--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I work very quickly. I only ever take one…" description: "\"I work very quickly. I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two.\" — William Eggleston" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/william-eggleston-12373_ever_i-work-very-quickly-i-only-ever-take-one_2954117.jpg" --- # I work very quickly. I only ever take one picture of one… ![“I work very quickly. I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two.” quote by William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/william-eggleston-12373_ever_i-work-very-quickly-i-only-ever-take-one_2954117.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/william-eggleston-12373_ever_i-work-very-quickly-i-only-ever-take-one_2954117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/810/william-eggleston-12373_ever_i-work-very-quickly-i-only-ever-take-one_2954117.jpg) > “I work very quickly. I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two.” [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. He emphasizes speed and singular focus, capturing a moment with one decisive shot. **In simple terms:** Capture one decisive moment quickly. Key Takeaway Prioritize focus, avoid over‑shooting. Themes focus speed minimalism Mood determined intense Type artistic practical When to use this quote - portrait sessions - street photography - event coverage Key Concepts photography decisive action visual storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How does single‑shot discipline affect your creative process? - When is multiple framing beneficial? A Different Perspective May miss nuance by limiting to one frame. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picture/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I only ever take one picture of one thing. Literally. Never two. So then that picture is taken and then the next one is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-only-ever-take-one-picture-of-one-thing-literally-never-two-so-then/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [I am fairly concise when I work and I work quickly because I think work is done better in a high gear than done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-am-fairly-concise-when-i-work-and-i-work-quickly-because-i-think/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [I like to be able to work quickly, to capture the spark of an idea before it goes out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-like-to-be-able-to-work-quickly-to-capture-the-spark-of-an-idea/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [That walk around the block, that fresh air, is going to help you work more quickly and effectively when you get back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/that-walk-around-the-block-that-fresh-air-is-going-to-help-you-work/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [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/) > [People who work with me think I should cut my hair. They say casting directors are less likely to hire me with long hair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-culkin/people-who-work-with-me-think-i-should-cut-my-hair-they-say-casting/) [Rory Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-culkin/) > [I remember writing 'The One I Can't Have' at the kitchen table. 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You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/) [Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) ## 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. 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When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [Ninety-eight percent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. They're not ever intended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/ninety-eight-percent-of-the-things-that-come-out-of-my-mouth-are/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. 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