Quotes by
Philippe Halsman

Of the thousands of people, celebrated and unknown, who have sat before my camera, I am often asked who was the most difficult subject, or the easiest, or which picture is my favorite. This last question is like asking a mother which child she likes the most.

All sizes of negatives and printing papers are arbitary, and determined by the manufacturer. The real shape is the circular image by the lens. I have to compose within that circle. Therefore, the problem pf square versus rectangle does not disturb me. It is easy to compose a horizontal or vertical image within a circle. It is possble to compose this either when taking the picture or later in the darkroom. Many times my final picture are square. I do not allow the proportions of the paper to dictate my compostion. I cahnge the proportions if they do not fit my idea of what the picture should be.

Most people stiffen with self-consciousness when they pose for a photograph. Lighting and fine camera equipment are useless if the photographer cannot make them drop the mask, at least for a moment, so he can capture on his film their real, undistorted personality and character.

The word “photography” can be interpreted as “writing with light” or “drawing with light.” Some photographers are producing beautiful photographs by drawing with light.. Some other photographers are trying to tell something with their photographs. They are writing with light.

I drifted into photography like one drifts into prostitution. First I did it to please myself, then I did it to please my friends, and eventually I did it for the money.

Yes, I cannot hide it any longer: I usually select content over form. Instead of creating a graphically surprising image, I am more interested in capturing the inner truth.

A good portrait is incredibly hard to create, there is too much temptation to pander to the individual rather than portray them as they really were.

I make the woman look at the camera as a symbol of all the eyes that will see the picture I am making.

I do not direct the sitter – the only thing I try is to help him over his fears and inhibitions. I try to capture what I feel reflects something of his inner life. The main goal for me is not to impose my own ideas of the subject, but rather to get at the psychological truth of the subject and present it in a valid form, a graphic form – but I would always sacrifice design for content.

No photographer should be blamed when, instead of capturing reality, he tries to show things he has seen only in his imagination. Photography is the youngest art form. All attempts to enlarge its frontiers are important and should be encouraged.

In a jump the subject, in a sudden burst of energy, overcomes gravity. He cannot simultaneously control his expressions, his facial and his limb muscles. The mask falls. The real self becomes visible. One only has to snap it with the camera.

A true portrait should, today and a hundred years from today, be the testimony of how this person looked and what kind of human being he was.

The problem of making a striking and unusual photograph is a universal one.

Interesting objects cannot only make our photographs more interesting, but they are sometimes capable of stimulating us to make an unusual photograph.