--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a make believe ethnographer…" description: "\"I was a make believe ethnographer: treating New Yorkers like an explorer would treat Zulus - searching for the rawest snapshot, the zero degree of phot..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/william-klein-9048_believe_i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treati_2007286.png" --- # I was a make believe ethnographer: treating New Yorkers… ![“I was a make believe ethnographer: treating New Yorkers like an explorer would treat Zulus - searching for the rawest snapshot, the zero degree of photography.” quote by William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/william-klein-9048_believe_i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treati_2007286.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/william-klein-9048_believe_i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treati_2007286.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/william-klein-9048_believe_i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treati_2007286.png) > “I was a make believe ethnographer: treating New Yorkers like an explorer would treat Zulus - searching for the rawest snapshot, the zero degree of photography.” [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Klein likens his street photography to an ethnographic study, seeking unfiltered, raw moments of New York life. **In simple terms:** He treats city scenes like a scientific field study. Key Takeaway Observe people without preconceptions. Themes photography observation urban life Mood curious analytical Type documentary philosophical When to use this quote - documentary projects - street photography workshops - urban sociology research - media studies - journalistic reporting Key Concepts ethnography authenticity visual anthropology Questions to Reflect On - How does framing a city as a field affect your perception? - What ethical lines exist in candid photography? A Different Perspective The approach may romanticize subjects and overlook context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Ethnographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-ethnographer-3565818/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Ethnographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnographer-448332/) [Ethnographer Treating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnographer-treating-3565819/) [Explorers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explorers/) [Make believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-believe/) [New yorkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-yorkers/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Snapshots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snapshots/) [Treat Zulus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treat-zulus-3565820/) [Treats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treats/) [Zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zero/) ## Related quotes > [“Ethnographer Clifford Geertz says: “Believing, with Max Weber, that man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun, I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-raleigh-yow/ethnographer-clifford-geertz-says-believing-with-max-weber-that-man/) [Valerie Raleigh Yow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-raleigh-yow/) > [“What the ethnographer is in fact faced with—except when (as, of course, he must do) he is pursuing the more automatized routines of data…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/what-the-ethnographer-is-in-fact-faced-with-except-when-as-of-course/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) > [“The final goal of which an ethnographer should never lose sight…is, briefly, to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronis-aw-malinowski/the-final-goal-of-which-an-ethnographer-should-never-lose-sight-is/) [Bronisław Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronis-aw-malinowski/) > [For the first time in the history of photography, we can study the real-time production of snapshot making - globally! (On Flickr and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-schmid/for-the-first-time-in-the-history-of-photography-we-can-study-the/) [Joachim Schmid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joachim-schmid/) > [Having a mental snapshot of where you are, where you are going, and what you are moving toward is incredibly powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-blakely/having-a-mental-snapshot-of-where-you-are-where-you-are-going-and/) [Sara Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-blakely/) > [On issue after issue, the polls - and these are not snapshot polls; these are polls over a consistent period of time - show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-vanden-heuvel/on-issue-after-issue-the-polls-and-these-are-not-snapshot-polls-these/) [Katrina vanden Heuvel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-vanden-heuvel/) > [I'm growing as an individual, but your always growing. All of my albums are snapshots of where I am artistically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-m-growing-as-an-individual-but-your-always-growing-all-of-my-albums/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [What most artists using photography feel that they need to do is to show that they are serious, that they are not taking snapshots.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-tillmans/what-most-artists-using-photography-feel-that-they-need-to-do-is-to/) [Wolfgang Tillmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-tillmans/) > [Look at a globe and what you are seeing really is a snapshot of the continents as they have been for just one-tenth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/look-at-a-globe-and-what-you-are-seeing-really-is-a-snapshot-of-the/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Whole idea is really intriguing to me. 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It only shows one moment in time. It shows what we feel and think right at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-albarn/no-every-album-is-something-like-a-snapshot-it-only-shows-one-moment/) [Damon Albarn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-albarn/) > [Even though fixed in time, a photograph evokes as much feeling as that which comes from music or dance. Whatever the mode - from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-gibson/even-though-fixed-in-time-a-photograph-evokes-as-much-feeling-as-that/) [Ralph Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-gibson/) > [“There is something that happens to the mind in moments of terror. Perhaps we figure it's the last we'll ever have and we record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/there-is-something-that-happens-to-the-mind-in-moments-of-terror/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) ## More by William Klein > [I always thought I was going to be an artist. I used to draw, and I would read Russian novels until 3 or 4…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-always-thought-i-was-going-to-be-an-artist-i-used-to-draw-and-i/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [Being an expatriate doesn't go down well in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/being-an-expatriate-doesn-t-go-down-well-in-america/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [I was 24 years old at the time. I had no real notion of what photography was about. I had no training. By accident,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-24-years-old-at-the-time-i-had-no-real-notion-of-what/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [I have always done the opposite of what I was trained to do... Having little technical background, I became a photographer. 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I'm afraid I didn't have the family I would have dreamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/my-father-was-convinced-that-america-was-the-greatest-place-in-the/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [This is supposed to be the Big Apple, with neighborhoods where the houses are all good-looking and the skyscrapers and everything. But to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/this-is-supposed-to-be-the-big-apple-with-neighborhoods-where-the/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [The English are very exotic to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/the-english-are-very-exotic-to-me/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [I feel like I'm doing something that's worthwhile. I feel like I'm showing something other people haven't shown. I don't get to talk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-feel-like-i-m-doing-something-that-s-worthwhile-i-feel-like-i-m/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [The kinetic quality of New York, the kids, dirt, madness - I tried to find a photographic style that would come close to it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/the-kinetic-quality-of-new-york-the-kids-dirt-madness-i-tried-to-find/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [In America, kids would go to college and get out and buy a second-hand car and go across the country and discover America. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/in-america-kids-would-go-to-college-and-get-out-and-buy-a-second-hand/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [Sometimes, I'd take shots without aiming, just to see what happened. I'd rush into crowds - bang! bang! ... It must be close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/sometimes-i-d-take-shots-without-aiming-just-to-see-what-happened-i-d/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [Don't have rules, taboos, or limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/don-t-have-rules-taboos-or-limits/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [My way of living and working is that I'll do my thing. I went from one thing to another. That annoyed people. They didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/my-way-of-living-and-working-is-that-i-ll-do-my-thing-i-went-from-one/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) [Explore all 75 William Klein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. 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He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. 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Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was a make believe ethnographer: treating New Yorkers like an explorer would treat Zulus - searching for the rawest snapshot, the zero degree of photography.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Klein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treating-new-yorkers-like-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treating-new-yorkers-like-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/william-klein-9048_believe_i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treati_2007286.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/william-klein-9048_believe_i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treati_2007286.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/william-klein-9048_believe_i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treati_2007286.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was a make believe ethnographer: treating New Yorkers like an explorer would treat Zulus - searching for…” — William Klein", "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 Klein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was a make believe ethnographer:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treating-new-yorkers-like-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-was-a-make-believe-ethnographer-treating-new-yorkers-like-an/#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 } } ] } ```