Quotes by
W. Eugene Smith

In music I still prefer the minor key, and in printing I like the light coming from the dark. I like pictures that surmount the darkness, and many of my photographs are that way. It is the way I see photographically. For practical reasons, I think it looks better in print too.

Photography is just a weak voice, but sometimes, only sometimes, one or more pictures can take our senses to the consciousness; photography induces in ocations to so intense emotions that reach the point of reagent of the mind.

An artist must be ruthlessly selfish.

Many claim I am a photographer of tragedy. In the greater sense I am not, for though I often photograph where the tragic emotion is present, the result is almost invariably affirmative.

The purpose of all art is to cause a deep and emotion, also one that is entertaining or pleasing. Out of the depth and entertainment comes value.

Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. Always, I am on the threshold.

I would that my photographs might be, not the coverage of a news event, but an indictment of war – the brutal corupting viciousness of its doing to the minds and bodies of men; and, that my photographs might be a powerful emotional catalyst to the reasoning which would help this vile and criminal stupidity from beginning again.

[I crop ] for the benefit of the pictures. The world just does not fit conveniently into the format of a 35mm camera.

Hardening of the categories causes art disease.

Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes one photograph, or a group of them, can lure our sense of awareness.

I am an idealist. I often feel I would like to be an artist in an ivory tower. Yet it is imperative that I speak to people, so I must desert that ivory tower. To do this, I am a journalist—a photojournalist. But I am always torn between the attitude of the journalist, who is a recorder of facts, and the artist, who is often necessarily at odds with the facts. My principle concern is for honesty, above all honesty with myself...

The belief, the try, a camera and some film - the fragile weapons of my good intentions. With these I fought war.

I've never made any picture, good or bad, without paying for it in emotional turmoil.

I was after a set of pictures, so that when people looked at them they would say, ‘This is war’--that the people who were in the war would believe that I had truthfully captured what they had gone through... I worked in the framework that war is horrible. I want to carry on what I have tried to do in these pictures. War is a concentrated unit in the world and these things are clearly and cleanly seen. Things like race prejudice, poverty, hatred and bigotry are sprawling things in civilian life, and not so easy to define as war.

I can’t stand these damm shows on museum walls with neat little frames, where you look at the images as if they were pieces of art. I want them to be pieces of life!

My photographs at best hold only a small length, but through them I would suggest and criticize and illuminate and try to give compassionate understanding.

I would that my photographs might be, not the coverage of a news-event but and indictment of war – the brutal corrupting viciousness of its doing to the minds and bodies of men; and that my photographs might be a powerful emotional catalyst to the reasoning which would help this vile and criminal stupidity from beginning again.

I am constantly torn between the attitude of the conscientious journalist who is a recorder and interpreter of the facts and of the creative artist who often is necessarily at poetic odds with the literal facts.

The world just does not fit conventiently into the format of a 35mm camera.

Humanity is worth more than a picture of humanity that serves no purpose other than exploitation.

"I would dream of being an artist in an ivory tower. Yet it is imperative that I speak to people, so I must desert that ivory tower. To do this I am a journalist—a photographic journalist. In result, I am constantly torn bet the attitude of the conscientious journalist who is a recorder of, an interpreter of facts, and of the creative artist who often is necessarily at poetic odds with the literal facts.
My principal concern is for an honesty of interpretation to be arrived at by careful study and through the utmost possible sensitivity of understanding. I would further, if the strength of talent be within me, have my accomplished image transcend literal truth by intensifying its truthful accuracy, indicating ever of the spirit and symbolising more. And my only editor would be my conscience and my conscience would be of my responsibilities—in constant disciplined rejudgement of my failures and of my fulfilments."

I didn’t write the rules. Why should I follow them?

Since I am somewhat adequate as a photographer, I remain with it.

The first word I would remove from the folklore of journalism is the word objective.

I always fought hard against packaging a story so that all things seem to come to and end at the end of the story. I always wanted to leave it so that there is a tomorrow.

My camera, my intentions stopped no man from falling. Nor did they aid him after he had fallen. It could be said that photographs be damned for they bind no wounds. Yet, I reasoned, if my photographs could cause compassionate horror within the viewer, they might also prod the conscience of that viewer into taking action.

Passion is in all great searches and is necessary to all creative endeavors.

Up to and including the moment of exposure, the photographer is working in an undeniably subjective way. By his choice of technical approach, by the selection of the subject matter...and by his decision as to the exact cinematic instant of exposure, he is blending the variables of interpretation into an emotional whole.

...my pictures are complex and so am I. When I am almost symbolistic in writing, there is a more limiting difference's of accepting, while I can be even more complex in the photographs and people can usually accept them within the framework of their own limitations or lack of limitations – there is no dictionary meaning... they can look up for the photographic image and allow it to confuse them...

Most photographers seem to operate with a pane of glass between themselves and their subjects. They just can't get inside and know the subject.

I think that basically all of my photographs are failures... I'm not saying that as a self negation or anything like that, I just don't judge it upon it upon how "good" it was, but rather upon how I'd fail upon what I was trying to say... I think this [Tomoko in her Bath] personally is the best photograph I ever made, it came to say what I was trying to say...

1942: Freelanced, choosing assignments; later felt freedom misused because of creative immaturity; that photographs made had " great depth of filed, very little depth of feeeling." In later repudiation of this period of work, acknowledged that subsequent photography was a logical development of the past and not representative of a drastic shift in values.

