---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most photographers go and photograph…"
description: "\"Most photographers go and photograph something that they see, that exists, and that somebody else has created - they document it. But fashion photograp..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/mario-testino-9405_decor_most-photographers-go-and-photograph-som_324501.jpg"
---

#  Most photographers go and photograph something that they…

![“Most photographers go and photograph something that they see, that exists, and that somebody else has created - they document it. But fashion photographers have to create what they're going to photograph. We have to go into the thought and build it up, get a girl, get a guy, get a situation, get…” quote by Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/mario-testino-9405_decor_most-photographers-go-and-photograph-som_324501.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/mario-testino-9405_decor_most-photographers-go-and-photograph-som_324501.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/mario-testino-9405_decor_most-photographers-go-and-photograph-som_324501.jpg)

> “Most photographers go and photograph something that they see, that exists, and that somebody else has created - they document it. But fashion photographers have to create what they're going to photograph. We have to go into the thought and build it up, get a girl, get a guy, get a situation, get the house, get the decor. It's the meaning of the word photography: "writing with light."”

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

## About This Quote

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

Fashion photography requires imagination to construct scenes, turning photography into a narrative art of “writing with light.”

**In simple terms:** Fashion photographers create the story they capture.

Key Takeaway

Blend creativity with technical skill.

Themes

creativity visual storytelling fashion artistic vision

Mood

inspired reflective

Type

artistic professional

When to use this quote

- editorial shoots
- brand campaigns
- concept development
- studio lighting

Key Concepts

construction visual narrative light manipulation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance client goals with creative vision?
- What inspires your constructed narratives?

A Different Perspective

Balancing commercial demands with artistic integrity can be challenging.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Get a girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-a-girl/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Fine artists reflect, and then they act. Fashion photographers - we act, and then we reflect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/fine-artists-reflect-and-then-they-act-fashion-photographers-we-act/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [A lot of fashion photographers will do the same sort of image for many years; it's easier to be successful if you do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/a-lot-of-fashion-photographers-will-do-the-same-sort-of-image-for/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [Photographers can create moments that will never happen again but last a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-shields/photographers-can-create-moments-that-will-never-happen-again-but/)

[Tyler Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-shields/)

> [My intention, certainly, is to create something which is aesthetic but many things are implicit in the work that I do. For me photography…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graciela-iturbide/my-intention-certainly-is-to-create-something-which-is-aesthetic-but/)

[Graciela Iturbide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graciela-iturbide/)

> [Photography and writing are marvelous distractions from painting. I might even have found movies more interesting than photography. I tried it a bit, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-henri-lartigue/photography-and-writing-are-marvelous-distractions-from-painting-i/)

[Jacques-Henri Lartigue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-henri-lartigue/)

> [Somebody once said to me that photography and writing don't get respect because people think that they can do it, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/somebody-once-said-to-me-that-photography-and-writing-don-t-get/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [I use to love you but not anymore I'm done chasing you. All you going to be is another photograph in my memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-use-to-love-you-but-not-anymore-i-m-done-chasing-you-all-you-going/)

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

> [I always like to meet the people I'm going to photograph. I need to have a conversation. I need to feel a vibe. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-sorrenti/i-always-like-to-meet-the-people-i-m-going-to-photograph-i-need-to/)

[Mario Sorrenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-sorrenti/)

> [It's marvelous, marvelous! Nothing will ever be as much fun. I'm going to photograph everything, everything!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-henri-lartigue/it-s-marvelous-marvelous-nothing-will-ever-be-as-much-fun-i-m-going/)

[Jacques-Henri Lartigue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-henri-lartigue/)

> [The camera can photograph thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-bogarde/the-camera-can-photograph-thought/)

[Dirk Bogarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-bogarde/)

> [“I shied away from any type of photograph ... because I thought I was hideous, because in my eyes I was. I had giant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-shied-away-from-any-type-of-photograph-because-i-thought-i-was/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [It's marvellous, marvellous! Nothing will ever be as much fun. I'm going to photograph everything, everything!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-henri-lartigue/it-s-marvellous-marvellous-nothing-will-ever-be-as-much-fun-i-m-going/)

