Rene Burri Quotes & Sayings

I suddenly had to chase after my pictures ... Pictures are like taxis during rush hour - if you're not fast enough, someone else will get there first. — Rene Burri

I lived and grew up in the black and white period of photojournalism. — Rene Burri

To some extent, the cult surrounding black-and-white photography is based on nostalgia. — Rene Burri

My photography is the result of being there at the right moment. — Rene Burri

A digital camera has to be kept in check like a racehorse. — Rene Burri

For me, Picasso was the ultimate man. He taught me that photography is all about how you approach an image: what you do and what you don't do. He inspired me to go beyond what you think is in front of you. — Rene Burri

A photograph is a moment - when you press the button, it will never come back. — Rene Burri

It took me six years to get close to Picasso. I learnt a lot from him, and he was an absolute genius. He almost became my grandfather at the time. It was like he was a magician or something. — Rene Burri

I witnessed the building of the Space Shuttle Columbia, the first orbiter to be launched into space. — Rene Burri

If you are truly successful in capturing the pulse of life, then you can speak of a good photograph. — Rene Burri

I never thought I would become a photographer. — Rene Burri

The camera has always been a magic wand for me, giving me access to places where I could try new experiments. — Rene Burri

Everyone takes pictures, so you need to have your own opinion. — Rene Burri

What counts is putting the intensity that you yourself have experienced into the picture. Otherwise it is just a document. — Rene Burri

In 1958, a year before the revolution, Magnum wanted to send me to Cuba because they had contacts with the rebels. I'd just spent six months in South America and said 'No', so I missed everything. — Rene Burri

I think that's the strength of photography - to decide the decisive moment, to click in the moment to come up with a picture that never comes back again. — Rene Burri

On digital photography: It's fantastic, but it's not a freebie for anything. You still have to have this (he points to his eyes), and this (points to his heart), and feet. — Rene Burri

I grew up in Switzerland, in this kind of rigidity. It was Protestant, and I was rather shy. That influenced me a lot. — Rene Burri

Looking back, I didn't have the patience to work in fashion. I like women so much, but I was never qualified to torture them in photo shoots. You have to be really tough and brutal. — Rene Burri

I never had the time or luxury to think about inventing my own colour theory. When colour came, I was interested in expressing things that happened around me in time. — Rene Burri

One of these days, I'm going to publish a book of all the pictures I did not take. It is going to be a huge hit. — Rene Burri