The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion.
Richard AvedonPeople, unprotected by their roles, become isolated in beauty and intellect and illness and confusion.
Richard Avedoni'm beginning to feel like this. caught the incredible sunshine just in the nick of time today on my walk. the wall of rain approaching from the west desert was pretty spectacular, too. along with being gorgeous, it was sooo muddy. which made driving home in no shoes so very fun :) if only i could post photos here! a picture is worth a thousand words, yes? If a day goes by without my doing something related to photography, it's as though I've neglected something essential to my existence, as though I had forgotten to wake up.
Richard AvedonI hate cameras. They interfere, theyโre always in the way. I wish: if I could just work with my eyes alone. To get a satisfactory print, one that contains all that you intended, is very often more difficult and dangerous than the sitting itself. When Iโm photographing, I immediately know when Iโve got the image I really want. But to get the image out of the camera and into the open, is another matter.
Richard AvedonThere's always been a separation between fashion and what I call my 'deeper' work. Fashion is where I make my living. I'm not knocking it. It's a pleasure to make a living that way. It's pleasure and then there's the deeper pleasure of doing my portraits. It's not important what I consider myself to be, but I consider myself to be a portrait photographer.
Richard Avedon