Susan Sontag, an American writer, critic, and philosopher, is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers on photography. Her book “On Photography” explores the role of photography in contemporary society and delves into various aspects of the medium, including its power, ethics, and the way it shapes our perception of the world. Sontag’s insightful quotes on photography offer a unique perspective on the art form and provoke thought and discussion among photographers and enthusiasts alike.
In “On Photography,” Sontag challenges the notion that photographs capture reality as it is. She argues that photography often reduces reality to a mere image, detached from its original context and meaning. Sontag suggests that photographs can be both a powerful tool for communication and a source of manipulation, as they can be used to shape public opinion and perpetuate stereotypes. Her quotes provide a thought-provoking reflection on the complexities of photography and its impact on society.
So, let’s delve into some of Susan Sontag’s most thought-provoking quotes on photography:
Read these On Photography Susan Sontag quotes:
“Photographs are a way of imprisoning reality…One can’t possess reality, one can possess images—one can’t possess the present but one can possess the past.”
“To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them that they can never have; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed. Just as a camera is a sublimation of the gun, to photograph someone is a subliminal murder—a soft murder, appropriate to a sad, frightened time.”
“Photographs really are experience captured, and the camera is the ideal arm of consciousness in its acquisitive mood.”
“In teaching us a new visual code, photographs alter and enlarge our notions of what is worth looking at and what we have the right to observe.”
“Photography is an elegiac art, a twilight art. Most subjects photographed are, just by virtue of being photographed, touched with pathos. An ugly or grotesque subject may be moving because it has been dignified by the attention of the photographer. A beautiful subject can be the object of rueful feelings, because it has aged or decayed or no longer exists. All photographs are memento mori.”
“Photographs, which cannot themselves explain anything, are inexhaustible invitations to deduction, speculation, and fantasy. In a world that is well on its way to becoming one vast quarry, the collector becomes someone engaged in a pious work of salvage. The collecting of photographs, which is the collecting of the world.”
“Photography is an immediate reaction, drawing is a meditation. Photographs, which cannot themselves explain anything, are inexhaustible invitations to deduction, speculation, and fantasy.”
“The photographer is always trying to colonize new experiences or find new ways to look at familiar subjects—to fight against boredom. To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed. It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge—and, therefore, like power.”
“Photography is a way of imprisoning reality, understood as recalcitrant, inaccessible; of making it stand still.”
“In a world saturated with images, photography becomes a reflex that conditions all our experiences, making us constantly aware of the possibility of transforming any moment into a visual image.”
“To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.”
“Photographs, which cannot themselves explain anything, are inexhaustible invitations to deduction, speculation, and fantasy.”
“To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them that they can never have; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed. Just as a camera is a sublimation of the gun, to photograph someone is a subliminal murder—a soft murder, appropriate to a sad, frightened time.”
“Photographs really are experience captured, and the camera is the ideal arm of consciousness in its acquisitive mood.”
“Photography is an elegiac art, a twilight art. Most subjects photographed are, just by virtue of being photographed, touched with pathos. An ugly or grotesque subject may be moving because it has been dignified by the attention of the photographer. A beautiful subject can be the object of rueful feelings, because it has aged or decayed or no longer exists. All photographs are memento mori.”
“Photographs, which cannot themselves explain anything, are inexhaustible invitations to deduction, speculation, and fantasy. In a world that is well on its way to becoming one vast quarry, the collector becomes someone engaged in a pious work of salvage. The collecting of photographs, which is the collecting of the world.”
“Photography is an immediate reaction, drawing is a meditation. Photographs, which cannot themselves explain anything, are inexhaustible invitations to deduction, speculation, and fantasy.”
“The photographer is always trying to colonize new experiences or find new ways to look at familiar subjects—to fight against boredom. To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed. It means putting oneself into a certain relation to the world that feels like knowledge—and, therefore, like power.”
“Photography is a way of imprisoning reality, understood as recalcitrant, inaccessible; of making it stand still.”
“In a world saturated with images, photography becomes a reflex that conditions all our experiences, making us constantly aware of the possibility of transforming any moment into a visual image.”
“To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.”
These quotes by Susan Sontag offer a glimpse into the depth and complexity of photography as an art form. They encourage photographers and viewers to question the power dynamics, ethics, and impact of the medium. Whether you are a photography enthusiast or simply interested in exploring the philosophical aspects of visual representation, these quotes serve as a valuable resource for contemplation and discussion.
