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Cheryl Machat Dorskind

Hamptons Photographer | Photo Instruction

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Friday Quote: “Compose and Wait” ~ Sam Abell

By cherylmachatdorskind

www.cherylmachatdorskind.com
“Compose and Wait” ~Sam Abell
 
“One of the things that I most believe in is the compose and wait philosophy of photography. It’s a very satisfying, almost spiritual way to photograph. Life isn’t’ knocking you around, life isn’t controlling you. You have picked your place, you’ve picked your scene, you’ve picked your light, you’ve done all the decision making and you are waiting for the moment to come to you.”
Sam Abell video
For over forty years (born 1945) Sam Abell has been a photographer, educator, author, and mentor. He learned photography from his father at their home in Sylvania, Ohio where he lived for eighteen years. Abell states that the flat landscape of Sylvania —one of the flattest landscapes in North America — developed his signature composition style;
“the background is level, horizontal, and cleanly divides the frame, top-to-bottom and near-to-far. I find it, in addition to it being a graphic element, to be an optimistic or positive element… The horizon to me always meant possibilities…”
 

 
 

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Filed Under: Friday quote, Inspiration, Photography, photography quotes Tagged With: friday quote, photo inspiration, Sam Abell

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About Cheryl

Professional photographer Cheryl Machat Dorskind is a three-time best-selling author and newspaper columnist, an international mentor, a photo educator and an adjunct professor, a workshop and an online instructor, a speaker, and an acclaimed “New York Times” fine-art photographer and handpainter.

She is a member of the American Society of Media Professionals (ASMP) and the Professional Photographers of America (PPA).

Learn with Cheryl

Team up with internationally noted fine art mentor Cheryl Machat Dorskind and expand your photographic vision. She is the perfect mentor for the visual artist searching for creative, technical, and marketing direction.

Copyright © 2026 Cheryl Machat Dorskind. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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