Edward Steichen

"Every other artist begins with a blank canvas, a piece of paper the photographer begins with the finished product."

"When that shutter clicks, anything else that can be done afterward is not worth consideration."

"Photography is a major force in explaining man to man."

"Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man."

"I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself."