--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I only ever take one picture of one…" description: "\"I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two. So then that picture is taken and then the next one is waiting somewhere else.\" — Will..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/william-eggleston-12373_next_i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thin_1744058.jpg" --- # I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally… ![“I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two. So then that picture is taken and then the next one is waiting somewhere else.” quote by William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/william-eggleston-12373_next_i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thin_1744058.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/william-eggleston-12373_next_i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thin_1744058.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/william-eggleston-12373_next_i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thin_1744058.jpg) > “I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two. So then that picture is taken and then the next one is waiting somewhere else.” [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The photographer insists on capturing a single subject per shot, emphasizing focus and intentionality. **In simple terms:** One subject per photo, no duplicates. Key Takeaway Choose one focus, avoid distraction. Themes focus photography minimalism Mood contemplative artistic Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - portrait sessions - street photography - documentary work Key Concepts visual composition intentionality Questions to Reflect On - How does limiting subjects affect creative expression? - What benefits arise from singular focus? A Different Perspective May limit storytelling breadth if too restrictive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture/) ## Related quotes > [I work very quickly. I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-work-very-quickly-i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thing/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I was taken, but you were waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trace-cyrus/i-was-taken-but-you-were-waiting/) [Trace Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trace-cyrus/) > [Your words aren't making sense snd I was taken, but you were waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/metro-station/your-words-aren-t-making-sense-snd-i-was-taken-but-you-were-waiting/) [Metro Station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/metro-station/) > [If there is any method in the way I take pictures, I believe it lies in this: See the subject first. Do not try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/if-there-is-any-method-in-the-way-i-take-pictures-i-believe-it-lies/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [When you go to take someone's picture, the first thing they say is, what you want me to do? Everyone is very awkward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/when-you-go-to-take-someone-s-picture-the-first-thing-they-say-is/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [I liked the idea of being a photographer, just that you take this one picture of this one thing that'll never happen again -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-barnett/i-liked-the-idea-of-being-a-photographer-just-that-you-take-this-one/) [Courtney Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-barnett/) > [My roots are in music. But Eileen Ford saw my high school graduation picture, and next thing I knew I was on a plane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-buell/my-roots-are-in-music-but-eileen-ford-saw-my-high-school-graduation/) [Bebe Buell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-buell/) > [A picture is a thing which requires as much knavery, as much malice, and as much vice as the perpetration of a crime. Make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/a-picture-is-a-thing-which-requires-as-much-knavery-as-much-malice/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I was drunk when I had my picture taken for my drivers license. That way, when the police pulls me over, I don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/i-was-drunk-when-i-had-my-picture-taken-for-my-drivers-license-that/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [“The very first picture that came up on the camera’s little view screen was of him. What did that mean that she’d kept this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-brockmann/the-very-first-picture-that-came-up-on-the-camera-s-little-view/) [Suzanne Brockmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-brockmann/) > [I don't want my picture taken. The only time I think it's okay is at a red-carpet event or a photo shoot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kate-olsen/i-don-t-want-my-picture-taken-the-only-time-i-think-it-s-okay-is-at-a/) [Mary-Kate Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kate-olsen/) > [I don't get pictures taken of me when I leave clubs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newman/i-don-t-get-pictures-taken-of-me-when-i-leave-clubs/) [John Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newman/) > [Boy George has been charged with falsely imprisoning a man who'd gone to his apartment to pose for photographs. Going to Boy George's house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/boy-george-has-been-charged-with-falsely-imprisoning-a-man-who-d-gone/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [I'm not crazy about having my picture taken. I'd rather talk my head off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-holofcener/i-m-not-crazy-about-having-my-picture-taken-i-d-rather-talk-my-head/) [Nicole Holofcener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-holofcener/) > [What most of us are after, when we have a picture taken, is a good natural-looking picture that doesn't resemble us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/what-most-of-us-are-after-when-we-have-a-picture-taken-is-a-good/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) ## More by William Eggleston > [I like to think that my works flow like music. That may be one reason I work in large groups versus one picture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-like-to-think-that-my-works-flow-like-music-that-may-be-one-reason/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I don't look at other photographs much at all. I don't know why. I study my own a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-don-t-look-at-other-photographs-much-at-all-i-don-t-know-why-i/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I had the attitude that I would work with this present-day material and do