[Jacques-Henri Lartigue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-henri-lartigue/)

> [I have never taken a photograph without one thought in my head to amuse myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-henri-lartigue/i-have-never-taken-a-photograph-without-one-thought-in-my-head-to/)

[Jacques-Henri Lartigue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-henri-lartigue/)

> [The camera can photograph thought. It's better than a paragraph of sweet polemic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-bogarde/the-camera-can-photograph-thought-it-s-better-than-a-paragraph-of/)

[Dirk Bogarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-bogarde/)

> [A lot of fashion photographers are telling a story with their pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-macken/a-lot-of-fashion-photographers-are-telling-a-story-with-their-pictures/)

[Eoin Macken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-macken/)

## More by Mario Testino

> [My favourite words are possibilities, opportunities and curiosity,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/my-favourite-words-are-possibilities-opportunities-and-curiosity/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [I studied law, economy, international relations, communications, in order to find what I would do. It's the hardest thing, being 17 and trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/i-studied-law-economy-international-relations-communications-in-order/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [Some things happen by accident - embrace them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/some-things-happen-by-accident-embrace-them/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [Ultimately, I made my range wider because I wanted to suit each publication that I worked for. Talk about reinvention - I'm like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/ultimately-i-made-my-range-wider-because-i-wanted-to-suit-each/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [As photographers, we have to find our own identity, our own voice, our own vocabulary. And my question all the time is whether this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/as-photographers-we-have-to-find-our-own-identity-our-own-voice-our/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [I'm really in no one city more than two months during the year. I'm constantly having to readapt my eye to new locations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/i-m-really-in-no-one-city-more-than-two-months-during-the-year-i-m/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [My favorite type of photography - apart from fashion photography - is journalism, which in a way documents something that exists in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/my-favorite-type-of-photography-apart-from-fashion-photography-is/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [It's a choice - there are two different sorts of photographer: those obsessed with the technicalities and those obsessed by the subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/it-s-a-choice-there-are-two-different-sorts-of-photographer-those/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [When I had photographed Prince William's mother, I brought along a CD of Dalida, a French singer, that we played on set all day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/when-i-had-photographed-prince-william-s-mother-i-brought-along-a-cd/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [My pictures are my eyes. I photograph what I see - and what I want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/my-pictures-are-my-eyes-i-photograph-what-i-see-and-what-i-want-to-see/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [I am trying to capture the women I photograph at their happiest. That is when they look their most beautiful. But I do understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/i-am-trying-to-capture-the-women-i-photograph-at-their-happiest-that/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [Even someone as photographed and aware of the camera as members of the royal family needs to feel completely comfortable if they are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/even-someone-as-photographed-and-aware-of-the-camera-as-members-of/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [At one moment, I thought that if I didn't do a picture in a certain way, then it wasn't a 'Mario Testino Picture.' And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/at-one-moment-i-thought-that-if-i-didn-t-do-a-picture-in-a-certain/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [A photograph can make you feel so many different things. When you look at war photographs of Vietnam, or something similar, it makes you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/a-photograph-can-make-you-feel-so-many-different-things-when-you-look/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

> [In Los Angeles, individuality is very big, because people live in secluded bubbles. People don't walk around. They're very insular, and that allows for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/in-los-angeles-individuality-is-very-big-because-people-live-in/)

[Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

[Explore all 73 Mario Testino quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/)

## More Decor quotes

> [I'm more influenced by people's attitudes and spirits than by their particular style. Whether it's Elsie de Wolfe or Pauline de Rothschild, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-moss/i-m-more-influenced-by-people-s-attitudes-and-spirits-than-by-their/)

[Charlotte Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-moss/)