Negatives are the notebooks, the jottings, the false starts, the whims, the poor drafts, and the good draft but never the completed version of the work... The completed version a print should be sufficient and fair return for a magazine's investment, for it is the means of fulfilling the magazine's purpose ,,,, The print and a proper one is the only completed photograph, whether it is specifically shaded for reproduction, or for a museum wall. Negatives are private, as is my bedroom ....

Available light is any damn light that is available!

What uses having a great depth of field, if there is not an adequate depth of feeling?

Photography is a small voice, at the best sometimes – just sometimes – one photograph or a group of them cab lure our senses into awareness…. Someone – or perhaps many – among us may be influenced to heed reason, to find a way to right that which is wrong….The rest of us may perhaps feel a greater sense of understanding and compassion for those lives are alien to our own….Photography is a small voice….It is important voice in my life, but not the only one. I believe in it.

I...made brash, dashing interpretive photographs which were overly clever and with too much technique.., with great depth of field, very little depth of feeling, and with considerable 'success'.

...and each time I pressed the shutter release it was a shouted condemnation hurled with the hope that the picture might survive through the years, with the hope that they might echo through the minds of men in the future - causing them caution and remembrance and realization.

With considerable soul searching, that to the utmost of my ability, I have let truth be the prejudice.

… to became neighbours and friends instead of journalists. This is the way to make your finest photographs.

I [Smith] use literature, music and I try to get them [the students] to see in a small ways by teaching them responsibility. For instances, I had a little bottle that said SCOTCH on it and I kept ducking behind the desk to pour myself a drink from it. Everyone was wild, taking pictures of me, trying to sneak a picture of me sneaking a drink. After a while I said: “Okay, you’ve been photographing me drinking from this bottle, so you will distribute pictures to show that I drink while teaching. But you’ve never asked me what’s in the bottle. It’s a bottle of cider – you are very bad reporters!

K.K.K.
Dear _______________ (an editor); P.S. In printing the photographs of the white-gowned Klan members I ran into considerable difficulty. There were several with uncovered faces and these faces were vividly dark in comparison to the white-white of the gowns that it was almost impossible to keep them from appearing black.
I am terribly sorry.

The photographer must bear the responsibility for his work and its effect …[for] photographic journalism, because of its tremendous audience reached by publications using it, has more influence on public thinking than any other branch of photography.

I try to take what voice I have and give it to those who don't have one at all.

I doubt the existence of any perfection, although I am for trying the rise to this impossible and would take measures from such failure rather than from the convenience of a safe but mundane success. (l do not deplore success.) I would experience ever deeper, and endeavour to give out from this experience. My photographs at best hold only a small strength, but through them I would suggest and criticise and illuminate and try to give compassionate understanding. And through the passion given into my photographs (no matter how quiet) I would call out for a spiritualisation that would create strength and healing and purpose, as teacher and surgeon and entertainer, and would give comment upon man's place and preservation within this new age. a terrible and exciting age. And with passion. Passiont yes, as passion is in all great searches and is necessary to all creative endeavours— whether of statesman, or scientist, or artist, or freedom, or devil— and Don Juan may have been without passion, for sex and sentiment and violence can very much be without passion. Question this? Take note of the values around you, everywhere thrust upon you— and wade awhile, with this question in thought, through publications and publications from cover to cover.

Photography is a potent medium of expression. Properly used it is a great power for betterment and understanding; misused, it can kindle many troublesome fires. Photographic journalism, because of the tremendous audience reached by publications using it, has more influence on public thinking and opinion than any other branch of photography. For these reasons, it is important that the photographer-journalist has (beside the essential mastery of his tools) a strong sense of integrity and the intelligence to understand and present his subject matter accordingly.
To have his photographs live on in history, past their important but short lifespan in a publication, is the final desire of nearly every photographer-artist who works in journalism. He can reach this phase only by combining a profound penetration into the character of the subject with a perfection of composition and technique—a consolidation necessary for any photographic masterpiece.

I think the only thing wrong with the word “documentary” is that it can give some people the idea that you can make absolutely dull pictures of the ingredients of something instead of the heart of something.

I think photojournalism is documentary photography with a purpose.

I doubt the existence of any perfection, although I am for trying the rise to this the impossible and would take measure from such failure rather than from the the convenience of a safe but mundane success. (l do not deplore success.) I would experience ever deeper, and endeavour to give out from this experience. My photographs at best hold only a small strength, but through them I would suggest and criticise and illuminate and try to give compassionate understanding. And through the passion given into my photographs (no matter how quiet) I would call out for a spiritualisation that would create strength and healing and purpose, as teacher and surgeon and entertainer, and would give comment upon man's place and preservation within this new age— a terrible and exciting age. And with passion. Passion, yes, as passion is in all great searches and is necessary to all creative endeavours— whether of statesmen, or scientist, or artist, or freedom, or devil— and Don Juan may have been without passion, for sex and sentiment and violence can very much be without passion. Question this? Take note of the values around you, everywhere thrust upon you— and wade awhile, with this question in thought, through publications and publications from cover to cover.

I frequently have sought out those who are in the least position to speak for themselves. By accident of birth, by accident of place—whoever, whatever, wherever—I am of their family. I can comment for them, if I believe in their cause, with a voice they do not possess.

The care I give the prints and the agony I go through making them makes it a most unpleasant—but necessary—task.