the best I could to describe it with photography, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-had-the-attitude-that-i-would-work-with-this-present-day-material/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [Generally, that's what happens-a fundamental rotting of the idea. They woke up with the wrong idea. It's just like music: If you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/generally-that-s-what-happens-a-fundamental-rotting-of-the-idea-they/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I knew it was happening, but I never paid much attention to it . . . just to the passage of time. Something new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-knew-it-was-happening-but-i-never-paid-much-attention-to-it-just-to/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [You become technically proficient whether you want to or not, the more you take pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/you-become-technically-proficient-whether-you-want-to-or-not-the-more/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [Unfortunately they're practically all dead. And many were my closest associates: friends, co-directors, whatever you want to say - my partners in crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/unfortunately-they-re-practically-all-dead-and-many-were-my-closest/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I had this notion of what I called a democratic way of looking around, that nothing was more or less important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-had-this-notion-of-what-i-called-a-democratic-way-of-looking-around/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I met and became close with John Szarkowski of the Museum of Modern Art. He was incredibly supportive about me working in color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-met-and-became-close-with-john-szarkowski-of-the-museum-of-modern/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [The immediate reviews were very hostile, but they didn't bother me-I had the attitude that I was right. The poor guys who were critics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/the-immediate-reviews-were-very-hostile-but-they-didn-t-bother-me-i/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [Only the few times I've been to so-called treatment centers, which were a complete waste of money and useless. I didn't know what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/only-the-few-times-i-ve-been-to-so-called-treatment-centers-which/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I quite frequently don't look through the camera, which is very close to being blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-quite-frequently-don-t-look-through-the-camera-which-is-very-close/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [A lot of my friends were mostly working in black-and-white-people like Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, and others. We would exchange prints with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/a-lot-of-my-friends-were-mostly-working-in-black-and-white-people/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [Everything must work in concert. Composition is important, but so are many other things, from content to the way colours work with or against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/everything-must-work-in-concert-composition-is-important-but-so-are/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [My friend who I went to boarding school with was interested in photography. He insisted that I buy a camera and marched me downtown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/my-friend-who-i-went-to-boarding-school-with-was-interested-in/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) [Explore all 55 William Eggleston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) ## More Next quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [My favorite job is the next one. Its such a gratifying experience getting to creatively keep trying something new and push things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/my-favorite-job-is-the-next-one-its-such-a-gratifying-experience/) [Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I'm what is known as gradually disintegrating. I don't fear the next world, or anything. I don't fear hell, and I don't look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/i-m-what-is-known-as-gradually-disintegrating-i-don-t-fear-the-next/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [A lot of times I'll show someone a technique I got really good with, but I didn't put all the hours in. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bravo/a-lot-of-times-i-ll-show-someone-a-technique-i-got-really-good-with/) [Eddie Bravo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-bravo/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [When I wake up on a Monday morning, it's nice knowing for the next 10-12 days that I don't have to do much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-i-wake-up-on-a-monday-morning-it-s-nice-knowing-for-the-next-10/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [I love Derrick Brown for the surprise of one word waking up next to another. One moment tender, funny or romantic, the next, visceral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/i-love-derrick-brown-for-the-surprise-of-one-word-waking-up-next-to/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) Browse all 13,849 Next quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two. So then that picture is taken and then the next one is waiting somewhere else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Eggleston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thing-literally-never-two-so-then/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Next" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thing-literally-never-two-so-then/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/william-eggleston-12373_next_i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thin_1744058.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/william-eggleston-12373_next_i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thin_1744058.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a8/william-eggleston-12373_next_i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thin_1744058.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two. So then that picture is taken and then the…” — William Eggleston", "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": "William Eggleston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I only ever take one picture...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thing-literally-never-two-so-then/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thing-literally-never-two-so-then/#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 } } ] } ```