--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Photograph the world as it is. Nothing's…" description: "\"Photograph the world as it is. Nothing's more interesting than reality.\" — Mary Ellen Mark" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/mary-ellen-mark-8293_interesting_photograph-the-world-as-it-is-nothing-s_2508191.png" --- # Photograph the world as it is. Nothing's more interesting… ![“Photograph the world as it is. Nothing's more interesting than reality.” quote by Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/mary-ellen-mark-8293_interesting_photograph-the-world-as-it-is-nothing-s_2508191.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/mary-ellen-mark-8293_interesting_photograph-the-world-as-it-is-nothing-s_2508191.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/mary-ellen-mark-8293_interesting_photograph-the-world-as-it-is-nothing-s_2508191.png) > “Photograph the world as it is. Nothing's more interesting than reality.” [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages capturing unfiltered reality, valuing authenticity over staged scenes. **In simple terms:** Capture real life, not fiction. Key Takeaway Seek truth in your images. Themes authenticity observation truth Mood reflective inquisitive Type artistic documentary When to use this quote - street photography - journalism - personal projects - social documentary Key Concepts documentary photography visual honesty Questions to Reflect On - How does authenticity affect viewer connection? - When is manipulation justified? A Different Perspective Staged or edited images can also convey powerful narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Interesting Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-reality-1130400/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photograph World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph-world-756362/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Than](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/than/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-interesting-963676/) ## Related quotes > [I think that there isn't a photograph in the world that has any narrative ability... 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I think that anybody who's completely nuts and makes the world a more interesting place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-ramone/i-m-just-happy-there-are-characters-in-the-world-i-think-that-anybody/) [Cassie Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-ramone/) > [“I have no plans to call on you, Clarice, the world being more interesting with you in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/i-have-no-plans-to-call-on-you-clarice-the-world-being-more/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [A technically perfect photograph can be the world's most boring picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/a-technically-perfect-photograph-can-be-the-world-s-most-boring/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [For spiritual companions I have had the many artists who have relied on nature to help shape their imagination. And their most elaborate equipment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/for-spiritual-companions-i-have-had-the-many-artists-who-have-relied/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I photograph to see what the world looks like in photographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-photograph-to-see-what-the-world-looks-like-in-photographs/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [We are only beginning to learn what to say in a photograph. The world we live in is a succession of fleeting moments, any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-eisenstaedt/we-are-only-beginning-to-learn-what-to-say-in-a-photograph-the-world/) [Alfred Eisenstaedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-eisenstaedt/) > [I think that people get into trouble when they photograph something that they... that is not in their world. It's like when they say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-friedman/i-think-that-people-get-into-trouble-when-they-photograph-something/) [Carol Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-friedman/) > [I never know in advance what I will photograph,...I Go Out into the World and Hope I Will come across something that Imperatively interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-never-know-in-advance-what-i-will-photograph-i-go-out-into-the/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [I'm interested in the person I photograph. The world is so beautiful as it is; there's so much going on, which is sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juergen-teller/i-m-interested-in-the-person-i-photograph-the-world-is-so-beautiful/) [Juergen Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juergen-teller/) > [No man living in a world as interesting as this ever writes a book if he can help it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-stanley-lee/no-man-living-in-a-world-as-interesting-as-this-ever-writes-a-book-if/) [Gerald Stanley Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-stanley-lee/) > [I might enjoy writing some ghost stories set in Japan because their whole idea about the spirit world is so interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-might-enjoy-writing-some-ghost-stories-set-in-japan-because-their/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [The world is full of more interesting things than my voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-fierstein/the-world-is-full-of-more-interesting-things-than-my-voice/) [Harvey Fierstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-fierstein/) > [I think we're in the time when the metaphysical world is so interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/i-think-we-re-in-the-time-when-the-metaphysical-world-is-so/) [Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/) ## More by Mary Ellen Mark > [In a portrait, you always leave part of yourself behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/in-a-portrait-you-always-leave-part-of-yourself-behind/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [That's the way I learned photography: You make your picture in the camera. Now, so much is made in the computer. ... I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/that-s-the-way-i-learned-photography-you-make-your-picture-in-the/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [I'm a documentary photographer. That's what I've always wanted to be; that's where my heart and soul is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-a-documentary-photographer-that-s-what-i-ve-always-wanted-to-be/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [I wanted to travel from the beginning. As a kid, I used to dream about airplanes, before I ever flew in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-wanted-to-travel-from-the-beginning-as-a-kid-i-used-to-dream-about/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [A great photograph needs no explanation; it functions by suggestion. There is no need to be explicit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/a-great-photograph-needs-no-explanation-it-functions-by-suggestion/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Usually my ideas for work have revolved around my interest in people, especially people that live on the edges of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/usually-my-ideas-for-work-have-revolved-around-my-interest-in-people/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [One of my all-time favorite photographers is Irving Penn. I wish I could have watched him work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/one-of-my-all-time-favorite-photographers-is-irving-penn-i-wish-i/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Nowadays shots are created in post-production, on computers. It's not really photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/nowadays-shots-are-created-in-post-production-on-computers-it-s-not/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [ To touch on people's lives \[ in a way they \] haven't been touched on before, it´s fascianting. You know, it's one thing if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/to-touch-on-people-s-lives-in-a-way-they-haven-t-been-touched-on/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [What you look for in a picture is a metaphor, something that means something more, that makes you think about things you've seen or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/what-you-look-for-in-a-picture-is-a-metaphor-something-that-means/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [It's just a matter of who you are and how you talk to people. Your subjects will trust you only if you're confident about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/it-s-just-a-matter-of-who-you-are-and-how-you-talk-to-people-your/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [If I hadn't become a photographer, I would have loved to become a doctor. I would have loved to have done something that actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/if-i-hadn-t-become-a-photographer-i-would-have-loved-to-become-a/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [I'm not much for cats. I'm terrified of mice. I've worked a lot with elephants, and they are extremely intelligent and sensitive, and thankfully,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-not-much-for-cats-i-m-terrified-of-mice-i-ve-worked-a-lot-with/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [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/) > [Im just interested in what makes a photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/im-just-interested-in-what-makes-a-photograph/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) [Explore all 82 Mary Ellen Mark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) ## More Interesting quotes > [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [The faster you go, the shorter you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-faster-you-go-the-shorter-you-are/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [It is sort of interesting that in our society this days we are very quick to apply the term 'war' to places where thare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/it-is-sort-of-interesting-that-in-our-society-this-days-we-are-very/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [If you do a black character or a female character or an Asian character, then they aren't just that character. They represent that race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-mcduffie/if-you-do-a-black-character-or-a-female-character-or-an-asian/) [Dwayne McDuffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-mcduffie/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [Failure or success seems to have been allotted to men by their stars. But they retain the power of wriggling, of fighting with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/failure-or-success-seems-to-have-been-allotted-to-men-by-their-stars/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life can be difficult sometimes, it gets bumpy. What with family and kids and things not going exactly like you planned. But that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-van-patten/life-can-be-difficult-sometimes-it-gets-bumpy-what-with-family-and/) [Joyce Van Patten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-van-patten/) > [Here are the good things about independent films: They do the more interesting, chancy scripts. They're run by love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/here-are-the-good-things-about-independent-films-they-do-the-more/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [If you make something interesting, inevitably not everybody is going to like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rian-johnson/if-you-make-something-interesting-inevitably-not-everybody-is-going/) [Rian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rian-johnson/) > [Groupon has some interesting assets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cohler/groupon-has-some-interesting-assets/) [Matt Cohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cohler/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Browse all 9,270 Interesting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Photograph the world as it is. 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