--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was giving a lecture and I said, that's…" description: "\"I was giving a lecture and I said, that's enough about The Photographic Life, meaning my biography, now let's talk about the life of a photograph. And ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/sam-abell-7768_biographies_i-was-giving-a-lecture-and-i-said-that-s_2589950.png" --- # I was giving a lecture and I said, that's enough about The… ![“I was giving a lecture and I said, that's enough about The Photographic Life, meaning my biography, now let's talk about the life of a photograph. And in that one instant I got the title for a potential next book.” quote by Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/sam-abell-7768_biographies_i-was-giving-a-lecture-and-i-said-that-s_2589950.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/sam-abell-7768_biographies_i-was-giving-a-lecture-and-i-said-that-s_2589950.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a8/sam-abell-7768_biographies_i-was-giving-a-lecture-and-i-said-that-s_2589950.png) > “I was giving a lecture and I said, that's enough about The Photographic Life, meaning my biography, now let's talk about the life of a photograph. And in that one instant I got the title for a potential next book.” [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker realizes that focusing on the life of a photograph, rather than his own biography, inspires a new book title. **In simple terms:** Shifting focus to photographs sparks creative ideas. Key Takeaway Explore perspectives beyond self for inspiration. Themes creativity perspective shift photography writing Mood inspired curious Type artistic creative When to use this quote - photo exhibitions - writing workshops - creative retreats Key Concepts artistic process inspiration Questions to Reflect On - What other subjects could inspire you? - How does stepping back aid creativity? A Different Perspective Self‑centered focus can limit ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Lectures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lectures/) [Life meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-meaning/) [Meaning of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-of-life/) [My biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-biography/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [...just like some people's instinct to photograph is triggered by vacation... assignments might be that to me and that's why I've built my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/just-like-some-people-s-instinct-to-photograph-is-triggered-by/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [The class that I teach is called "The Life of a Photograph." It takes up the question, of the billion photographs that were taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/the-class-that-i-teach-is-called-the-life-of-a-photograph-it-takes-up/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [There are a lot of ways to talk about the life of a photograph. You can talk about the afterlife of a photograph, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/there-are-a-lot-of-ways-to-talk-about-the-life-of-a-photograph-you/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [A very big part of the life of a photograph is the afterlife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/a-very-big-part-of-the-life-of-a-photograph-is-the-afterlife/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I live a lonely photographic life here in Santa Fe. I do see Eliot Porter occasionally, and Ansel storms through every so often, otherwise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-gilpin/i-live-a-lonely-photographic-life-here-in-santa-fe-i-do-see-eliot/) [Laura Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-gilpin/) > [I have a deep love and respect for children and I cannot imagine photographic life without them playing a major part. I hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-geddes/i-have-a-deep-love-and-respect-for-children-and-i-cannot-imagine/) [Anne Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-geddes/) > [Slow down, make it last I'm having the time of my life And take your photograph I don't want to leave this behind What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/slow-down-make-it-last-i-m-having-the-time-of-my-life-and-take-your/) Unkown > [The one thing that is always clear in my mind is that the people, and their stories, and the themes of life that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-turnley/the-one-thing-that-is-always-clear-in-my-mind-is-that-the-people-and/) [Peter Turnley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-turnley/) > [Life is a photograph too, so thank you,for not removing yourself from the picture just yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meggie-royer/life-is-a-photograph-too-so-thank-you-for-not-removing-yourself-from/) [Meggie Royer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meggie-royer/) > [“...a memoir is meant to be an impression of life, and not a photograph.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-finney-boylan/a-memoir-is-meant-to-be-an-impression-of-life-and-not-a-photograph/) [Jennifer Finney Boylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-finney-boylan/) > [...my way of photographing is my way of life. I photograph from my experience, my way of seeing things...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/my-way-of-photographing-is-my-way-of-life-i-photograph-from-my/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I'd be happy to have my biography be the stories of my dogs. To me, to live without dogs would mean accepting a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcguane/i-d-be-happy-to-have-my-biography-be-the-stories-of-my-dogs-to-me-to/) [Thomas McGuane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcguane/) > [That requires quite an imaginative leap because it's hard for me to imagine that my biography would be of much interest to anyone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/that-requires-quite-an-imaginative-leap-because-it-s-hard-for-me-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [My biography of Jesus is probably the first popular biography that does not use the New Testament as its primary source material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/my-biography-of-jesus-is-probably-the-first-popular-biography-that/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [I'm writing my biography. It's my business. This is what happened in my life, and I'm writing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-hagar/i-m-writing-my-biography-it-s-my-business-this-is-what-happened-in-my/) [Sammy Hagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-hagar/) ## More by Sam Abell > [Photography, alone of the arts, seems perfected to serve the desire humans have for a moment - this