Quotes By Conrad Hall

Manipulating shadows and tonality is like writing music or a poem.

I can still recall the thrill of shooting my first film.

Every once in a while, when the audience is expecting to see one thing, you have to show them something else.

The closer the source of light is to a subject, the broader the beams are.

There are a lot of directors who are knowledgeable about images, and others who aren't.

I think one of the reasons people quit is because they're afraid they won't be able to get better and better; that they have to come to a zenith of some kind.

Every cinematographer I worked with had his own way of solving problems.

I want to tell a story and shape it all the way through to the end.

With today's fast films, you can light the way your eye sees the scene. You can abuse the film and create subtleties in contrast with light and exposure, diffusion and filters. That's what makes it an art.

It's important to know that if you are dealing with shadows.

Dad, wherever you are, you are gone but you will never be forgotten.

Painting and writing are solitary arts.

That's why I like fast film. It gives you more freedom to light more naturally.

There are infinite shadings of light and shadows and colors... it's an extraordinarily subtle language. Figuring out how to speak that language is a lifetime job.

Photography is a very important part of my life.

I realize that every picture isn't a work of art.

I knew exactly how I wanted it to play, but you are never sure until you watch the projected images reflect off the screen. That's when you know it worked.

I saw Tequila Sunrise as a romantic picture with complex, bigger than life characters.

You have to understand the nature of light.

I hope I'm still shooting when I'm 80.

But at heart, I am more than a cinematographer.

It took a while for me to grasp that my colleagues believe I have made an impact on the history of cinema.

I was very happy sitting alone at a dining room table, writing a script.

My peers say I have made a difference. That means more to me than winning an Oscar.

The sun is the most parallel light source because it is so far away.

Contrast is what makes photography interesting.

There is a kind of beauty in imperfection.

I don't think of myself as a director or writer. I think of myself as a filmmaker.

In aptitude tests, I scored highest in music.

The audience has to understand that if the film is going to have any meaning for them. If they are going to empathize with the characters, they have to visualize the process of concentration involved in making every move.