--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It occurs to me that at the beginning one…" description: "\"It occurs to me that at the beginning one works passionately to learn photography. This takes years, and the craft is usually formed during this period..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/ralph-gibson-36227_crafts_it-occurs-to-me-that-at-the-beginning-on_850872.png" --- # It occurs to me that at the beginning one works… ![“It occurs to me that at the beginning one works passionately to learn photography. This takes years, and the craft is usually formed during this period. Then as time passes one finds oneself more in the role of serving the medium... Then, as in the example of several masters that I have been…” quote by Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/ralph-gibson-36227_crafts_it-occurs-to-me-that-at-the-beginning-on_850872.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/ralph-gibson-36227_crafts_it-occurs-to-me-that-at-the-beginning-on_850872.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/ralph-gibson-36227_crafts_it-occurs-to-me-that-at-the-beginning-on_850872.png) > “It occurs to me that at the beginning one works passionately to learn photography. This takes years, and the craft is usually formed during this period. Then as time passes one finds oneself more in the role of serving the medium... Then, as in the example of several masters that I have been privileged to know personally, it appears that by having devoted oneself totally to the medium, one becomes photography.” [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Passion for a craft evolves into embodying the medium itself, blurring creator and creation. **In simple terms:** Deep dedication turns you into the art you practice. Key Takeaway Let your work become part of you. Themes art dedication identity Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - photography practice - long‑term skill development - creative immersion Key Concepts craft mastery artist as medium Questions to Reflect On - How does your work shape your identity? - Can you separate yourself from your art? A Different Perspective Risk of losing perspective outside the medium. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning-works-748809/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Devoted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devoted/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Learn Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-photography-748806/) [Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masters/) [Medium Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium-example-748808/) [Medium Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medium-photography-748807/) [Mediums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediums/) [Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Photography Takes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography-takes-497613/) [Privileged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privileged/) [Roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles/) [Serving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serving/) [Time Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-pass/) [Time passes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-passes/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [Until a man has found God, he begins at no beginning and works to no end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/until-a-man-has-found-god-he-begins-at-no-beginning-and-works-to-no/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Generally, it's a great exercise to not get stuck in one medium too long because you begin to lose perspective on the peculiar drawbacks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-o-hare/generally-it-s-a-great-exercise-to-not-get-stuck-in-one-medium-too/) [Denis O'Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-o-hare/) > [I believe that the medium of photography prevails entirely as an act of faith in the souls of those who love and practice it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-believe-that-the-medium-of-photography-prevails-entirely-as-an-act/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [“What i Like about Photography is that it takes moments that should have been forgotten, and just Freezes them, and allows us to share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jes-s-holguin/what-i-like-about-photography-is-that-it-takes-moments-that-should/) [Jesús Holguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jes-s-holguin/) > [Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-lange/photography-takes-an-instant-out-of-time-altering-life-by-holding-it/) [Dorothea Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-lange/) > [Words are difficult and photography takes the words away from things. It's difficult to talk about something that seems to come very naturally to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daria-werbowy/words-are-difficult-and-photography-takes-the-words-away-from-things/) [Daria Werbowy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daria-werbowy/) > [I was going to go to a four-year college and be an anthropologist or to an art school and be an illustrator when a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/i-was-going-to-go-to-a-four-year-college-and-be-an-anthropologist-or/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [I could learn photography. That could be something to want. I could photograph children. I could have my own children. I would give them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gia-carangi/i-could-learn-photography-that-could-be-something-to-want-i-could/) [Gia Carangi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gia-carangi/) > [I am a former economist. I never went to photography school to learn photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-am-a-former-economist-i-never-went-to-photography-school-to-learn/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I could learn photography. That could be something to want. I could photograph children. I could have my own children. I would give them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gia-carangi/i-could-learn-photography-that-could-be-something-to-want-i-could-2/) [Gia Carangi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gia-carangi/) > [My use of the medium - photography - is in some ways traditional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andres-serrano/my-use-of-the-medium-photography-is-in-some-ways-traditional/) [Andres Serrano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andres-serrano/) > [I believe there is no more creative medium than photography to recreate the living world of our time. Photography gladly accepts the challenge because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berenice-abbott/i-believe-there-is-no-more-creative-medium-than-photography-to/) [Berenice Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berenice-abbott/) > [Whenever the medium of photography is useful for a particular task, I use it. If another medium is more suitable I use that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-haacke/whenever-the-medium-of-photography-is-useful-for-a-particular-task-i/) [Hans Haacke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-haacke/) > [I am someone who takes pleasure in exploring the full scale of the medium photography. I am a photographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juergen-teller/i-am-someone-who-takes-pleasure-in-exploring-the-full-scale-of-the/) [Juergen Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juergen-teller/) > [I