Ruth Bernhard (October 14, 1905 – December 18, 2006) was a German-born American photographer.
Light is my inspiration. My photographic images search for dimensions that words cannot touch- the result of intense responses to personal experiences. I do not wish to "record," but rather to touch upon the illusive meanings which I perceive and try to comprehend in this limitless universe.
I always said 'yes' to everything.
A person cannot learn to be a photographer. He can only cultivate what he already has. I try to make people aware that they have something very precious to cultivate.
Photography is art when it's used by an artist.
If youre not interested in life, then photography has no meaning
Remember God likes us best when we are flying by the seats of our pants.
The human body represents to me the same universal innocence, timelessness and purity of all seed pods, suggesting the mother as well as the child, the parental as well as the descendant, conceived according to nature's longings.
If you are not passionately devoted to an idea, you can make very pleasant pictures but they won't make you cry.
There is nothing unimportant in the universe.
Light is my inspiration, my paint and brush. It is as vital as the model herself. Profoundly significant, it caresses the essential superlative curves and lines. Light I acknowledge as the energy upon which all life on this planet depends.
What the human eye sees is an illusion of what is real. The black and white image transforms illusions into another reality.
I never question what to do, it tells me what to do. The photographs make themselves with my help.
It is so basic. A human being is an innocent part of nature. Our civilization has distorted this universal quality that allows us to feel at home in our skin. Other animals have coats that they accept, but the human race has yet to come to terms with being nude.
Woman has been the target of much that is sordid and cheap, especially in photography. To raise, to elevate, to endorse with timeless reverence the image of woman, has been my mission.
If you can't make the image bigger or more important than what you see, then don't push the button
Every day I am aware of the flow and constant change; perhaps I am at the edge of discovering what more our bodies might be able to teach about the spirit of life. At least, I am always exploring and trying to understand our relationship to the whole universe.
Fall in love. Every day. With everything. With life. If you can fall in love, you can be a photographer. I think that is absolutely essential.
#1 Never Get Used to Anything.
I never look for a photograph. The photograph finds me and says, I'm here! and I say, Yes, I see you. I hear you.
Everything is one and I am one with it.