[Our self-image is] that gap between intention and effect

The Chinese have a theory that you pass through boredom into fascination and I think it's true. I would never choose a subject for what it means to me or what I think about it. You've just got to choose a subject - and what you feel about it, what it means, begins to unfold if you just plain choose a subject and do it enough.

There are an awful lot of people in the world and it's going to be terribly hard to photograph all of them... It was my teacher Lisette Model who finally made it clear to me that the more specific you are, the more general it will be.

The world is full of fictional characters looking for their stories

I'm very little drawn to photographing people that are known or even subjects that are known. They fascinate me when I've barely heard of them.

One thing I would never photograph is a dog lying in the mud.

There's a kind of power thing about the camera. I mean everyone knows you've got some edge. You're carrying some magic which does something to them. It fixes them in a way.