--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My first priority when taking pictures is…" description: "\"My first priority when taking pictures is to achieve clarity. A good documentary photograph transmits the information of the situation with the utmost ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/sam-abell-7768_achieve_my-first-priority-when-taking-pictures-i_3171820.jpg" --- # My first priority when taking pictures is to achieve… ![“My first priority when taking pictures is to achieve clarity. A good documentary photograph transmits the information of the situation with the utmost fidelity; achieving it means understanding the nuances of lighting and composition, and also remembering to keep the lenses clean and the cameras…” quote by Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/sam-abell-7768_achieve_my-first-priority-when-taking-pictures-i_3171820.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/sam-abell-7768_achieve_my-first-priority-when-taking-pictures-i_3171820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/sam-abell-7768_achieve_my-first-priority-when-taking-pictures-i_3171820.jpg) > “My first priority when taking pictures is to achieve clarity. A good documentary photograph transmits the information of the situation with the utmost fidelity; achieving it means understanding the nuances of lighting and composition, and also remembering to keep the lenses clean and the cameras steady.” [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. Clarity in documentary photos requires precise lighting, composition, and steady technique. **In simple terms:** Clear photos need good light, composition, steadiness. Key Takeaway Prioritize clear, honest visual storytelling. Themes photography clarity truth Mood inspirational practical Type instructional philosophical When to use this quote - photojournalism - portrait work - field shooting Key Concepts visual communication technical skill Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance technical precision with emotional truth? - What compromises are acceptable for clarity? A Different Perspective Technical perfection can’t replace authentic subject connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve/) [Achieve Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve-clarity-895107/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean/) [Composition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/composition/) [Documentaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentaries/) [Documentary Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-photograph-2108874/) [Fidelity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fidelity/) [First priority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-priority/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Lenses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lenses/) [Lighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lighting/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Nuance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuance/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photograph Transmits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph-transmits-5776159/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Pictures Achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pictures-achieve-5776158/) [Priorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priorities/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Steady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steady/) [Taking pictures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-pictures/) [Transmit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transmit/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [A documentary photograph is not a factual photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-lange/a-documentary-photograph-is-not-a-factual-photograph/) [Dorothea Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-lange/) > [To me, there is no greater way to achieve clarity than to run alone, or share miles with a trusted friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-armstrong/to-me-there-is-no-greater-way-to-achieve-clarity-than-to-run-alone-or/) [Kristin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-armstrong/) > [The progression of a painter’s work…will be toward clarity; toward the elimination of all obstacles between the painter and the idea, and between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/the-progression-of-a-painter-s-work-will-be-toward-clarity-toward-the/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [“I was never anyone's first priority. 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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." 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