Rene Burri Quotations

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

I never thought I would become a photographer.

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.

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

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

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

A photograph is a moment when you press the button. It will never come back.

One of these days, I'm going to publish a book of all the pictures I did not take.