Imogen Cunningham Quotes

Powerful Imogen Cunningham for Daily Growth

About Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham (1883-1976) was an influential American photographer whose career spanned over six decades, making significant contributions to modernist art photography. Born on April 12, 1883, in Portland, Oregon, Cunningham developed a passion for art and science early in life. She attended the University of Washington, where she studied biology, but her interest in photography was piqued after witnessing a public demonstration of the process by a traveling photographer in 1902. Cunningham's photographic journey began when she purchased a camera and darkroom equipment in 1906. She honed her skills through self-study, experimentation, and collaboration with other artists. In 1910, she married the renowned sculptor Roi Partridge, with whom she had two children. The couple collaborated on several projects, merging their artistic visions. Cunningham's work is characterized by its technical mastery, innovation, and broad subject matter. She was particularly interested in capturing natural forms, industrial scenes, portraits, and street photography. Her early portraits of friends from the arts community in San Francisco during the 1920s are considered seminal works. Among her most famous subjects were intellectuals, artists, writers, and dancers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Georgia O'Keeffe, Ansel Adams, and Martha Graham. In the 1930s, Cunningham turned her camera to the world of botany, producing a series of intimate and striking images of plants and flowers. This work culminated in the publication of "Technique of Photographing Flowers" (1935). Throughout her career, Cunningham continued to explore new techniques and themes, including nudes, cityscapes, and abstract compositions. Cunningham's enduring influence on photography is evident in her commitment to artistic innovation, technical mastery, and the exploration of a wide range of subjects. Her work can be found in major museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Imogen Cunningham passed away in Port Townsend, Washington, on June 25, 1976, leaving behind an indelible mark on the history of photography.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering it, extending it, reducing it to a timeless moment."

Imogen Cunningham's quote highlights the unique ability of photography to capture a single, fleeting moment in time and transform it into something lasting and timeless. This power of photography lies in its ability to freeze a specific instant from the continuous flow of time, altering our perception by presenting it out of context, extending or reducing its duration, and ultimately preserving it for eternity. The captured moment is removed from the chronological sequence, suspended in a state that can be revisited and experienced at will, allowing us to appreciate details we might have missed during the original occurrence.

"Which of my photographs is my favorite? I think I'll wait and see."

This quote highlights Imogen Cunningham's humility and continuous pursuit for artistic growth, suggesting that she valued the process of creating art more than any individual piece. By stating "I'll wait and see," she demonstrates an openness to self-evaluation and improvement, acknowledging that her preferences might change over time as she evolves as an artist. This perspective encourages a mindset in which one's work is never truly finished but instead serves as a stepping stone towards further artistic development.

"In the realm of the creative, there are no mistakes, only possibilities."

This quote by Imogen Cunningham emphasizes that in the process of creativity or innovation, there are no 'errors' or 'mistakes', but rather opportunities to discover new paths or directions. It encourages individuals to explore and embrace the unexpected outcomes as part of the creative journey, acknowledging that each step, regardless of its initial perceived value, can lead to a serendipitous discovery or a transformative idea. This perspective fosters an open-minded approach to creativity and innovation, promoting flexibility, resilience, and adaptability in one's pursuit of artistic or intellectual growth.

"Photography for me is not looking, it's feeling. If you can't feel what you're looking at, then you're never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures."

Imogen Cunningham's quote highlights the emotional essence of photography. Instead of merely observing or documenting a subject, true photography, according to Cunningham, involves feeling an emotional connection with it. This emotional connection is what allows photographers to evoke feelings in their viewers when they look at the images. The more deeply a photographer feels about their subject, the more potent and impactful their photographs will be on those who view them.

"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera."

Imogen Cunningham's quote suggests that using a camera forces individuals to observe and appreciate their surroundings in a more intentional way, as if they were taking a photograph. The practice of photography compels one to develop an understanding of composition, light, and other visual elements, thereby enhancing one's ability to perceive and appreciate the world around them without the aid of a camera. Essentially, photography serves as a tool that fosters improved visual literacy and observation skills in its practitioners.

