Quotes About Photography

I met an Englishwoman in Africa. She said she became a doctor because she saw one of my pictures. That's all I want – just one doctor in Africa.

I respect newspapers but the reality is that magazine "photojournalism" is finished. They want illustrations, Photoshopped pictures of movie stars.

I paint what cannot be photographed, something from the imagination... I photograph the things I don't want to paint, things that are already in existence.

I'm interested in producing truncated shapes in proportion to the frame and composition, shapes that are preferably luminous. I'm not interested in the full-figure. I want to abstract forms.

The famous and much photographed stepping stones across the River Dove

Low-key scenes, nighttime effects, and many outdoor sunlit scenes are shot at ratios much higher than 4:1.

50mm is considered normal for 35mm SLR and full-frame DSLRs.

The standard series of f-stops, or f-numbers, is: 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32

In general, using a brighter, harder light from a greater distance away from the action will result in more even illumination than a softer unit closer to the subject.

Obviously, a skirt does present certain problems that I had to be aware of. But when it came to the shoot and we were rolling, I didn't really pay it any attention. It wasn't too bad.

I fall asleep everywhere! Someone recently asked if they could publish a book of pictures of me sleeping because there are so many.

My mother had found this album of all these old slides from the '50s of me as a kid and I said, 'We should have these made into pictures because the color's so beautiful.' There were pictures of me from 1955 as a little baby wearing all these elaborate outfits, and in these pictures was this amazing story of a gay man and his mother.

When I was working at the Flamingo I took slides of people standing in front of the Flamingo with the highway behind them. Across the street you can see these tumbleweeds. That is now Caesars Palace.

Digital has obviously changed things a lot, but not all for the better as far as I'm concerned. Of course it's much more convenient and you're getting instant results, but to me it just lacks the finesse of a roll of film and it has a slightly superimposed feel.

My 'No Parlez' album in 1983 - which went quadruple platinum - changed my life. The funniest thing though is the pictures we shot for the cover were rubbish, so we had to use a set we'd done for Smash Hits magazine instead.

I like the smell of film. I just like knowing there's film going through the camera.

OK, I don't love the red carpet... You arrive and all the photographers are shouting at you 'Smile!' I'm like: what, you want me to lift my leg and twirl? No.

I am fine if I am on a red carpet - I know what to do. You stop and smile and pose for a picture and that's fine.

I'm happy to help Crest Whitestrips on their mission to inspire photographers everywhere to capture smile moments and would encourage aspiring photographers to express themselves through their photos.

Sometimes when I'm being photographed, I hear the voice of this photographer who told me when I was about six while he was taking my school photo that I didn't have a nice smile, and I shouldn't smile in photos.

I've been criticised for pretty, smiley photographs, but at least someone is happy! In my mind, I am always giving the image to the sitter.

Click! In other words, I'm in a very controlling position, and I can bring... and I've already... if the camera's on you, your face is very concentrated. You're listening. You don't know what I'm going to say next, and now you're smiling. All these things are the things I work with.

My parents wielded disposal cameras and Polaroids with the best of them, occasionally begging for at least one decent photo of my brother and me at the state fair, in front of the Golden Gate bridge, or smiling half-heartedly next to a mascot.

I love unsalted almonds, especially if I'm about to do a photo shoot or compete. There's no mess, and they're so easy to pack in a little Ziploc bag to take with you. It's my number one go-to snack!