very moment - to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/photography-alone-of-the-arts-seems-perfected-to-serve-the-desire/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I did it once, and National Geographic recruited me. I did it primarily out of curiosity. A lot of legendary photographers had worked on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-did-it-once-and-national-geographic-recruited-me-i-did-it-primarily/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I can't speak for other photographers, but the photographers who went forward strongly when the so-called "official" part of their career ended, to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-can-t-speak-for-other-photographers-but-the-photographers-who-went/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Actually, ambition won't get you that far. You'll shift gears. You'll see something that's shinier. But if you believe... then you're the long-distance runner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/actually-ambition-won-t-get-you-that-far-you-ll-shift-gears-you-ll/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [A mad, keen photographer needs to get out into the world and work and make mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/a-mad-keen-photographer-needs-to-get-out-into-the-world-and-work-and/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I have this awareness that the more dynamic the situation is, the more on guard I need to be that the dynamic isn't controlling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-have-this-awareness-that-the-more-dynamic-the-situation-is-the-more/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [What I'm interested in is modern American history. I'm taken with the changes that have occurred in America in my lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/what-i-m-interested-in-is-modern-american-history-i-m-taken-with-the/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Essentially what photography is is life lit up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/essentially-what-photography-is-is-life-lit-up/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Life rarely presents fully finished photographs. An image evolves, often from a single strand of visual interest - a distant horizon, a moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/life-rarely-presents-fully-finished-photographs-an-image-evolves/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Photographs that transcend but do not deny their literal situation appeal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/photographs-that-transcend-but-do-not-deny-their-literal-situation/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I wanted life to be episodic. I wanted to be a magazine photographer and I was willing to do what it took to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-wanted-life-to-be-episodic-i-wanted-to-be-a-magazine-photographer/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [ That statement \[ Stephen Ambrose:'You, Sam, have the hardest job, which is, pretend like nothing has happened in the last 200 years.'\] woke me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/that-statement-stephen-ambrose-you-sam-have-the-hardest-job-which-is/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [The unusual wins out over the usual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/the-unusual-wins-out-over-the-usual/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Even though I teach with 35mm, my method takes people by surprise, because it isn't fast, and it isn't about hardware or software, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/even-though-i-teach-with-35mm-my-method-takes-people-by-surprise/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [The class that I teach is called "The Life of a Photograph." It takes up the question, of the billion photographs that were taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/the-class-that-i-teach-is-called-the-life-of-a-photograph-it-takes-up/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) [Explore all 87 Sam Abell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) ## More Biographies quotes > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/) [Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/) > [Biographies of great, but especially of good men are most instructive and useful as helps, guides, and incentives to others. Some of the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/biographies-of-great-but-especially-of-good-men-are-most-instructive/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [All Philosophy is Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/all-philosophy-is-biography/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/life-is-a-biography-not-a-series-of-disconnected-moments-more-or-less/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [I hope any poem I've ever written could stand on its own and not need to be a part of biography, critical theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-goldbarth/i-hope-any-poem-i-ve-ever-written-could-stand-on-its-own-and-not-need/) [Albert Goldbarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-goldbarth/) > [The richly cadenced prose is hypnotic, the research prodigious, the analysis acute, the mood spellbinding, and the cast of characters mythic in scale. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-richly-cadenced-prose-is-hypnotic-the-research-prodigious-the/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I don't want to say that most rock bands live these formulaic biography existences - but they kinda do. There's always a divorce. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-don-t-want-to-say-that-most-rock-bands-live-these-formulaic/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [On the other hand, when I give it closer thought, I realize I'm not enough of a dictator to conduct an orchestra because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-weber/on-the-other-hand-when-i-give-it-closer-thought-i-realize-i-m-not/) [Eberhard Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-weber/) > [It can be a long gap between the emergence of fully researched historical biographies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-fraser/it-can-be-a-long-gap-between-the-emergence-of-fully-researched/) [Antonia Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-fraser/) > [Always live your life with your biography in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/always-live-your-life-with-your-biography-in-mind/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) Browse all 587 Biographies quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was giving a lecture and I said, that's enough about The Photographic Life, meaning my biography, now let's talk about the life of a photograph. 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