David Bailey Quotes

I've always been a bit flip.

Rather than knowing more, I think I've got more open-minded.

In '73 I photographed the cannibals in New Guinea. They treated me OK but they didn't make you feel relaxed... I managed to escape unscathed though, I'm pretty good at that.

Journalists never make it clear when you are joking.

My paintings are rubbish.

I never set out to be a photographer.

You adapt to who you're photographing.

I don't see the point of photographing trees or rocks because they're there and anyone can photograph them if they're prepared to hang around and wait for the light.

My first influence obviously was Picasso.

All I could do at school was paint and draw and that was the only time I ever passed any exam. It was the only thing I ever got right at school.

Actors are hard to photograph because they never want to reveal who they are. You don't know if you're getting a character from a Chekhov play or a Polanski film. It depends what mood they're in.

It's only a few nutcases who do art for themselves, like Van Gogh.