...the pepper is beginning to show signs of strain, and tonight should grace a salad. It has been suggested that I am a cannibal to eat my models.

I see my finished platinum print (in the viewfinder) in all its desired qualities, before my exposure.

When subject matter is forced to fit into preconceived patterns, there can be no freshness of vision. Following rules of composition can only lead to a tedious repetition of pictorial cliches.

My own eyes are no more than scouts on a preliminary search, or the camera's eye may entirely change my idea.

My true program is summed up in one word: life. I expect to photograph anything suggested by that word which appeals to me.

Now, to consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravity before going for a walk.

In common with other artists the photographer wants his finished print to convey to others his own response to his subject. In the fulfillment of this aim, his greatest asset is the directness of the process he employs. But this advantage can only be retained if he simplifies his equipment and technic to the minimum necessary, and keeps his approach from from all formula, art-dogma, rules and taboos. Only then can he be free to put his photographic sight to use in discovering and revealing the nature of the world he lives in.