--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People think: 'If this photographer's…" description: "\"People think: 'If this photographer's looking like a big jerk-off, maybe it's okay if I do.' I like to catch my subjects off balance a bit.\" — Mick Rock" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abd/mick-rock-37805_balance_people-think-if-this-photographer-s-look_2981535.jpg" --- # People think: 'If this photographer's looking like a big… ![“People think: 'If this photographer's looking like a big jerk-off, maybe it's okay if I do.' I like to catch my subjects off balance a bit.” quote by Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abd/mick-rock-37805_balance_people-think-if-this-photographer-s-look_2981535.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abd/mick-rock-37805_balance_people-think-if-this-photographer-s-look_2981535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abd/mick-rock-37805_balance_people-think-if-this-photographer-s-look_2981535.jpg) > “People think: 'If this photographer's looking like a big jerk-off, maybe it's okay if I do.' I like to catch my subjects off balance a bit.” [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Provoking subjects can create compelling photographs. **In simple terms:** Disrupting comfort yields striking images. Key Takeaway Challenge subjects for authenticity. Themes photography authenticity provocation Mood provocative analytical Type artistic ethical When to use this quote - portrait sessions - fashion shoots - documentary work Key Concepts power dynamics visual storytelling Questions to Reflect On - When is provocation ethical? - How does discomfort affect artistic truth? A Different Perspective Subjects may feel exploited. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Who knows, maybe I'm just a stubborn jerk? Maybe the other people who do stuff they don't want to do, maybe they're doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/who-knows-maybe-i-m-just-a-stubborn-jerk-maybe-the-other-people-who/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) > [“I know that makes me sound like a jerk and maybe in some way I was, but girls play games too. Guys are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyrae-dawn/i-know-that-makes-me-sound-like-a-jerk-and-maybe-in-some-way-i-was/) [Nyrae Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyrae-dawn/) > [Maybe I am a jerk sometimes. Maybe I'm not. I think most people are kind of a jerk once in a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-adams/maybe-i-am-a-jerk-sometimes-maybe-i-m-not-i-think-most-people-are/) [Ryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-adams/) > [“I am always learning and growing as a photographer. I am always looking for new ways to improve my skills and capture even more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biju-karakkonam-nature-and-wildlife-photographer/i-am-always-learning-and-growing-as-a-photographer-i-am-always/) [Biju Karakkonam, Nature and Wildlife Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biju-karakkonam-nature-and-wildlife-photographer/) > [Basically I'm always looking for things. Any good photographer should always be looking for something, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-watson/basically-i-m-always-looking-for-things-any-good-photographer-should/) [Albert Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-watson/) > [I guess I should move on... but something keeps telling me not to... all my friends say I'm too good for you, that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-the-best/i-guess-i-should-move-on-but-something-keeps-telling-me-not-to-all-my/) SAM (THE BEST > [“Nothing is more frustrating than being attracted to someone who is a complete jerk – except for maybe also caring about that person despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/nothing-is-more-frustrating-than-being-attracted-to-someone-who-is-a/) [Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/) > [Truthfully, I don't really think of myself as a photographer. I don't have all the disciplines and knowledge of a person who's spent their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/truthfully-i-don-t-really-think-of-myself-as-a-photographer-i-don-t/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I think that the photographer must completely control his picture and bring to it all his personality, and in this area most photographs never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-think-that-the-photographer-must-completely-control-his-picture-and/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) > [When I first started making photo pieces it wasn't with the idea of a commitment to the medium. I didn't think I would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wegman/when-i-first-started-making-photo-pieces-it-wasn-t-with-the-idea-of-a/) [William Wegman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wegman/) > [I think that any photographer is an investigator. Photography is a pretext to know the world, to know life. To know yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graciela-iturbide/i-think-that-any-photographer-is-an-investigator-photography-is-a/) [Graciela Iturbide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graciela-iturbide/) > [I think you reveal yourself by what you choose to photograph, but I prefer photographs that tell more about the subject. There's nothing much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-think-you-reveal-yourself-by-what-you-choose-to-photograph-but-i/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [We should think of a photographer as a Samurai who makes rituals, moves and gestures in order to develop his techniques and his instinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-majoli/we-should-think-of-a-photographer-as-a-samurai-who-makes-rituals/) Alex Majoli > [I don't think of myself as a photographer. I've engaged questions regarding photography's role in culture... but it is an engagement with a problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-charlesworth/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-photographer-i-ve-engaged-questions/) [Sarah Charlesworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-charlesworth/) > [“She realized that the photograph had caused his reaction. It came to her almost as a revelation. Think of it: a photographer presses a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soheir-khashoggi/she-realized-that-the-photograph-had-caused-his-reaction-it-came-to/) [Soheir Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soheir-khashoggi/) ## More by Mick Rock > [The true art of being young is knowing how to defy gravity and upset as many people as possible while doing it. How to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/the-true-art-of-being-young-is-knowing-how-to-defy-gravity-and-upset/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [I do not use the word 'genius' lightly, but if David Bowie is not a genius, then there is no such thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/i-do-not-use-the-word-genius-lightly-but-if-david-bowie-is-not-a/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [Every morning I stand on my head and do a yoga workout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/every-morning-i-stand-on-my-head-and-do-a-yoga-workout/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [Somebody had given me a copy of 'Hunky Dory,' which had yet to be a hit, although it was starting to percolate. I'd seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/somebody-had-given-me-a-copy-of-hunky-dory-which-had-yet-to-be-a-hit/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [My allegiance was always to the act. I wanted them to be happy. I wasn't owned by a magazine or a record label. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/my-allegiance-was-always-to-the-act-i-wanted-them-to-be-happy-i-wasn/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [Newspapers and magazines didn't want pictures of musicians behaving badly back then. Now, because of the Internet, that's all the media wants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/newspapers-and-magazines-didn-t-want-pictures-of-musicians-behaving/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [It's funny because unlike back in the seventies when I made hardly any money, today I could just live off the past if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/it-s-funny-because-unlike-back-in-the-seventies-when-i-made-hardly/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [It's a miracle that David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop are actually still alive today, given how hard they lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/it-s-a-miracle-that-david-bowie-lou-reed-and-iggy-pop-are-actually/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [I did not want to be somebody who lived off his reputation. I wanted to continue to be part of the modern music scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/i-did-not-want-to-be-somebody-who-lived-off-his-reputation-i-wanted/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [I'd photographed musicians before but this was different. Syd was very charismatic, and he had the aura of a poete maudit, which made him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/i-d-photographed-musicians-before-but-this-was-different-syd-was-very/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) > [I don't show every picture that I have, I think discretion is also important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/i-don-t-show-every-picture-that-i-have-i-think-discretion-is-also/) [Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) [Explore all 12 Mick Rock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People think: 'If this photographer's looking like a big jerk-off, maybe it's okay if I do.' 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