"I turn people into human beings by not making them into gods"

Imogen Cunningham’s assertion, “I turn people into human beings by not making them into gods,” contains both an artistic and humane philosophy. Within creative fields like photography and portraiture, Cunningham’s main discipline, there can be a tendency to seek perfection, to elevate subjects into something untouchable or idealized. Yet, when people are canonized as icons or deities, a distance appears; the viewer may be impressed but struggles to relate. Cunningham rejects this. Through her approach, she acknowledges and preserves the intricate flaws, nuances, and unique details of her subjects. Rather than glorify or mythologize, she brings people down from pedestals, occupying the rich, honest space of reality.

In engaging honestly with her subjects, Cunningham finds the essential gestures, unguarded expressions, and vulnerabilities that make them resonate as fully realized individuals, humans, not symbols. She resists the urge to smooth away imperfections for the sake of aesthetic purity. This grants dignity and complexity to her subjects and avoids the pitfalls of idealization: distortion, objectification, and distance. Her photographic lens works as a mirror rather than a spotlight, reflecting the individual as they are in that moment, with their ordinary grace and humanity.

The statement also carries an ethical dimension. Rosy deification can strip people of agency, making them the object of projection rather than understanding. Cunningham’s commitment is to authenticity; respecting her subjects enough to show their reality rather than a fantasy. By declining to turn her sitters into “gods,” she treats them with empathy, opening up space for connection, relatability, and compassion. Her method is both honest and generous, suggesting that true depiction is not achieved by elevating people to impossible status, but instead by recognizing the profound worth of their everyday humanity. Through this grounded vision, art becomes a celebration not of idols, but of genuine human beings.