--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are many aspects about what and why…" description: "\"There are many aspects about what and why we photograph: visual pleasure, personal empathy, intellectual stimulation, technical excellence, etc. Seriou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/michael-kenna-14079_art_there-are-many-aspects-about-what-and-wh_2274549.jpg" --- # There are many aspects about what and why we photograph… ![“There are many aspects about what and why we photograph: visual pleasure, personal empathy, intellectual stimulation, technical excellence, etc. Serious photographers and artists will try to create works that are original. Over a career period they may develop a singular identity in their images.” quote by Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/michael-kenna-14079_art_there-are-many-aspects-about-what-and-wh_2274549.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/michael-kenna-14079_art_there-are-many-aspects-about-what-and-wh_2274549.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/michael-kenna-14079_art_there-are-many-aspects-about-what-and-wh_2274549.jpg) > “There are many aspects about what and why we photograph: visual pleasure, personal empathy, intellectual stimulation, technical excellence, etc. Serious photographers and artists will try to create works that are original. Over a career period they may develop a singular identity in their images.” [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Photographers seek to blend visual appeal, empathy, intellect, and technical skill, aiming for a distinct, original voice over time. **In simple terms:** Creating unique, meaningful photographs involves many dimensions. Key Takeaway Cultivate a personal visual identity. Themes art creativity identity technique Mood contemplative inspired analytical Type artistic reflective When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - portfolio reviews - artist residencies - educational workshops Key Concepts aesthetic theory visual storytelling artist development Questions to Reflect On - What defines originality for you? - How can you balance technique with personal expression? A Different Perspective Originality can be constrained by market trends and technical limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspect/) [Aspects Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspects-photograph-5284615/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Etc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/etc/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Excellence Photographers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence-photographers-5284616/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Identity Images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-images-2834126/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Originals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originals/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photograph Visual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph-visual-5284617/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photographers Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographers-artists-1671800/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Stimulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stimulation/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Visuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visuals/) ## Related quotes > [“We are therefore constantly on the road, straying from one mental image to the next, and identify with these images, and derive our identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-m-wanderer/we-are-therefore-constantly-on-the-road-straying-from-one-mental/) [Frank M. Wanderer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-m-wanderer/) > [The traditional difficulty of balancing the mechanical with the imaginative schools of photography still operates. In schools of photography meaningful art education is often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-scharf/the-traditional-difficulty-of-balancing-the-mechanical-with-the/) [Aaron Scharf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-scharf/) > [Photographers, you will never become artists. All you are is mere copiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/photographers-you-will-never-become-artists-all-you-are-is-mere/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [I didn't see painters doing paintings of glassware and glass shelves or sand dunes and receding snow fences. Why does that interest photographers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-didn-t-see-painters-doing-paintings-of-glassware-and-glass-shelves/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [Photographers and artists contribute a lot to the world and have a right to exist in relative security and comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/photographers-and-artists-contribute-a-lot-to-the-world-and-have-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [“Mom & pop stores are not about something small; they are about something big. Ninety percent of all U.S. businesses are family owned or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-spector/mom-pop-stores-are-not-about-something-small-they-are-about-something/) [Robert Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-spector/) > [It is the cult of self that is killing the United States. This cult has within it the classic traits of psychopaths: superficial charm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/it-is-the-cult-of-self-that-is-killing-the-united-states-this-cult/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Civil disobedience is a stimulation for the fighters and a challenge to the opponent, in the present instance, authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/civil-disobedience-is-a-stimulation-for-the-fighters-and-a-challenge/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [There is more refreshment and stimulation in a nap, even of the briefest, than in all the alcohol ever distilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-more-refreshment-and-stimulation-in-a-nap-even-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What the brain does by itself is infinitely more fascinating and complex than any response it can make to chemical stimulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/what-the-brain-does-by-itself-is-infinitely-more-fascinating-and/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [If only we could love ourselves enough to dare to approach God, what constructive dreams he would give us! What noble possibilities God wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/if-only-we-could-love-ourselves-enough-to-dare-to-approach-god-what/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [Many artists and writers have used cannabis for creative stimulation - from the writers of the world's religious masterpieces to our most irreverent satirists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-herer/many-artists-and-writers-have-used-cannabis-for-creative-stimulation/) [Jack Herer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-herer/) > [I just remember that disturbing feeling of walking into that prison, the complete loss of privacy, the complete loss of stimulation, dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/i-just-remember-that-disturbing-feeling-of-walking-into-that-prison/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [I'm inspired by visual stimulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-parker/i-m-inspired-by-visual-stimulation/) [Mark Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-parker/) > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) ## More by Michael Kenna > [The golden rule in the arts, as far as I am concerned, is that all rules are meant to be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/the-golden-rule-in-the-arts-as-far-as-i-am-concerned-is-that-all/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [I gravitate towards places where humans have been and are no more, to the edge of man's influence, where the elements are taking over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-gravitate-towards-places-where-humans-have-been-and-are-no-more-to/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Getting photographs is not the most important thing. For me it's the act of photographing. It's enlightening, therapeutic and satisfying, because the very process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/getting-photographs-is-not-the-most-important-thing-for-me-it-s-the/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [In my photographic work I'm generally attracted to places that contain memories, history, atmospheres and stories. I'm interested in the places where people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/in-my-photographic-work-i-m-generally-attracted-to-places-that/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [The photographer Ruth Bernhard used to tell me that this is like asking somebody how they evolved their signature. It is not something I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/the-photographer-ruth-bernhard-used-to-tell-me-that-this-is-like/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [I believe that we photographers don't benefit very much with answers from other photographers. What is more beneficial is to ask questions of ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-believe-that-we-photographers-don-t-benefit-very-much-with-answers/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [My advice to any budding artist is never to be satisfied with imitating others. This is but a means to an end. A serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/my-advice-to-any-budding-artist-is-never-to-be-satisfied-with/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [I enjoy places that have mystery and atmosphere, perhaps a patina of age, a suggestion rather than a description, a question or two. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-enjoy-places-that-have-mystery-and-atmosphere-perhaps-a-patina-of/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [One needs to fully accept that surprises sometimes happen and complete control over outcome is not necessary or even desirable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/one-needs-to-fully-accept-that-surprises-sometimes-happen-and/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Different assignments, different places, require different approaches. Sometimes I take minutes in a location, at other times days. There are many places that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/different-assignments-different-places-require-different-approaches/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [I find that when one has worked long enough, technical know-how becomes almost irrelevant. In photography, it's not difficult to reach a technical level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-find-that-when-one-has-worked-long-enough-technical-know-how/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [I believe that every photographer, every artist, should choose materials and equipment based on their own vision. I don't believe that non-digital is necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-believe-that-every-photographer-every-artist-should-choose/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Perhaps most intriguing of all is that it is possible to photograph what is impossible for the human eye to see - cumulative time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/perhaps-most-intriguing-of-all-is-that-it-is-possible-to-photograph/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Beauty is very much in the mind of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/beauty-is-very-much-in-the-mind-of-the-beholder/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [As a landscape photographer we should be open to possibilities, for one thing often leads to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/as-a-landscape-photographer-we-should-be-open-to-possibilities-for/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) [Explore all 48 Michael Kenna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are many aspects about what and why we photograph: visual pleasure, personal empathy, intellectual stimulation, technical excellence, etc. Serious photographers and artists will try to create works that are original. 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