Quote: Steve Simmons (Photographer, Teacher)

Speaking of making a photograph:

"The first and most basic step is the visualization. More of my photographs have been ruined because I did not have a clear concept of what I was doing than by any other factor. It is true that a fuzzy concept leads to a fuzzy image, so I begin by looking and seeing, trying to feel the scene, to understand it."


"... I do know that trying to force a photograph does not work for me. It is for this reason that I have long felt that photography was a way for me to study, to spend more time with, or to look at something I was already interested in anyway, and that trying to photograph a subject that I was not inherently interested in has generally been not only tedious but a disappointing exercise. Many of the photographers whose work I have admired over the years have photographed subjects that they were already interested in and this interest and passion shows in the work. It is this interest and passion that has probably attracted me to their photographs..."

Speaking of the intuition of making photos and equipment:

" This intuitive process takes time to develop and certainly requires a mastery of equipment and materials. But once this mastery is acquired, the worker needs to move out beyond the camera to the subject. Constant obsession with the having the best lens, the best film, the best camera, etc., is not the route to making successful photographs. Frequent changes of your tools and materials will only add to the difficulty of making a successful photograph instead of simply making the process easier and more intuitive."