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

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

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.

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.

I think knowing people by first names, not by what they do sexually, is really what it's about. Not being afraid. Fear is the enemy. I've always been comfortable with being gay.

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

What I particularly liked was that, coming from California and not being involved in the New York scene, I developed my personal way, in my own way, at my own pace.