---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What the camera has done historically is…"
description: "\"What the camera has done historically is erase authorship and produce - regardless of whether or not it's intended to be - what seems like objectively ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/ramell-ross-6108_camera_what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is_1451115.jpg"
---

#  What the camera has done historically is erase authorship…

![“What the camera has done historically is erase authorship and produce - regardless of whether or not it's intended to be - what seems like objectively truthful iterations of the world.” quote by RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/ramell-ross-6108_camera_what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is_1451115.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/ramell-ross-6108_camera_what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is_1451115.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/ramell-ross-6108_camera_what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is_1451115.jpg)

> “What the camera has done historically is erase authorship and produce - regardless of whether or not it's intended to be - what seems like objectively truthful iterations of the world.”

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues that cameras remove visible authorship, creating an illusion of objective truth about the world.

**In simple terms:** Cameras can hide who created an image, making it seem objectively true.

Key Takeaway

Question the perceived objectivity of images.

Themes

media perception truth authorship

Mood

analytical thoughtful inquisitive

Type

critical philosophical

When to use this quote

- photography
- documentary filmmaking
- news media

Key Concepts

Visual representation subjectivity technology

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities do creators have for perceived truth?
- How does hidden authorship affect trust?

A Different Perspective

Images still reflect choices of framing and editing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Camera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera/) [Camera Historically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/camera-historically-5218865/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Erase Authorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erase-authorship-5218867/) [Historically Erase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historically-erase-5218868/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Objectively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objectively/) [Objectively Truthful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objectively-truthful-5218866/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Truthful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truthful/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [He's psychologically damaged, I suppose, if you stand back and look objectively at him, but then, who isn't?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-darrow/he-s-psychologically-damaged-i-suppose-if-you-stand-back-and-look/)

[Paul Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-darrow/)

> [You could have another downgrade. You could certainly have a stock market reaction that would be negative. And, I think nobody who looks at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-portman/you-could-have-another-downgrade-you-could-certainly-have-a-stock/)

[Rob Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-portman/)

> [Overcoming the myth that there is such a thing as an objectively defined 'free market' is the first step towards understanding capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/overcoming-the-myth-that-there-is-such-a-thing-as-an-objectively/)

[Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/)

> [We must correct what we find objectively wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihide-suga/we-must-correct-what-we-find-objectively-wrong/)

[Yoshihide Suga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihide-suga/)

> [The assumption that individuals act objectively in accordance with purely mathematical dictates to maximize their gain or utility cannot be sustained by empirical observation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-arnold-epstein/the-assumption-that-individuals-act-objectively-in-accordance-with/)

[Richard Arnold Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-arnold-epstein/)

> [My function is, as objectively and accurately as I can, to present reality to people out there, and doing that as quickly as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/my-function-is-as-objectively-and-accurately-as-i-can-to-present/)

[Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/)

> [Every time I make a new game, I put all of my effort completely into that game. It's like putting all your effort into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideo-kojima/every-time-i-make-a-new-game-i-put-all-of-my-effort-completely-into/)

[Hideo Kojima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideo-kojima/)

> [I don't look at my work in a critical or analytical way; I just don't think of myself objectively. It doesn't interest me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-don-t-look-at-my-work-in-a-critical-or-analytical-way-i-just-don-t/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [We must look at alternatives objectively, and not try to fit the future into our present social mould.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/we-must-look-at-alternatives-objectively-and-not-try-to-fit-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [A mentor long departed told me that the greatest gift in political life, in any life, is to view yourself objectively, at arm's length,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-carey/a-mentor-long-departed-told-me-that-the-greatest-gift-in-political/)

[Hugh Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-carey/)

> [You know, looking at it objectively, I've written one or two good books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-looking-at-it-objectively-i-ve-written-one-or-two-good-books/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“The task is not to turn the world upside down but in a given place to do what, from the perspecive of reality, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-task-is-not-to-turn-the-world-upside-down-but-in-a-given-place-to/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [You know, in this business, you don't have any control over what the press says and how they portray things. And that's their prerogative.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/you-know-in-this-business-you-don-t-have-any-control-over-what-the/)

[Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/)

> [The truth is, if I was maybe better or funnier or prettier, wouldn't I have starred in a movie? I can see it objectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-greer/the-truth-is-if-i-was-maybe-better-or-funnier-or-prettier-wouldn-t-i/)

[Judy Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-greer/)

> [When you can't see yourself objectively, you won't see anyone else objectively, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/when-you-can-t-see-yourself-objectively-you-won-t-see-anyone-else/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

## More by RaMell Ross

> [To give subjectivity to the Dozier School boys is fundamentally mind-blowing. In literature, you're allowed to write from the inside, but at least most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/to-give-subjectivity-to-the-dozier-school-boys-is-fundamentally-mind/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [What a thing of free will to be in the air and to have that much control over one's directionality, up, down, left, right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/what-a-thing-of-free-will-to-be-in-the-air-and-to-have-that-much/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [You know, I feel like when we're watching films, typically, the films do the thinking for you, one could say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/you-know-i-feel-like-when-we-re-watching-films-typically-the-films-do/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [I realised that I wasn't going to the NBA when I broke my foot my second time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/i-realised-that-i-wasn-t-going-to-the-nba-when-i-broke-my-foot-my/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [Film peddles in one blip in the sea of emotional relationships when it's literally the content of the whole ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/film-peddles-in-one-blip-in-the-sea-of-emotional-relationships-when/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [Cinema lends itself to the play between the surreal, the symbolic, the experiential, the nonsensical and the aesthetic. It's on this weird carousel that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/cinema-lends-itself-to-the-play-between-the-surreal-the-symbolic-the/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [The thing about 'Nickel Boys' is its a film that is more intelligent than its maker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/the-thing-about-nickel-boys-is-its-a-film-that-is-more-intelligent/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [I don't think you need a lot of money to make a film that's cinematic and deserves to be in theaters, but people feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/i-don-t-think-you-need-a-lot-of-money-to-make-a-film-that-s-cinematic/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [The South is my home and I'm trapped in its stomach trying to get to its brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/the-south-is-my-home-and-i-m-trapped-in-its-stomach-trying-to-get-to/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [Black folks aren't asked to make films about all white people. But what would have happened if we did? What would white culture look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/black-folks-aren-t-asked-to-make-films-about-all-white-people-but/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [Micro-looking processes that are human are what I was interested in. How can you use the camera to mime the way that we look?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/micro-looking-processes-that-are-human-are-what-i-was-interested-in/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [Imagine something where you are just provided with the truth, which is something that everyone deserves. It's insane that's a line like that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/imagine-something-where-you-are-just-provided-with-the-truth-which-is/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [I'm less interested in cinema, and more interested in the experience of cinema approaching the experience of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/i-m-less-interested-in-cinema-and-more-interested-in-the-experience/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [Yeah, I think any type of filmmaking is good as an on-ramp to making films. But I will say that documentary filmmakers have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/yeah-i-think-any-type-of-filmmaking-is-good-as-an-on-ramp-to-making/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

> [Films typically peddle in meaning with big things and make connections between events. They don't peddle in images in the same way which in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/films-typically-peddle-in-meaning-with-big-things-and-make/)

[RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

[Explore all 100 RaMell Ross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "What the camera has done historically is erase authorship and produce - regardless of whether or not it's intended to be - what seems like objectively truthful iterations of the world.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "RaMell Ross"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is-erase-authorship-and-produce/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Camera"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is-erase-authorship-and-produce/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/ramell-ross-6108_camera_what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is_1451115.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/ramell-ross-6108_camera_what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is_1451115.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd5/ramell-ross-6108_camera_what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is_1451115.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What the camera has done historically is erase authorship and produce - regardless of whether or not it's…” — RaMell Ross",
                "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": "RaMell Ross",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What the camera has done historically...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is-erase-authorship-and-produce/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/what-the-camera-has-done-historically-is-erase-authorship-and-produce/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
