David Burnett Quotes

The greatest photographs are motivated by human feeling.

I love New York, but am happy to be away from it. I really like small towns, with welcoming barbecue restaurants.

I see myself as a recorder of history, sort of a visual historian.

War isn't a TV show with plot twists to keep the viewers interested. The proliferation of images and blanket media coverage have suffocated the life out of old-style photojournalism.

The satisfaction comes from working next to 500 photographers and coming away with something different.

The fact that I have a little ten-megapixel camera with me all the time, is way better than having the greatest camera in the world sitting at home on a desk instead of on my shoulder.

It's a given your family will be tired of being photographed, but don't give up. In another couple of decades, those are the pictures you will be glad to have.

Shooting film is not for everybody, but if you're crazy enough it might be for you.

When you've lived through the golden age of photojournalism, there's no point in being nostalgic.

I hate being away, but I understand that for me, that's where the work, the stories are.