Rene Burri quotes:

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

I never thought I would become a photographer.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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