Richard Avedon's Quote

 Richard Avedon's Quote

By: Amanda Schaeffer

        Richard Avedon's quote is quite confusing to say the least. I comprehend the first statement of his quote but don't particularly understand the second. I read the first sentence and assume that Avedon means that photography is more opinion based. Anyone can look at a photograph and think what they want about it. I believe that's why he used the word "opinion" in his sentence. Everyone can perceive an image differently. For instance, the above image is one of Avedon's work and it shows a lady jumping/skipping on the road with an umbrella. Many people can take this in as a woman going to work in a city. On the other hand, someone could believe that this woman is going on a date and is skipping happily to the location. I think Avedon's first statement in his quote was stating that everyone has their own opinion or interpretation of a photograph. We all can choose what the story is behind a picture. 

        The second part of Richard Avedon's quote is one that I don't necessarily understand, but I think I might have a good interpretation of what he meant. Avedon mentions that photographs are accurate. I take this as that he might believe images are precise and that they are raw. To an extent photographs are correct and accurate. For example, in the above image, this is a raw photograph of a women jumping off the sidewalk in a city. You can tell she's located in some sort of city with a professional outfit on. This seems like an accurate photo that anyone can interpret. However, I do believe with today's technology, we can adjust the presentation of images with Photoshop. People can make images into crazy masterpieces that leave no characteristic of the beginning photo. Most photos are accurate and tell the truth, but I do believe with the power of technology we can shift and change an image.

        Ultimately, Richard Avedon's quote is inspiring to me. I admire the first statement more than the second part. I completely understand that not everyone is going to have the same viewpoint on a piece. Everyone has their own perspective on what they see in photographs. This is why I think photography is beautiful, since everyone can participate in photography by having their own opinion of what they see. As for the second part of Avedon's quote, I don't enjoy what he's trying to convey. I understand what he was trying to say but it's difficult to understand what he fully means. Overall, I'm fascinated by Richard Avedon's quote about photography.