Alexey Brodovitch Quotes

The creative life of the commercial photographer is like the life of a butterfly. Very seldom do we see a photographer who is really productive for more than eight or ten years.

It is the end result that counts.

The best way to achieve surprise quality is by avoiding cliches.

If you see something you have seen before, don't click the shutter.

It is every photographer's responsibility to discover new images and a new personal way of looking at things. If he can do this his pictures will command attention and have surprise quality.

If you know yourself, you are doomed.

When I say that a good picture has surprise quality or shock appeal, I do not mean that it is a loud or vulgar picture but, instead, that it stimulates my thinking and intrigues me.

Imitation is the greatest danger of the young [artist].

The photograph is not only a pictorial report; it is also a psychological report. It represents the feelings and point of view of the intelligence behind the camera.

What is good today may be a cliche tomorrow.

It is the photographer's decision at the two levels of seeing the picture - when it is shot and when it is chosen and printed that determines his personal style.

It is the unexpected and the surprise quality of a personal vision, rather than the emotion, which make people respond to a photograph.

Astonish me! (Instruction to photographers)