> [“Simplicity does not mean want or poverty. It does not mean the absence of any decor, or absolute nudity. It only means that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-colborne/simplicity-does-not-mean-want-or-poverty-it-does-not-mean-the-absence/)

[Giles Colborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-colborne/)

> [Architecture is supposed to complete nature. Great architecture makes nature more beautiful-it gives it power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-silvestrin/architecture-is-supposed-to-complete-nature-great-architecture-makes/)

Claudio Silvestrin

> [It is a thing which every sensible American should learn from every sensible Englishman, that glare and glitter, gimcracks and gewgaws, are not indispensable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/it-is-a-thing-which-every-sensible-american-should-learn-from-every/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [“Up to four chauffeurs, two secretaries, two personal maids, and a masseur traveled with her to each home”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estella-m-chung/up-to-four-chauffeurs-two-secretaries-two-personal-maids-and-a/)

[Estella M. Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estella-m-chung/)

> [The places I've travelled and cultures I've experienced have been reflected in my home decor choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karlie-kloss/the-places-i-ve-travelled-and-cultures-i-ve-experienced-have-been/)

[Karlie Kloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karlie-kloss/)

> [“Our philosophy is that home decor shouldn’t be taken too seriously, because we want our homes to reflect who we are, no one else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolie-sikes/our-philosophy-is-that-home-decor-shouldn-t-be-taken-too-seriously/)

[Jolie Sikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolie-sikes/)

> [Fashion and decor should amuse you and your friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-santo-domingo/fashion-and-decor-should-amuse-you-and-your-friends/)

[Lauren Santo Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-santo-domingo/)

> [Beauty is my heritage, but home decor is very much my passion,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aerin-lauder/beauty-is-my-heritage-but-home-decor-is-very-much-my-passion/)

[Aerin Lauder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aerin-lauder/)

> [There is a conception in this country about luxurious things that we have to save them for a time that's right. But an object…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-rucci/there-is-a-conception-in-this-country-about-luxurious-things-that-we/)

Ralph Rucci

> [You should have a picture of yourself as a kid in your home so that you remember where you came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/you-should-have-a-picture-of-yourself-as-a-kid-in-your-home-so-that/)

[John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/)

> [Nothing in a portrait is a matter of indifference. Gesture, grimace, clothing, decor even - all must combine to realize a character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/nothing-in-a-portrait-is-a-matter-of-indifference-gesture-grimace/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Light, air, sound. In every space, it's how you embrace those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gabellini/light-air-sound-in-every-space-it-s-how-you-embrace-those-things/)

Michael Gabellini

> [Furniture and food are ways that people define their attitude toward life. They'll buy better stuff if it's offered to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-conran/furniture-and-food-are-ways-that-people-define-their-attitude-toward/)

[Terence Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-conran/)

> [“Her small bedroom was decorated with cheerfully embroidered samplers, which she had stitched herself, and a shelf containing an intricate shellwork tableau. In her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-gleeson/her-small-bedroom-was-decorated-with-cheerfully-embroidered-samplers/)

[Janet Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-gleeson/)

Browse all 80 Decor quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Most photographers go and photograph something that they see, that exists, and that somebody else has created - they document it. But fashion photographers have to create what they're going to photograph. We have to go into the thought and build it up, get a girl, get a guy, get a situation, get the house, get the decor. It's the meaning of the word photography: \"writing with light.\"",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mario Testino"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/most-photographers-go-and-photograph-something-that-they-see-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Decor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/most-photographers-go-and-photograph-something-that-they-see-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/mario-testino-9405_decor_most-photographers-go-and-photograph-som_324501.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/mario-testino-9405_decor_most-photographers-go-and-photograph-som_324501.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/mario-testino-9405_decor_most-photographers-go-and-photograph-som_324501.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most photographers go and photograph something that they see, that exists, and that somebody else has…” — Mario Testino",
                "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": "Mario Testino",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Most photographers go and photograph something...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/most-photographers-go-and-photograph-something-that-they-see-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/most-photographers-go-and-photograph-something-that-they-see-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
