Quotes by david bailey
I'm not a philosopher, I'm just a simple boy from East Ham.
I had a terrible time with feminists in the Seventies. They hated me, those women. I think they hated everything.
I don't think it matters where I came from any more.
My paintings are rubbish.
I was a terrible father. The most I ever did for my children was to teach them chess. At least they got that.
I was ten when I got my first serious beating. It was rough.
I was dyslexic, so I was put in the silly class at school.
I don't see the point of photographing trees or rocks because they're there and anyone can photograph them if they're prepared to hang around and wait for the light.
All pictures are unnatural. All pictures are sad because they're about dead people. Paintings you don't think of in a special time or with a specific event. With photos I always think I'm looking at something dead.
Being dyslexic, I was told that I was an idiot all the time.
I am mad about my wife.
I'm not mad about movies, there are too many people involved in the making of them, and they lack a definitive creative focus.
I love learning new techniques.
The reason I did fashion was it was the only way to get paid to do anything creative. You couldn't support yourself as an 'artist' - I hate that word. The only way you could be 'arty' was as a fashion photographer, because it still had a certain amount of integrity involved.
You adapt to who you're photographing.
Being trendy is dangerous. I've never been trendy, which is why I've never really fallen out of favour.
Instead of putting someone in prison for being a hooligan, give him a choice. He may have beaten someone up and he's got eight years, but tell him you can do eight years inside or spend five years in the Army. Put him in the Parachute Regiment, they'd soon sort him out.
I could develop a picture by the time I was 12.
Fortunately I didn't get educated because if I'd got educated I'd be an educated fool now.
I don't like any sport except boxing and bull fighting.
When I die I want to go to Vogue.
I like change. There's something Buddhist about it - continuous change is wonderful.
I sort of fall in love with them when I'm photographing them - men and women.
My first influence obviously was Picasso.
I never cared for fashion much, amusing little seams and witty little pleats: it was the girls I liked.
