Martine Franck Quotes & Sayings

Photography came as a substitute. I was painfully shy and found talking to people difficult; a camera in hand gave me a function, a reason to be somewhere, a witness, but not an actor. — Martine Franck

A photograph isn't necessarily a lie, but nor is it the truth. It's more of a fleeting, subjective impression. What I most like about photography is the moment that you can't anticipate: you have to be constantly watching for it, ready to welcome the unexpected. — Martine Franck

My advice to photographers is to get out there in the field and take photographs but also if they are students to finish their course, learn as many languages as possible, go to movies, read books visit museums, broaden your mind. — Martine Franck

I think everything can be painted because painting can change reality; but everything cannot be photographed and the photographer often comes home empty-handed, with images which (often) have a documentary interest, but which rarely go further than that. One has to be completely available, very tenacious and admit that many subjects won't give any results ... and a miracle sometimes happens, without warning. — Martine Franck

I was very ill at ease with people in social situations, and I realized that if I photographed I wouldn't have to chat. — Martine Franck

I feel concerned by what happens in the world ... I don't want to merely document; I want to know why a certain thing disturbs or attracts me and how a situation can affect the person involved. — Martine Franck

What I like so much about photography is precisely the moment that cannot be anticipated; one must be constantly on the alert, ready to acclaim the unexpected. — Martine Franck

My grandfather killed himself falling off the dike in Ostend while photographing my two cousins. This can happen so easily when looking through a lens: for a split second nothing else exists outside the frame. — Martine Franck

I think I was shy as a young woman and realized that photography was an ideal way of expressing myself, of telling people what was going on without having to talk. — Martine Franck