"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." When in doubt, get closer.
Article: Vintage prints by war photographer Robert Capa to headline Photo London
Known for his war photography, Robert Capa often placed himself in the most dangerous places. Not out of recklessness but out of commitment, he chased history with a camera and a fearless instinct for proximity from the Spanish Civil War to D-Day's Omaha Beach.
The Falling Soldier
Robert Capa's Loyalist Militiaman at the Moment of Death, Cerro Muriano, September 5, 1936
"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough" is one of Robert Capa's maxims. The closer he got, the more powerful the image. His famous D-Day photographs are chaotic, blurry, and raw, which is precisely what makes them so compelling. He wasn't an observer. He was inside the story.
And this is more than just a photography rule. Whether you're learning a new topic, trying to understand someone, or writing something meaningful, go closer. Getting into the details and the context is sometimes the only way to make sense of something.
So step toward it. Not away.