Everyone asks me how I get my subjects to open up to me. There’s no formula to it. It’s just a matter of who you are and how you talk to people - of being yourself. Mary Ellen Mark More Quotes by Mary Ellen Mark More Quotes From Mary Ellen Mark Finding the right subject is the hardest part. Mary Ellen Mark findings hardest subjects Photograph the world as it is. Nothing's more interesting than reality. Mary Ellen Mark photography reality interesting I'm interested in reality, and I'm interested in survival. I'm interested in people who aren't the lucky ones, who maybe have a tougher time surviving, and telling their story. Mary Ellen Mark survival reality people I just think it's important to be direct and honest with people about why you're photographing them and what you're doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul. Mary Ellen Mark photography people thinking It’s not when you press the shutter, but why you press the shutter. Mary Ellen Mark shutters presses cameras I don't think you can develop or learn a way of seeing or a point of view. A way of seeing is who you are, how you think and how you create images. It is something that is inside of you. It's how you look at the world. Mary Ellen Mark views world thinking Reality is always extraordinary. Mary Ellen Mark extraordinary reality Usually my ideas for work have revolved around my interest in people, especially people that live on the edges of society. Mary Ellen Mark interest people ideas I’m just interested in people on the edges. I feel an affinity for people who haven’t had the best breaks in society. What I want to do more than anything is acknowledge their existence. Mary Ellen Mark break want people No, I don't think you're ever an objective observer. By making a frame you're being selective, then you edit the pictures you want published and you're being selective again. You develop a point of view that you want to express. You try to go into a situation with an open mind, but then you form an opinion, and you express it in your photographs. Mary Ellen Mark views mind thinking In a portrait, you always leave part of yourself behind. Mary Ellen Mark portraits behinds The difficulty with color is to go beyond the fact that it's color ? to have it be not just a colorful picture but really be a picture about something. It's difficult. So often color gets caught up in color, and it becomes merly decorative. Some photographers use it brilliantly to make visual statements combining color and content; otherwise it is empty. Mary Ellen Mark color photography use One of my all-time favorite photographers is Irving Penn. I wish I could have watched him work. Mary Ellen Mark all-time photographer wish A great photograph needs no explanation; it functions by suggestion. There is no need to be explicit. Mary Ellen Mark suggestions photograph needs If you are interested in photography because you love it and are obsessed with it, you must be self-motivated, a perfectionist, and relentless. Mary Ellen Mark perfectionist photography self The obsessions we have are pretty much the same our whole lives. Mine are people, the human condition, life. Mary Ellen Mark human-condition obsession people Nowadays shots are created in post-production, on computers. It's not really photography. Mary Ellen Mark shots computer photography If I hadn't become a photographer, I would have loved to become a doctor. I would have loved to have done something that actually helped people and changed their lives. Mary Ellen Mark doctors done people Sometimes I work on film sets. I've done this for 40 years. I always wanted to photograph on the set of an Ingmar Bergman film. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity. Mary Ellen Mark done opportunity years There are some people who become best friends with everyone they photograph. There are people that I really like and admire and respect, but in a way I think it's better to keep a distance. I think you get better pictures of people that you don't know very well. Mary Ellen Mark distance people thinking
