I remember growing up and hearing the word "ugly" a lot. "I'm ugly." "She ugly." "He ugly." I hated it then, and I hate it now. I go past physical beauty; I tell people they have a beautiful spirit and that is something different.

I think what it was with the war photography was the concerned eye, the desire to document these situations to show the world the horrors of war. It inspired me to document prostitution; inspired me to document homelessness in America. We are the richest country in the world, yet we have people suffering, so it helped me to look at things in that manner.

The photograph is to a great degree evidence of the conversation I had with the person. It's a part of my visual diary.

Sometimes we are just divided, but we still, for the most part, we have similar hopes and dreams.

My camera is my compass; it's guided me to so many different places.

I think that's what the war photography did for me. It showed me the human side of people and how certain circumstances can change people's lives.

The majority of the people I've taken photographs of, I've had conversations with. "What are your goals and aspirations?" "What are you about?" It's not just about me capturing the image; I want to know what you are about.