Keep yourself motivated
Like any other professional or famuos photographers often face a lack of motivation and inspiration when it comes to taking photographs.
The easy way to overcome this problem is by taking photos of words that would inspire you or motivate you in one way or another. Of course, the words should be related to photography. The best thing about this method is that you can get creative with this idea and thus take some very interesting photographs.
For example, if someone feels intimidated by portrait photography then they might want to take a photo of "No fear" so as to motivate themselves. If your friend who loves nature photography wants someone else to share his passion with him/her, then all s/he has got to do is photograph "Love nature". There are infinite possibilities when it comes to choosing the right words. The main point is to motivate yourself and inspire the friend you are choosing the words for.
So, here are some quotes from famous photographers.
Thoughts about creativity
“One doesn’t stop seeing. One doesn’t stop framing. It doesn’t turn off and on. It’s on all the time.” — Annie Leibovitz
"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." — Henri Cartier-Bresson
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” — Henry David Thoreau
On photography as art
"A good photograph is knowing where to stand." — Ansel Adams
"When I'm photographing I see the world as a great gift - something to be treasured and appreciated." –Sue Bryce
"Photography is the most accurate representation of reality possible." — Yousuf Karsh
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." — Dorothea Lange
On photography and happiness
"If my pictures can show the beauty and happiness of the life we lead, that will be enough." — Gordon Parks
"When I take a picture, I know what I have caught for a split second, but what is it? It’s just a moment. So now it becomes a question of whether or not I can make something with that moment." — Pieter Hugo
On photography and time
"In photography, there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality." — Alfred Stieglitz
"The photograph is the only record of our civilization that will survive." — Yousuf Karsh
"In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little, everyday things are sometimes more beautiful than the grandest subjects." — Alfred Stieglitz
"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still." — Dorothea Lange
"There is no substitute for hard work." — Edward Weston
On photography and people
“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” — Edward Steichen
"I think the camera sees more clearly than the eye and can record a deeper truth." — Matthew Brady
"A subject that is small and poorly lit still retains its identity as a subject if it’s sharply focused. In contrast, an important subject such as a strong active face in poor light… may be lost unless you use fill-flash or supplementary lighting." — Ansel Adams
On being comfortable with your camera
“It’s not a matter of getting a better camera but making better photographs. A good photographer makes his Nikon or Leica into an extension of his eye and consequently takes better pictures with it.” — William Klein
"The only thing that should have any effect on what you do is trying to make the best picture possible." — Bruce Gilden
"It’s not about the camera. It’s about the person behind the camera." — Sebastião Salgado
"In photography, there are no shadows that cannot be illuminated." — Yousuf Karsh
Quotes about your approach
"When the photograph has become a part of you, you are free to make it part of others." — Natalie Goldberg
"What is important in photography is what photographs do to the spectator. They should seduce." — Nadar
On making photos your own
“Photographers often imitate each other, but sometimes it goes deeper than that. There are times when you read or look at something and it becomes part of who you are. You begin to see with the eyes of that person. Even if you don’t want to, their vision gets into your soul somehow. Sometimes I have visual dreams—images coming back time after time, images I never took but still live inside me as mine . . . This is when a photographer’s work becomes larger than life. It is no longer the individual who photographs but photography itself, which possesses him or her. You have not made these images yourself, yet you cannot escape from them either. They are simply there inside you and become part of what and how you see.” — Sebastião Salgado
On great photos
"I can't define great art, but I know it when I see it." — Dave Stock/Magnum Photos "A really good photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, therefore, moving." — Ansel Adams
"A really outstanding image does get to where it wants to go without you. It's as if you're not there." — Galen Rowell
"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs." — Ansel Adams
On inspiration and motivation
“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” — Ansel Adams
"The art of seeing consists in forgetting the camera." — Henri Cartier-Bresson
"Don't focus on the subject; concentrate on the composition." — Brett Weston
On finding your own style and getting better with time "My first attempt at photography was not too successful…I discovered that I lacked patience and had no feeling for detail." — Edward Steichen
"Photography is like writing. You just have to keep doing it until you get better. Whether you are shooting or simply practicing, practice will increase your photographic ability."- Bruce Davidson
"Over time our photographs improve. It may even happen by accident as we become more relaxed and our intuition takes over. We learn to see better, to use the light more effectively, to compose more interestingly."- Art Wolfe
"It's not what you shoot, it's what you don't shoot." — Garry Winogrand
"The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do." - Andy Warhol
On photojournalism
"A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know." — Diane Arbus
"In order for pictures to be effective as propaganda, they must be true." — W. Eugene Smith
"What matters is not the subject of the picture but how the photographer sees it and makes others see it. This is the only thing that matters." — Henri Cartier-Bresson
How to use quotes as motivation?
Quotes to use as inspiration for your photography work may be used as a way to motivate yourself. Seeing what other photographers have said can help you decide on your views about the art, and seeing their motivations might bring some motivation into your mind. Quotes can also show you how others have said similar things about the work, which may help you see the subject in a different light.
Quotations can motivate us by filling us with a sense of confidence that we think is beyond us at the moment. Reading quotes from those who have been successful in their lives helps to inspire those who are still fighting towards their dreams because it shows them that if those people thought they couldn't do something or were afraid so many times before accomplishing their goal, then it is okay for them to feel the same.
The act of being quoted means that someone has found your work valuable and worth remembering, so keep your head up and don't forget why you started taking photographs in the first place.
Quotes can also be motivated by giving us a sense of appreciation for the process we go through when making a photograph. Seeing the finished product as an end result often leaves us with a feeling of incompleteness, but reading and understanding quotes about photography can help remind us why we love doing this in the first place. It puts into perspective how much effort we put into our photos, even if no one ever sees them but ourselves.
Lastly, quotations can be tools that help focus our minds on what we want to do with our work. Having a set of rules to follow can be helpful, but it is also important to be reminded that those rules are not permanent, and they can always be broken.
The most successful photographers are able to change their mindsets and photographic techniques as they see necessary, so don't feel discouraged if you don't think your photos fit into one certain genre or theme. There are no wrong ways of taking a photograph, as long as you're happy with the results.
Bottom line
Quotes about photography can be used as inspiration, motivation, and guidance for your own personal projects. They can remind you why you love taking photographs in the first place, and how much effort you put into your work even if no one ever sees it but yourself.
Furthermore, quotations can help focus your mind on what you want to do with your work and show that there are no wrong ways of taking a photograph as long as you're happy with the results. So keep your head up, and continue shooting from your heart.