When you do portraits professionally it's not a desire, it's for money.

- Imogen Cunningham

Money, Desire, Portraits

Oh, you ask me, what is the greatest torture of a person who does portraits for a living? I could fill several volumes with nice nasty stories. I don't know.

- Imogen Cunningham

Living, Could, Stories, Nasty

I don't think there's any such thing as teaching people photography, other than influencing them a little. People have to be their own learners. They have to have a certain talent.

- Imogen Cunningham

Think, Own, Other, Little People

I told the students that whatever they did in class was for the wastebasket.

- Imogen Cunningham

Class, Students, Whatever, Wastebasket

My mind is vacant on names, but I know him as well as anything. When I need names they drop out of my head; when I don't need them they drop back.

- Imogen Cunningham

Mind, Drop, Need, Vacant

I was brought up on art. My father thought I had a great hand at art and sent me to art school. But he did not want me to become a photographer.

- Imogen Cunningham

Art, Thought, Brought, Art School

When people ask me silly questions about my private life, I just say, I don't discuss that.

- Imogen Cunningham

Questions, Silly, Private, Discuss

There are certain things you don't discuss with Ansel, especially if you don't agree.

- Imogen Cunningham

Things, Certain Things, Discuss

I was poor. When you're poor you work, and when you're rich you expect somebody to hand it to you. So I think being reasonably poor is very good for people.

- Imogen Cunningham

Think, I Think, Very, Reasonably

Everybody who does anything for the public can be criticized. There's always someone who doesn't like it.

- Imogen Cunningham

Always, Everybody, Public, Criticized

When People magazine called me, I did the job on Ansel. I'm older than Ansel and he has to mind me.

- Imogen Cunningham

Mind, People, Than, Magazine

I turn people into human beings by not making them into gods.

- Imogen Cunningham

Human Beings, Making, Gods, Beings

A woman said to me when she first sat down, You're photographing the wrong side of my face. I said, Oh, is there one?

- Imogen Cunningham

Woman, Side, Sat, Wrong Side

I never stopped photographing. There were a couple of years when I didn't have a darkroom, but that didn't stop me from photographing.

- Imogen Cunningham

Couple, Stopped, Darkroom, Photographing

I don't love the world. I think Jupiter should have hit us.

- Imogen Cunningham

Love, Think, Hit, Jupiter

I was invited to photograph Hollywood. They asked me what I would like to photograph. I said, Ugly men.

- Imogen Cunningham

Hollywood, Photograph, Would, Asked

I became kind of a drop-out in science after I came back to America. I wanted to photograph.

- Imogen Cunningham

Kind, Wanted, Became, Photograph

I don't resent anything.

- Imogen Cunningham

Anything, Resent

When I need names they drop out of my head; when I don't need them they drop back.

- Imogen Cunningham

Drop, Need, Head, Names

I think San Francisco is the best place in the whole world for an easy life.

- Imogen Cunningham

San Francisco, Francisco, San

It's silly to keep people alive who have a terrible disease.

- Imogen Cunningham

Alive, Disease, Keep, Silly

Anybody is influenced by where and how he lives.

- Imogen Cunningham

How, Anybody, Lives, Influenced

I hate big models.

- Imogen Cunningham

Hate, Big, Models

Some people say to me, Isn't it too bad that people discovered you so late? I never thought that.

- Imogen Cunningham

Bad, Some, Discovered, People Say

Get it out of your historic head.

- Imogen Cunningham

Head, Get, Your, Historic

Well, I turn people into human beings by not making them into gods.

- Imogen Cunningham

Well, Human Beings, Making, Gods

You see, I became kind of a drop-out in science after I came back to America.

- Imogen Cunningham

Kind, See, Became, Drop-Out

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.