--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you are a photographer, you work all…" description: "\"When you are a photographer, you work all the time, because your eye is the first camera.\" — Patrick Demarchelier" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/patrick-demarchelier-22577_camera_when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all_383154.png" --- # When you are a photographer, you work all the time… ![“When you are a photographer, you work all the time, because your eye is the first camera.” quote by Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/patrick-demarchelier-22577_camera_when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all_383154.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/patrick-demarchelier-22577_camera_when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all_383154.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/patrick-demarchelier-22577_camera_when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all_383154.png) > “When you are a photographer, you work all the time, because your eye is the first camera.” [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A photographer’s intuition serves as a mental lens, guiding composition before the camera does. **In simple terms:** Your eye acts like a camera in your mind. Key Takeaway Develop your visual intuition. Themes photography intuition creativity Mood inspired thoughtful Type artistic educational When to use this quote - portrait sessions - street photography - creative brainstorming Key Concepts visual perception mental framing Questions to Reflect On - How can you train your eye to notice details? - What exercises sharpen visual intuition? A Different Perspective Relying solely on intuition can miss technical precision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [A photographer must always work with the greatest respect for his subject and in terms of his own point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/a-photographer-must-always-work-with-the-greatest-respect-for-his/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times...I just shoot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/nothing-happens-when-you-sit-at-home-i-always-make-it-a-point-to/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-single-most-important-component-of-a-camera-is-the-twelve-inches/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [The camera is for us a tool, not a pretty mechanical toy ... people think far too much about techniques and not enough about seeing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/the-camera-is-for-us-a-tool-not-a-pretty-mechanical-toy-people-think/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [Technically, I have not changed very much. Ask my assistants. They'll tell you, I am the easiest photographer to work with. I don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-newton/technically-i-have-not-changed-very-much-ask-my-assistants-they-ll/) [Helmut Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-newton/) > [By default, I am a travel photographer. I work on a combination of commissions and personal projects that take me around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/by-default-i-am-a-travel-photographer-i-work-on-a-combination-of/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [Realism and superrealism are what I'm after. This world is full of things the eye doesn't see. The camera can see more, and often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-feininger/realism-and-superrealism-are-what-i-m-after-this-world-is-full-of/) [Andreas Feininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-feininger/) > [The picture is good or not from the moment it was caught in the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/the-picture-is-good-or-not-from-the-moment-it-was-caught-in-the-camera/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [A camera alone does not make a picture. To make a picture you need a camera, a photographer and above all a subject. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/a-camera-alone-does-not-make-a-picture-to-make-a-picture-you-need-a/) [Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/) > [A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-steichen/a-portrait-is-not-made-in-the-camera-but-on-either-side-of-it/) [Edward Steichen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-steichen/) > [The instrument is not the camera but the photographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-arnold/the-instrument-is-not-the-camera-but-the-photographer/) [Eve Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-arnold/) > [The head of the photographer is more important than his camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-halsman/the-head-of-the-photographer-is-more-important-than-his-camera/) [Philippe Halsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-halsman/) > [I'm not a photographer, so I didn't get into F-stops or ND filters or background, foreground, cross-light, all that stuff. But I was interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keanu-reeves/i-m-not-a-photographer-so-i-didn-t-get-into-f-stops-or-nd-filters-or/) [Keanu Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keanu-reeves/) ## More by Patrick Demarchelier > [Photography is like a moment, an instant. You need a half-second to get the photo. So it's good to capture people when they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/photography-is-like-a-moment-an-instant-you-need-a-half-second-to-get/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [Photography is an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/photography-is-an-accident/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [Take pictures all the time. Don't worry if you take a bad photograph; you learn more by taking a bad picture than a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/take-pictures-all-the-time-don-t-worry-if-you-take-a-bad-photograph/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [The movie that you'll be in is a new challenge. Photography is just the shot - one day, two days - and the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/the-movie-that-you-ll-be-in-is-a-new-challenge-photography-is-just/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [Fashion is the opposite of the real, its worst enemy. Fashion photography is subversive; it makes you believe everything is true, whereas this could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/fashion-is-the-opposite-of-the-real-its-worst-enemy-fashion/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [Every day is a dream, every day I spend with my wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/every-day-is-a-dream-every-day-i-spend-with-my-wife/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [My dog, Puffy. The dog is the perfect portrait subject. He doesn't pose. He isn't aware of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/my-dog-puffy-the-dog-is-the-perfect-portrait-subject-he-doesn-t-pose/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [The dog is the perfect portrait subject. He doesn't pose. He isn't aware of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/the-dog-is-the-perfect-portrait-subject-he-doesn-t-pose-he-isn-t/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [When you grow up in the country in France, you have small horizons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/when-you-grow-up-in-the-country-in-france-you-have-small-horizons/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [I don't take the camera out with me. My eyes are the camera for me every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/i-don-t-take-the-camera-out-with-me-my-eyes-are-the-camera-for-me/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [When you're a fashion photographer, you must inspire a dream,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/when-you-re-a-fashion-photographer-you-must-inspire-a-dream/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [I love all women. Women are sublime beings. I love all of it: their eyes, their noses, their bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/i-love-all-women-women-are-sublime-beings-i-love-all-of-it-their-eyes/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [When people ask me which is your favourite portrait, they expect it to be Diana, or someone famous. But the answer is my dog,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/when-people-ask-me-which-is-your-favourite-portrait-they-expect-it-to/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [With Dior Haute Couture, the dream is already there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/with-dior-haute-couture-the-dream-is-already-there/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) > [Film is not very practical. The new world goes faster, and digital is very fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/film-is-not-very-practical-the-new-world-goes-faster-and-digital-is/) [Patrick Demarchelier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) [Explore all 27 Patrick Demarchelier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/) ## 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": "When you are a photographer, you work all the time, because your eye is the first camera.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patrick Demarchelier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all-the-time-because-your-eye-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Camera" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all-the-time-because-your-eye-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/patrick-demarchelier-22577_camera_when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all_383154.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/patrick-demarchelier-22577_camera_when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all_383154.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/patrick-demarchelier-22577_camera_when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all_383154.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you are a photographer, you work all the time, because your eye is the first camera.” — Patrick Demarchelier", "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": "Patrick Demarchelier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-demarchelier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you are a photographer, you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all-the-time-because-your-eye-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-demarchelier/when-you-are-a-photographer-you-work-all-the-time-because-your-eye-is/#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 } } ] } ```