Photos

When I teach a class I often give the assignment: "Photograph someone you love." I ask people to do this so they have a subject about whom they have feelings, a subject that is more than a model, or an object, or a shape, or an idea. In this way, they can judge the result not only by its technical success, but also by how well it describes their feelings. - John Loengard,

Like doctors, photographers work with what is present. I suspect our chief emotions are anticipation, frustration, and patience, balanced by a marvelous sense of elation when things go right--when we think we've captured within a photograph some missing feeling, some sense of beauty, or bit of mystery in the fabric of life. - John Loengard -

Perishability in a photograph is important in a picture. If a photograph looks perishable we say, "Gee, I'm glad I have that moment." - John Loengard,

I don't think I have become more skillful a technician over time. I think I have become more skillful at finding pictures that fit a very simple technique....You have to learn what you can do well...My pictures reflect the fact that I'm trying as hard as I can, and I can't do anything else. - John Loengard,

To understand photographs, I believe you have to understand that the camera just shows what it shows. Photography may be moving, exciting, compassionate, or clever. But the camera cannot lie. Neither can a slide rule, a balance. If you want to lie, you have to do it with words. - John Loengard,

Photographs don't lie, people lie about photographs... - John Loengard

* see my WS HERE the first color version of the photo