Regardless of whether you speak the language or are familiar with a culture, the picture should hold up.

And what excites me most is the type of public, the fact that the Parisian people have a broader cultural understanding than many Americans do.

Being an American is about having the right to be who you are. Sometimes that doesn't happen.

It's important to let your subjects be themselves.

I abstract it in my photographs: I like large planes and spaces, areas of texture and light, like deserts or oceans or monumental places.

For me, the most important thing I learned was just honing my eye. I think I had a good eye.

I always enjoyed art history because, growing up in California, my exposure was limited, and it was a new experience. To learn the history of art opened up certain things to me, made me see. It intrigued me.