love the medium of photography, for with its unique realism it gives me the power to go beyond conventional ways of seeing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynn-bullock/i-love-the-medium-of-photography-for-with-its-unique-realism-it-gives/) [Wynn Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynn-bullock/) ## More by Ralph Gibson > [Even though fixed in time, a photograph evokes as much feeling as that which comes from music or dance. Whatever the mode - from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/even-though-fixed-in-time-a-photograph-evokes-as-much-feeling-as-that/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [I have been a photographer all my life…and have made photographs of many things and for many reasons. But one thing that becomes more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-have-been-a-photographer-all-my-life-and-have-made-photographs-of/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [Traditionally, photography has dealt with recording the world as it is found. Before photography appeared the fine artists of the time, the painters and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/traditionally-photography-has-dealt-with-recording-the-world-as-it-is/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [I embrace the abstract in photography and exist on a few bits of order extracted from the chaos of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-embrace-the-abstract-in-photography-and-exist-on-a-few-bits-of/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [I'm too impatient to use a tripod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-m-too-impatient-to-use-a-tripod/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [The French have a different take on photography than Americans do. They consider photography to be absolutely parallel to literature. That often makes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/the-french-have-a-different-take-on-photography-than-americans-do/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [“Passing from one dimension to another, he feels that nothing is left behind, but rather is always with him in the moment. His life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/passing-from-one-dimension-to-another-he-feels-that-nothing-is-left/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [My enthusiasm for joining the New York Film Academy is predicated on my personal explorations into video as well as a sense of responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/my-enthusiasm-for-joining-the-new-york-film-academy-is-predicated-on/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [I believe that the medium of photography prevails entirely as an act of faith in the souls of those who love and practice it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-believe-that-the-medium-of-photography-prevails-entirely-as-an-act/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [When I was working with Robert Frank, he told me that there was absolutely no relationship between cinema and photography. I challenge that. Surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/when-i-was-working-with-robert-frank-he-told-me-that-there-was/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [ One night I was on my \[Navy\] ship... on my first cruise crossing the North Atlantic in a horrible storm, chained to the rails… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/one-night-i-was-on-my-navy-ship-on-my-first-cruise-crossing-the-north/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [I'm interested in producing truncated shapes in proportion to the frame and composition, shapes that are preferably luminous. I'm not interested in the full-figure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/i-m-interested-in-producing-truncated-shapes-in-proportion-to-the/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) [Explore all 13 Ralph Gibson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) ## More Crafts quotes > [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [All My Children taught me a great work ethic; you work so hard on a soap opera! It is a good way to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-larue/all-my-children-taught-me-a-great-work-ethic-you-work-so-hard-on-a/) [Eva LaRue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-larue/) > [Good films are not made by accident, nor is good photography. You can have good things happen, on occasion, by accident that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-willis/good-films-are-not-made-by-accident-nor-is-good-photography-you-can/) [Gordon Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-willis/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/there-is-no-royal-path-to-good-writing-and-such-paths-as-exist-do-not/) [Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [the twelve or fifteen millions in the British Empire, who, while they possess no electoral rights, are yet persuaded they are freemen, and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cobden/the-twelve-or-fifteen-millions-in-the-british-empire-who-while-they/) [Richard Cobden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cobden/) > [I got Michael Caine's book, Acting In Film, and I read it on the plane, desperately trying to glean information from him about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mccormack/i-got-michael-caine-s-book-acting-in-film-and-i-read-it-on-the-plane/) [Eric McCormack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mccormack/) > [One of the things about what . . . I do - writing plays - is that a poll is not taken before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wasserstein/one-of-the-things-about-what-i-do-writing-plays-is-that-a-poll-is-not/) [Wendy Wasserstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wasserstein/) > [Look, I come from vaudeville, I come from burlesque, I come from heartaches, I come from sadness, I come from gladness, I come from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/look-i-come-from-vaudeville-i-come-from-burlesque-i-come-from/) [Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/) > [All the craft skills that I have, I feel like I developed and honed in drama school. It's the most important thing for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/all-the-craft-skills-that-i-have-i-feel-like-i-developed-and-honed-in/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [A first novel of astonishing force, craft and beauty, The Headmaster's Wager conjures up a dizzyingly evocative wartime Saigon in the story of Percival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-y-k-lee-2/a-first-novel-of-astonishing-force-craft-and-beauty-the-headmaster-s/) [Janice Y. K. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-y-k-lee-2/) > [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [The craft's occupants clutched their armrests, and more than one of them closed their eyes. But not Artemis. He couldn't. There was something morbidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/the-craft-s-occupants-clutched-their-armrests-and-more-than-one-of/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-always-try-to-write-on-the-principle-of-the-iceberg-there-is-seven/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Browse all 1,453 Crafts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It occurs to me that at the beginning one works passionately to learn photography. This takes years, and the craft is usually formed during this period. Then as time passes one finds oneself more in the role of serving the medium... 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