on-the-one-hand-extends-our-comprehension-of-the/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [There is a very particular feeling I get when I have the camera in my hand, looking at an actor talk, knowing that what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haskell-wexler/there-is-a-very-particular-feeling-i-get-when-i-have-the-camera-in-my/) [Haskell Wexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haskell-wexler/) > [Sometimes my fashion pictures can look a little bit like documentary style pictures. So having a camera in my hand was normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sebring/sometimes-my-fashion-pictures-can-look-a-little-bit-like-documentary/) [Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sebring/) > [As soon as I had the camera in my hand for the first time, I just fell in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-blume/as-soon-as-i-had-the-camera-in-my-hand-for-the-first-time-i-just-fell/) [Lawrence Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-blume/) > [There are so many ways to make a living that don't involve hiding in bushes opposite houses of 18-year-old girls with a camera in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dornan/there-are-so-many-ways-to-make-a-living-that-don-t-involve-hiding-in/) [Jamie Dornan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dornan/) > [You are a pest, by the very nature of that camera in your hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-a-pest-by-the-very-nature-of-that-camera-in-your-hand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's pretty amazing to see a guy, while steering at the wheel, suddenly raise his little 300 dollar German camera with one hand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/it-s-pretty-amazing-to-see-a-guy-while-steering-at-the-wheel-suddenly/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Photography came as a substitute. I was painfully shy and found talking to people difficult; a camera in hand gave me a function, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martine-franck/photography-came-as-a-substitute-i-was-painfully-shy-and-found/) [Martine Franck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martine-franck/) > [I've walked with very famous people down red carpets over to the crowd of thousands of people, and you'll reach out to shake their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-ve-walked-with-very-famous-people-down-red-carpets-over-to-the/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) ## More by Margaret Bourke-White > [I have never forgotten a picture that I ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/i-have-never-forgotten-a-picture-that-i-ever-made/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Nothing attracts me like a closed door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/nothing-attracts-me-like-a-closed-door/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Work to me is a sacred thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/work-to-me-is-a-sacred-thing/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Utter truth is essential...and to get that truth may take a lot of searching and long hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/utter-truth-is-essential-and-to-get-that-truth-may-take-a-lot-of/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [A burning purpose attracts others who are drawn along with it and help fulfill it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/a-burning-purpose-attracts-others-who-are-drawn-along-with-it-and/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Even while you're in dead earnest about your work, you must approach it with a feeling of freedom and joy; you must be loose-jointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/even-while-you-re-in-dead-earnest-about-your-work-you-must-approach/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [If anyone gets in my way when I'm making a picture, I become irrational. I'm never sure what I am going to do, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/if-anyone-gets-in-my-way-when-i-m-making-a-picture-i-become/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [To understand another human being you must gain some insight into the conditions which made him what he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/to-understand-another-human-being-you-must-gain-some-insight-into-the/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [A book, while it is being written, has an intense life of its own which you share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an-intense-life-of-its-own-which/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [I was to discover that the quest for human understanding is a lifetime one that has no end in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/i-was-to-discover-that-the-quest-for-human-understanding-is-a/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Photography is a very subtle thing. You must let the camera take you by the hand, as it were, and lead you into your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/photography-is-a-very-subtle-thing-you-must-let-the-camera-take-you/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Work is something you can count on, a trusted, lifelong friend who never deserts you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/work-is-something-you-can-count-on-a-trusted-lifelong-friend-who/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/saturate-yourself-with-your-subject-and-the-camera-will-all-but-take/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [The element of discovery is very important. I don't repeat myself well. I want and need that stimulus of walking forward from one new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/the-element-of-discovery-is-very-important-i-don-t-repeat-myself-well/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [ The sights I have just seen \[at Buchenwald\] are so unbelievable that I don't think I'll believe them myself until I've seen the photographs. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/the-sights-i-have-just-seen-at-buchenwald-are-so-unbelievable-that-i/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) [Explore all 42 Margaret Bourke-White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) ## More Camera quotes > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I have a way to photograph. You work with space, you have a camera, you have a frame, and then a fraction of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-have-a-way-to-photograph-you-work-with-space-you-have-a-camera-you/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [When I made my debut as an actor in 'Rock On!' I was confident to get in front of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/when-i-made-my-debut-as-an-actor-in-rock-on-i-was-confident-to-get-in/) [Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/) > [Since a camera is something too heavy for women and initially made for men, you need a good cameraman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitra-farahani/since-a-camera-is-something-too-heavy-for-women-and-initially-made/) Mitra Farahani > [To be honest, I don't know... something about the camera like turns me into such a diva. Like when it's on and I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bretman-rock/to-be-honest-i-don-t-know-something-about-the-camera-like-turns-me/) [Bretman Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bretman-rock/) > [When the camera is on, I am an actor; otherwise, I am an ordinary person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nana-patekar/when-the-camera-is-on-i-am-an-actor-otherwise-i-am-an-ordinary-person/) [Nana Patekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nana-patekar/) > [“A camera is an opening in a box: that is the best emblem of the fact that a camera holding an object is holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-cavell/a-camera-is-an-opening-in-a-box-that-is-the-best-emblem-of-the-fact/) [Stanley Cavell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-cavell/) > [It's such a weird thing, because you have a whole crew of people standing over there, on the other side. There's a camera pointing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/it-s-such-a-weird-thing-because-you-have-a-whole-crew-of-people/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) > [“The camera lets me see things in a different way. It's like I finally have perspective. I can't always say stuff right in words.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-cook/the-camera-lets-me-see-things-in-a-different-way-it-s-like-i-finally/) [Eileen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-cook/) > [I was so green, and my background was mostly in theater. The only thing I'd done in front of a camera, besides an infomercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-britton/i-was-so-green-and-my-background-was-mostly-in-theater-the-only-thing/) [Connie Britton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-britton/) > [As far as lighting and blocking, camera angles and facial expressions, all that stuff that has to be very specific in film, as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-torres/as-far-as-lighting-and-blocking-camera-angles-and-facial-expressions/) [Eve Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-torres/) > [It is the photographer, not the camera, that is the instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-the-photographer-not-the-camera-that-is-the-instrument/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like to move the camera that much anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-tucci/i-don-t-like-to-move-the-camera-that-much-anyway/) [Stanley Tucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-tucci/) > [I feel like 'Preacher's Daughter' was my Trojan horse, in a way. I'm excited to pull back, be behind the camera instead of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-cain/i-feel-like-preacher-s-daughter-was-my-trojan-horse-in-a-way-i-m/) [Ethel Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-cain/) [Browse all 2,026 Camera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The camera is a remarkable instrument. 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